I find it absurd the parents didn’t notice the five dollars before setting down and getting menus...so....I mean is it kinda mean to do that to a kid? Yes and No...if it teaches them not to steal then all the better. I remember stealing a 50 cent piece of candy as a kid...my mom caught us eating it out back when we…

“I’m sure that mom is beyond mortified, which seems like an excessive punishment for $5.”
That is pretty true, but I guess my only counter is that being mortified is mostly temporary and causes no actual harm. I bet the kid doesnt swipe some money again though haha... 

taking a five-dollar bill left on the table by a previous customer and hiding it under her children’s menu

You did a thing and people know about it. If that brings you shame the cause is the thing you did, not the people.

Was the mom even there? I think the girl just mindlessly grabbed a cookie because the packaging looked familiar, but packaging changes all the time. Again, I sympathize - this is a terrible story - but if you have a fatal allergy, it is on you to check every. single. time.

The side also has the Reece’s logo, and there are peanut butter cups on the top that wouldn’t be covered by the peel back lid.

Holy shit! America I barely recognize you.

I was sitting near an older couple with the strongest NY accents I’ve ever heard in a restaurant recently, and resisted yelling “look at the menu!” as they asked the server several questions that were literally and clearly answered on the menu on the item they were ordering. It shouldn’t have bothered me, but it…

I feel bad for the kid, and for her mom, who wants desperately to find someone responsible besides her dead daughter. It’s a tragic mistake and it sucks.

Oh god. No one ever reads anything. My mom and I walked into an elevator once and she looks at the buttons, and wonders aloud, “what floor do we need?” I say “Two”. She looks at me like I had just performed witchcraft and asks, all aghast, “how do you know that?” I pointed at the sign on the back of the elevator that…

Maybe instead of a crusade against the evil cookie monster focus on educating parents of kids with allergies on how to help their kids avoid the same mistake, like reading packages.

And to boot, A nice big middle finger to the asshole who complained.

As a long-time nurse I can tell you the mother’s reaction is very common.  There’s a lot of anger involved in the grief over a death like this (because it was so totally preventable), and the person grieving cannot begin to face that they are angry at the person who died.  So they turn that anger onto something else. …

My heart goes out to this woman, and I know she is just looking for a way to cope with losing her kid and she just needs someone to blame, but this isn’t a packaging issue it is a not paying attention issue. There is no way to solve that.

Nice to have stories of public employees using their hearts and heads. I know there are plenty out there, but you rarely get to hear about them.

Nice to see the city didn’t throw this kid to the dogs. And it turns out whoever dropped a dime on him was just barking up the wrong tree.

Side Note: When did this whole “Peanuts: Genocide Legume” thing start?

It’s not like I’m dancing on the girl’s grave, but by 15, you have to take some personal responsibility.  I ALSO understand how a mother who lost a child would rather take up a (perfectly fine) crusade rather than think “man, Madysyn sure fucked up”.

I mean, this definitely sucks and I have no problem with making sure allergens are properly listed, but: