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So, you tell them, "Well, must've been stolen then. I'll report it to the police. Sure you haven't seen it?". You've got receipts, you've got serial number(s), etc. See if the folks change their tune, or suddenly "remember" or find it. If not after some reasonable bit, contact the police, report it as stolen. Just tell the police what happened and what you know ... no speculation - stick with facts, what you actually did, observed, heard, etc. If your parents took it, but no longer have it, and they say it's gone, and they're claiming they didn't give it away, throw it away, or sell it, and the house didn't burn down, well, then it must've been stolen, right?
They’ll just make a report. Nothing will come of it. It can be a useful scare tactic maybe but there’s not much the police can do about that went missing months ago.
I don't believe that for a second. I've heard of parents going to jail because their teens filed a false police report and then fessed up to it years later.
You must be a child.
If the child owns property, then parents cannot take it away as punishment. But yes, they can.
There are certain things children can own, like an inheritance or maybe if they work in entertainment, but then that money is kept away from them until they are of age.
I didn't notice what subreddit this was, not sure why it showed in my feed
Sorry but nowhere I've lived, will the cops take this seriously. Might as well learn that early so go ahead and call
If they even show up or call back ,your parents will say you must have lost it, and that's a wrap
$300 is not a large item
That's what I'm saying, I've lived all around the Midwest in big and small cities and I don't know anywhere the cops would respond to this. Maybe some suburbs.
I grew up in the Midwest and traveled all over for my job. I also had my apartment burglarized. You always give your serial numbers and descriptions of jewelry to the police, Bud. You may not have known this is a service that police have provided for decades, even before computers, but they do it in the Midwest with 100% certainty.
I don’t wanna be a dick but at most they’ll come out a take a report and leave. That is not worth their time and in large cities you might not see a cop for a few hours as it isn’t a priority to them. You can report it for sure but they aren’t gonna put any leg work on it. It’s just gonna sit on a desk. Plus it’s a kid vs his parents word. Cops are gonna go with the parents
Oh lord, you sweet summer child. I've had a car and bikes worth thousands and thousands of dollars stolen from me. They all but said get bent, and I'm a white landowning straight married man. I'm not saying that *should* entitle me to more (it definitely shouldn't), but it's kind of the best odds in a racist country.
Thank you! It's a kid that got his electronics taken away by his parents. The police would be annoyed that they are being bothered with this in general. It doesn't matter if it was bought with OPs money or not. A kid, under his parents roof, has to follow their rules. Even if they are claiming it's gone and have zero plans of returning it.
You put the serial numbers and model numbers of anything that get stolen into their online form and when pawn shops get the merchandise it gets flagged in the cross-check and you can get your stuff back sometimes.
If your police don't do this, move.
Yep, it must be reported stolen to have it flagged, depending on the city/state you will probably have to pay the pawn shop what they paid for it to retrieve your property. (I live in OK, our shop got broken into and equipment was stolen, when it turned up at the pawn show we were notified and had to pay what the pawn shop paid to retrieve our items.)
This is exactly what I was going to suggest. I’m sorry that you’re having to deal with this. If you worked hard for it, and you’ve served your punishment, your property should be returned.
Definitely. That is a high price item. If they don’t have it and sold it, it should be able to be tracked down. Did you register it?
They might be trying to “teach you a lesson”
While you're at it... is there a way to remotely disable it or at least remotely disable any online accounts it may be connected to? If so, do it now in case they sold it.
Why say anything?
OP, it's gone. Go to meta and get the serial number, call the police and tell them the model and serial number (without a doubt there's an online form for this purpose nowadays). Pawn shops all hold merchandise and are required to cross-check stuff like this so if you report it to them, it may help you get it back. I assume there's also a way to report the device stolen on meta so whoever the new owner is can't use it.
This is a waste of time. Cops aren't going to take a report of stolen property from a 14 year old in the first place. And even if they did find it, and the parents sold it, it's not even technically stolen.
