Bizarre balloon boy saga deserves a closer look
UPDATE: Looks like there will be charges filed against Charles Heele, the father, in this bizarre story. I’m not one to say ‘I told you so,’ but…
Six-year-olds say crazy things. And, Falcon Heene’s remarks once he was found safe in the family’s attic — not in a homemade helium balloon hurtling through the sky — certainly seem odd. (Especially for a family who has appeared on the television show “Wife Swap.”)
According to the AP news report:
Richard Heene adamantly denied the notion that the whole thing was a big publicity stunt. “That’s horrible after the crap we just went through. No.”
During a live interview with CNN, Falcon said he had heard his family calling his name.
“You did?” Mayumi Heene said.
“Why didn’t you come out?” Richard Heene said.
Falcon answered, “You had said that we did this for a show.”
Later, Richard Heene bristled when the family was asked to clarify and said he didn’t know what his son meant. He didn’t ask his son what he meant by “a show.”
Everyone is relieved little Falcon is safe and sound, but given the incredible use of resources and attention this spectacle attracted, isn’t it worth checking out — just to be sure it wasn’t a publicity stunt? Or is it insensitive to even suggest this given the ordeal the family just experienced?
Aisha covered education and breaking news for nearly ten years before joining the Lifestyle staff where she writes a "Dirty Laundry" parenting column. She is the home and family editor and wastes too much time on Facebook and political blogs. 
If the ordeal was fake, then it isn’t insensitive to look into the matter further. Honestly, when I heard the kid had been hiding in a box in an attic for several hours, it sounded suspicious then. I don’t have any kid but, how many six year olds would have the patience to sit in a box in an attic for hours? It just doesn’t ring true.
The father seemed a little stunned after his son’s answer about it being “for the show.” Perhaps nonplussed is a better word.
The boys were using a video camera at the time the baloon left the ground. According to their parents, they do a lot of videoing in their line of bueiness and let the boys take part in doing so. I just think the boys were making their own program. Another important item to come out of this is that the father was able to buy a kit that looked like a flying saucer and we could see how it would fly. Now, I think, a lot of the UFO sightings were this type of “weather balloon”.
If I was on a jury, this would be enough for me to put those parents both in jail for 5-6 years and those kids in foster care. This was an obvious stunt. I wouldn’t even trust a polygraph. Those parents are so psychotic they would probably fool the thing. All they want is attention. Well, I think they should be given attention… by inmates.
If this guy denies it was a publicity stunt, why are they bringing all 3 boys on CNN last night and every news show that was on this morning. Poor little Falcon looked exhausted, he couldn’t even hold his head up. Then, how ironic that this kid gets ill every time they asked him what he meant by the statement about doing it for a show? It makes you think the Dad has threatened him not to say anything more about it. Very strange.
it’s hard to believe that so many people believed that a 6 year old kid was still inside of this deflated balloon, even right at the end when it was barely keeping it’s own weight afloat