By Valerie Glover of The Snarkicist
Working mother of two, Thora Tarian, was recently sentenced to 10-15 years in prison for forced labor of minors.
About three months ago, neighbor Kelly Inturprit dropped by the Tarian house to return a bag of sugar. When Tarian opened the door, Miss Inturprit could clearly see the Tarian children doing chores and hear the children complaining that they wanted to play Minecraft and watch TV instead.
In Miss Inturprit’s account of the events, she stated that Tarian looked “haggard” and “at her wit’s end” and that she also told the children, “You don’t get Minecraft or TV until you vacuum this house. I won’t say it again.” When Miss Inturprit returned home, her husband noticed she was visibly shaken by what she saw and insisted she report the incident to the authorities immediately.
Police arrived at the Tarian household early the next morning and witnessed the atrocity themselves. Tarian let the officers in, offered them some ice water, and invited them to sit down. At first the officers were confused because everything seemed normal. Tarian was pleasant enough and nothing appeared amiss. But then events unfolded quickly as Tarian’s son entered the room and asked if he could watch YouTube videos. Tarian quickly answered, “Well, how about you clean your room first and then you can watch videos.”
One of the officers on the scene, Officer Tain, reported that Tarian’s son then explained that his younger sister had made the mess in his room. Officer Tain then noticed Tarian roll her eyes skyward and appear frustrated. She then evidently flew off the handle and responded to her son, “Sweetie, I saw you help her make the mess. If you want your allowance, you simply need to clean up the mess.”
It was then clear to Officer Tain that the woman was a menace to society and should not be in charge of the lives of these innocent children. When asked why CPS might have missed such a serious case like this, Officer Tain shrugged and replied, “CPS has an overload of these types of cases. There are so many children who are forced to do their chores, it’s just impossible to keep up with them all.”
After witnessing the incident first-hand, the responding officers told Tarian she was under arrest for employment and abuse of child workers. Tarian reportedly couldn’t understand the terms of her arrest but, as in many cases like these, the predators think what they’re doing is totally acceptable.
Tarian’s court process was swift. The judge presiding over the case wanted to show other parents that this country will no longer tolerate children being forced to do chores. In a statement during final sentencing, Judge Siri Esselly had the following to say to Tarian:
“I do not take the issue of forced child labor lightly. In a society where chores and realistic expectations of children are on the rise, I cannot condone what you have done. Children need to be coddled and spoiled. They should be allowed as much screen time as they desire. For God’s sake, woman! They’re children! How can they be expected to do anything other than play all day long?”
As tears streamed down her face, Judge Esselly continued, “As a child, my parents made me do chores as well. And they didn’t even pay me for them. I had to make my bed and lunch every day and I was also responsible for taking out the trash. The trash! I’m scarred for life because of these hideous acts. I only hope that your poor children are able to move on with their lives without the damage I have to live with every day.”
As Tarian was escorted out of the courthouse, reporters asked her why she did it and whether she would appeal. Looking dazed and disillusioned, Tarian’s only response was, “But they didn’t even do a good job. Why should I be punished for counters that are half dusted and toilets that still have urine all over them? Why?”
A version of this post first appeared on The Snarkicist.
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About the Author
I’m a mom, but that doesn’t define me. I have a career in high tech, but that was by luck. I love to run, but my body doesn’t. I’m a privileged white female but I try not to be. I live in a conservative hell, but grew up in a liberal heaven. I’m really just here to entertain or offend. Whichever comes first. Follow Valerie’s blog The Snarkicist, and find her on Facebook and Twitter.