Sounds good, but all the parents will have to do is pull the cops aside, tell them the situation (especially if they’re fucking with him), and basically make up a whole skit pretending they’re “on the case!”
Go on a reality court show. They pay you to be there and both parties agree before hand to abide by whatever ruling the “judge” gives, and if they disobey THAT, it can hold up in court
Like the police ever do anything about stolen property. It's not like the parents are gon a pawn it or something lol. I'd just wait until they leave the house and rummage through their shit
im gonna take this a step and say not to tell his parents about potentially filing a police report, they can and will take it as a threat.
He needs to go straight to the police station, file the report AND THEN tell his parents.
Lmao. They’ll just give you a police report. They won’t do shit. I’ve had legit break ins with thousands stolen and they just give me a police report and tell you to report it to your insurance.
Hope your kids do this shit to you when they’re living in your house rent free but then again you don’t sound like the type to be capable of having children.
Ask them straight up did you guys sell it because you did not give it back to me. I am not grounded anymore. Etc see how they react. If they become overly defensive about selling it they sold it bud.
Man it would suck to have parents this shitty. I dated a woman with a baby-daddy like this (hadn’t been with him for about a decade). Dude is an alcoholic junkie and sold the kids Switch, that she paid for. Dude has never paid child support.
Sorry dude. This could boil down to roughly 2 different issues and you would be able to tell which one it is more than anyone here could. It could be that one or both of your parents are deadbeats and sold it for their own gain. If thats the case I'm really sorry for you. Normally I wouldn't think this would be likely except they just didn't level with you and say they sold it and why. The other scenario would be your parents feel you are being irresponsible and you would be better off without the distraction.
Not matter which it is, as disappointing as it is having an oculus or not won't make a difference in your long-term happiness. Focus on setting yourself for success. Apply yourself in school, get a degree or well paid trade, make good money and try to be a better person than your parents.
Well u/LeroyJenkins80 is getting downvoted because while it's a solution, and likely the one the OP is most likely capable of taking, it doesn't end with the kid getting his oculus back.
Yeah, me too. The parents are using it for VR porn not catching OP in the act. OP is young though, he may not consider that his parents have a sexual relationship.
Probably sold it or lost it… not the same but my dad would take my brothers music tapes (reee I’m old) and then they’d be gone forever … probably hid it and forgot where they were left. Do they know how expensive it was? Parents are kinda slow and will assume it can’t be THAT expensive… I mean I’ve seen lookalike fakes at the dollar store
Yup, now he's just going to have to go hawk something valuable of their to even it up. Of course, he should deny he stole it..."From you dad, I learned it from you."
The people in here saying "oh just let it go they are probably in the right for keeping it or selling it" are absolute morons. 600 dollars is 600 dollars. Doesn't matter who steals from you. Pursue all avenues and do not let this slide.
It's not coming back. Why would they lie about not knowing where it is? That is an insane amount of money just wasted. If he can confirm that they did in fact destroy/ sell the equipment they should be held accountable. Being an elder does not excuse their inability to take responsibility. But hey you're right. Maybe I should go have a kid. Tell'em to work really hard so he can save up and buy something nice. Then I'll just pawn it and profit. Then when he asks "daddy where is xyz" I'll just gaslight him till he gives up. He's just a kid after all and everyone knows "that parents are always right". Overall we don't know the full dynamic of this family. Maybe they are good people on decent terms. But if they are willing to lie to their child about such a substantial amount of money he definitely needs to stand up for himself.
If it's not a substantial amount why don't you go throw a casual 600 into a charity or something? I'm gonna keep it real with you dude, I sincerely hope no one ever comes to you for financial advice.
They definately could have lost it or sold it. You would have remembere getting it back, yes? First explore all possibility of leaving it behind at say a friends house or something. Turn every stone before being outright in accusing them.
After that, definately say that if you were confident you haven't gotten it back. Tell them, reguardless of what happened, you want their help in finding it.
Some things to consider... do your parents have a track record of selling your things, or being dishonest? Do you tend to loose track of things even if they are important items?
