10-year-old boy calls 911 because he doesn't like his dinner

In a move that might have most of us at Shine snorting through the weekend, a 10-year-old boy in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, called the local authorities on October 14, complaining that although it was edible, the food his father had made him for dinner was not "to his liking."

While Buffalo Grove police Commander Steve Husak never got the details on the offending edibles, he did let the boy know that calling an emergency number over a yucky dinner just wasn't, well, appropriate. He also didn't take further action, telling the Daily Herald, "Most people utilize the 911 system correctly, however there are rare occasions in which citizens need to be reminded of the parameters of what is and is not a police matter."

While we're well aware of the seriousness of calling 911, and the general upping of entitlement with every passing generation, something about this situation just makes us laugh. Maybe it's the idea of a young man trying to get a handle on his own power, or lack of it. Maybe it's the patience of Cmdr. Husak, whose understanding of human fallibility seems both generous and wise. Maybe it's the idea that broccoli + outrage = life lesson from your village. Whatever it is, it sends us into the weekend knowing that while parenthood can be galling and frustrating, it has its genuinely funny moments (at least for other people).

We'd also like to take this time to remind our own children that it's not appropriate to call 911 when the meat is overdone, when the dessert is forgotten, or when the kale hits the plate. Love you guys.