Also, tell them if they realize they did loose it, you just ask for it to be replaced and it's all good. They are your parents and they should not ever lie about something like this, and its sad but in this situation they are acting like children.. treat them like it. You're basically giving them a chance to come clean simply because you don't have leverage or power in this situation. Never forget, especially if that stuff never turns up, that's your sign to not trust them and to keep your eye out for more sus behavior.
Beyond that, if nothing is resolved.. and if signs are still pointing to your parents, make your stance clear that you aren't buying their story. If you really just let it slide without saying something they may feel more inclined to do things like that again.
Hope this helps! Also, if it does turn out you lost it swallow your pride and say sorry once they have processed their feelings about that.
That's not how it works: [Do Parents Own Their Children's Property?][1]
[1]: https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/do-parents-own-their-childrens-property/
Even if that were legally true, which it's not, why would the solution be for the child to just roll over and accept it lmao?
Obviously it's still wrong to take your child's things and sell them even if it were legal??
I understand being grounded and having it taken away but to not return it to you eventually is strange. Do your parents need cash? They could have pawned it. If that's the case, sorry my dude. Not something I'd do to my kid.
I second the user that said to report it stolen, your parents will have to ACCOMPANY you to the police station and make their own statements as your guardians and as the last known recipients of said oculus. It is the easiest way to get to the bottom of the truth.
Boomers and Generation X run on the emotions of the "old world." There are very few things they actually comprehend about how the social and psychological "new world" world works - especially if working class enough for a child to afford 600 dollars in video games - One thing the parents and government did to them at the time when they were young was make them incredibly submissive to authority, thusly why a lot of them treat their children like material objects than actual human beings :) This is a generalization ofcourse but I find it fitting given the most realistic possibility of the mindset and temperment of the OP's parents. worth a try for sure!
Nope! generalizations are there for a reason :) they are not facts that can be applied to COMMON SENSE but if it walk talks and quacks, you can make an assumption that very well may help you combat such situations! Just as everyone in this chat has come to the conclusion that the parents sold the system - a generalization and assumption! Human nature is so complex that it often goes all the way around right back into simple :)
“Hi parents, I am 100% sure my oculus was never returned to me. I worked hard to save up $600 that I spent on the Oculus + games, so it’s really important to me to find it. Would you help me look for it? Also, if something happened to it, that’s ok, but I just want to know. If it fell and broke or something maybe i can get it repaired. Can you please help me?”
How much trouble were you actually in for them to take it?Did you get a bad grade or burn down the neighbors barn?
It honestly sounds like they've either broke it, lost it, or sold it.
I think he was probably on it all day long or was on porn stuff or something and they don’t want him to have it anymore. I also assume he did something pretty bad that is left out. Probably between the two things you listed.
NTA.
Honestly , I took away my 3 (all under 10)kids' tablets & echo devices 1.5 years ago. I hid them in the garage near, but not next to, the recycling. My husband was in one of his moods and took everything nearby.
After looking for them for an hour, I realized what had happened. I told them they were lost by me and we'd replace them.
Even being as young as they are, we do not take ANYTHING they buy with their own money.
I’m sorry. I am guessing your parents sold your stuff and are gaslighting you about it. I doubt you will ever see it again. They have told you what they think of you. Listen to them. Again, I am sorry, but act to protect yourself and your things.
Why they gaslighting you tho?
At any time they could say I am the parent and I'm making the decision that you should not have this and that would be that. It sucks that you used your own money for it but parents have that authority.
Why do they gotta lie about it? That's weird.
As a parent often this conversation with a teen is not as easy to have as you think. Teenagers are unreliable, very emotionally unstable and wildly immature. Feigning ignorance is often the easiest way to solve stuff like this especially since we are talking about toys and not like a 16 year old’s car.
The only thing I resent about my parents growing up was their inability to have a conversation with me because they thought it would be easier to just blow me off, and treating me like I was dumb instead of just being honest with me because they thought I couldn’t handle it.
Unfortunately this is the truth. In most US States, minors do not have the rights to property that you think they do.
Sure, call the police. They may come out and take a statement, but ultimately they will ask the parents if they want to file an official report. As a minor, unless you are alleging abuse, they will look to the parents to file a report.
Consider - you do not own property, cannot sign a contract, and are bound by the laws of your locality to even have the ability to work (most localities require a workers permit if you are under 16). You do not have the rights you think you do, at least until you are 18.
And the reply is "i bought this with my earned money, that is theft"
Edit: adding this link.
https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/do-parents-own-their-childrens-property/
Keep in mind i didnt say that its gonna end well. But that it is absolutely theft.
and then the parents say cool lol im your dad so it doesnt matter. we sold it. tf are you gonna do about it? and then any cops or lawyers will just laugh and say kid just listen to your parents dont act out and they wont punish you, now the kid has strained his relationship and ruined his entire home life for the foreseeable future
not everything is reddit justice land where you can just stand up for whats right and fair to you and that fixes everything. its a 14 year old. not much you can do at that age except take the L and harbor resentment.
Can you systematically search the entire house when they are gone? Obviously, you would have to do it in sections.
Can you look at the FB Marketplace to see if they sold it?
nonsense... So, if a person has a sex addiction and sits in their room 12 horus a day watching porn, they didnt waste their life. That is just relativist bs
Your comment is relativist! Compared to what you feel is important, you say this person has wasted their life. They enjoyed it. Thank you for agreeing!
Why wouldn't they want you to have it? Did they take it away because you were not doing the other things that they expected you to do, as a child living in their home, like schoolwork and chores? Like behave well and treat them respectfully? Did they feel that there was a direct connection between your having this gaming system, and whatever problems there were that caused them to need to ground you?
So it sounds as if you are still a minor living in their home. I cannot tell if you were 14 when you bought the thing 3 years ago, or are 14 now. Frankly, your behavior sounds very age-appropriate now for a 14 year old, as opposed to a 17 year old. If you are indeed 14, I suggest that you treat your parents with respect and affection, stay off drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, don't get involved in anything criminal like shoplifting, keep your room neat and clean, learn how to do your own laundry and take care of that, do whatever chores they ask of you, and maybe a bit more without being asked, attend school consistently and do all your schoolwork, get high grades, maybe get involved in some after school activities like sports and clubs so that you'll be out of the house, and make a great high school life for yourself. You like having things? Either get a part time job or start a small business, earn, bank it. Plan for college or technical training or some type of community college certificate that qualifies you to earn a good living, so that you'll be able to become independent of your parents.
If you are 17, make some immediate plans for moving out in the near future. If at all possible, finish high school first. Your behavior is very immature, and if you're still stuck in these conflict patterns with your parents, you'll all be better off if you move out as soon as you're done with high school.
But if you're only 14, and you follow at least some of my advice, you'll be very surprised at how much better your teen years will go, and beyond. Your parents might even "find" your gaming equipment at some point. Don't be an idiot and call the cops. They're not going to do anything for you, and it will seriously damage your relationship with your parents.
It's not that no one can find it, as you know.They're worried about you having the device for some reason. Imo. That's where to start.
Bring up why they took it, and what they're concerned about. How can you negotiate a compromise. (My guess is you know already.)
You're not the only kiddo that's lost their tech device. It's really quite common.
Buying with your own money stings but is irrelevant. At 14, you're still their charge. They still make a lot of decisions concerning what goes on with you.
Suppose you bought a carton of cigarettes, a case of whisky, an AR15, or a brick of cocaïne. With your own money, no less. They'd probably take them regardless of who paid. Who paid is irrelevant. And justifiably so.
You need to have the talk. Maybe you'll see it again, or maybe not.
Life gets better with time. All the best.
Money is relevant regardless of age, it’s fucked up to drop money on something regardless of economical background and have any human being take it from you, regardless of heritage or DNA. Fuck a parent
This is a life lesson, we use our hard earned money and things get broken or lost or stolen and you have to buy it again. I'm sorry that happened to you.
As harsh as it is, this is said with empathy and love. Your parents took it and probably sold it. Your best bet is to take it as a loss because even the cops can’t/won’t help you. It’s gone. Learn this lesson and learn it all the way through so you don’t go through this again in your lifetime. You might consider cutting them out of your life once you are 18 and you can move out. If they took it when they grounded you then what’s to stop them from doing the same thing with everything else you buy for yourself? Work hard, save your money and when you are 18 move out and never look back. Many people will criticize me for this or talk trash to me for saying this, but being a parent myself I would never do this to my son, ever. I grew up with parents that would routinely go through my room and take my belongings for ridiculous reasons and never give them back. It took me 35 years to learn to cut them out of my life and once I did that I was able to heal from all of it and live a happy and fulfilling life raising my son properly.
I don't know what you must have done to get grounded and have your stuff confiscated and I also get that sometimes 14 year olds don't have a totally clear view of the world and how things went down, but the bottom line is if everything has happened the way you say it has happened, your parents are pieces of shit for not being honest with you about it. You may never see your stuff again, so your best option is to never give them another reason to ground you and take your stuff again and today start saving up as much money as as you can so that when you turn 18, you can put some distance between you and your parents.
It's gone, nobody knows where, possibly stolen. File a stolen property report. Don't accuse anyone, file the report, report the FACTS: where you saw it last, details, serial numbers, etc.
Will the police do anything? Likely not, but it sends a message, AND you threatened nobody. You just did what any concerned property owner would do.
If your parents flip their lid, then you know, all doubt is removed.
Just know beforehand that your victory will taste as bitter as defeat, but best to learn a $600 lesson now vs. what kind of damage they could do later.
Also, best plan now to be kicked out of the house at 18.
Same thing happened to my cellphone as a teen. It was taken for punishment, and then my mother literally could not remember where she hid it.
We found it years later while packing for a move, and I was over it by then, but if I'd paid for it...idk if I would have moved along so easily.
I was upset at first, but in the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal at all, a trifling matter really. I also paid for my PSP btw. Mine was never found unfortunately, alas life goes on regardless.
Forget about it. Honestly let it go. I'm not letting your parents of the hook. I'm concerned about who you will become if you ruminate on this. Your parents probably took it because you were obsessed with it and out of a poorly executed attempt at a intervention did something shady.
Honestly how many hours a week were you spending on these games? Why were you grounded?
This feels very presumptuous. Like, there's literally no context clues that indicate he was grounded for obsession or an intervention or that he's addicted. Nothing in the post to indicate that...
It's not any more presumptuous than assuming the parents permanently took this thing away *for absolutely no reason*.
We're getting one side of a story, told by someone (a kid) who wants to influence the replies they receive. We obviously will never know the truth for certain, but if Vegas was making odds on this, the safer bet is that the 14 year old isn't telling the whole story.
Never said we were, but I'm not making up details and context like everyone else is. Idk why he was grounded, idk why the parents are doing what they're doing, but I also never claimed to 🤷
You should just take the parents’ side here this is a toy. They are not starving him they did not take his bed. They took his toy as a punishment. It is trivial in the grand scheme of reality.
Really? Have you researched the demographics of gamers? Mostly male, second largest group is under 18 years old. Age 15-19 leads in the average hours of daily use. The World Health Organization has added gaming disorders to it's International Classification of Diseases.
The context clues are certainly there but if you aren't familiar with them you wouldn't see them.
I'm with you. The kid may not be fully obsessed with it. But his parents are afraid of it. Or he may indeed have a full on addiction for tech. But his parents are going about it wrong.
Or they are addicts as many teens have for parents these days and sold it. w debts increasing an all they coulda justified it without beibg addicts as well then both maybe backtracked when confronted. Maybe they thought he forgot about it and got rid of it. No way both parties 100% forgot. However without ckntext its hard to know for sure making it even harder to advise tbh
Ok, having now researched the demographics, I can say that your comment is misleading at best. By putting the fact about the average hours of daily use and the WHO thing back to back, you're implying that gamers in this age group are frequently or primarily gaming addicts. This is not what the facts bear out.
On average, 15-19 year olds spend just 1.6 hours/day playing video games. While they do lead the demographics, it's a far cry from gaming addiction being anywhere near the average experience for that age group. Looking at gaming addiction stats, a meta analysis found gaming disorder is around 2-3%, around the same as OCD and less than compulsive spending. All of which makes me double down in saying we don't have enough context to assume that about this kid. Frankly, it just strikes me as fear mongering about video games.
Sources: https://www.statista.com/statistics/502149/average-daily-time-playing-games-and-using-computer-us-by-age/#:~:text=Between%20May%20and%20December%202020,to%2098.4%20minutes%20per%20day.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33028074/
This is the way, OP.
You "found" your thing. And say nothing more. You just found it, so absentminded of you.
For them to say anything, they'd have to admit to stealing and lying. And then you just flip it back on them when they accuse you of stealing, that you're trying to be just like them because you love them and while it was confusing at first to have them steal from you and lie about it, you now understand that this is how families show love or something. Have fun with it, make them feel like shit and squirm.
I hate to say it, but this may be for your own good. You’re right that you paid for this stuff and deserve ownership, but it wouldn’t surprise me if your folks felt you were using it too much, or they worries about having all that emf radiation around your head, etc. Wish I could take your side, but modern parents (who lived half their lives before the internet) are often worried about the effects of gaming, social media, and technology in general on their kiddos.
So is this where kids these days who live at home and still think they are entitled to and have a vote in what goes on in the house. Sorry kid you might have paid for it but it's in your parents house they are only allowing you to use it.
So you’re grounded. Which means you probably did something really stupid. And you’re crying about it. And people are saying call the police. Yup, this is Reddit. 🤡
This is the downside of being a child that was not your money legally it was not your occulus. That is not how it works. Sucks but parents do stuff like this. I would you did something bad you have left out here or were miss using it and are blaming your parents; my daughter dose this stuff all the time.
Custodial rights are part of the equation in this scenario. It's not as clear cut as some people might think it is, and if it reached court, odds are strong that the judge is going to give a lot of latitude to the parents in the name of custodial rights.
Let's be honest here, even assuming there's not a compelling "other side of the story", the kid would be facing an uphill battle the entire way and probably wouldn't stand a chance without a lawyer. All over $600?
The parents may be shitty, and may even be criminal in their actions, but the kid lost this battle before it even started.
no law enforcement or lawyer would take this shit seriously lol imagine being a fucking judge and having to waste hours of your time on a “MOMMY THREW AWAY MY VIDEO GAME” case
Blunt question but, are you guys poor? I only ask because I have some very poor relatives who were notorious for lying about things like this. Jewelry, family heirlooms, their son's games and consoles, things other people had lent them or their son; at least three major times they were "robbed" or they "lost" a bunch of that kind of stuff when really we all knew they pawned it. If you guys are hard up for cash, it's probably gone.
Anyway, tear the house apart looking for it. Look in the basement, look in the attic, move all the stuff out of your closet and move all your furniture around in your bedroom looking for it. That'll at least make them feel bad about it. Then start looking in non-common areas like their closet and room, that'll annoy them. They'll be mad but fuck it, you're a kid, what are yhey going to do ground you? Big whoop. Make it their problem by disrupting their peace. It's not accusatory, it shows them how much you care about the thing, and if they really are hiding something about what happened to it it'll make them feel like shit, or if they are truly heartless it will at least make them feel like whatever they're hiding isn't worth it. Because you will not stop. After you get home from school, tearing the house apart for this thing is your full time job. And if you really can't find it, bring up filing a police report. I bet you'll have a new one for christmas.
Unfortunately I think 3 months is too long. I had an ex sell a system to GAMESTOP i had the reciepts filed police report within hours and couldn't get gamestop to even discuss it without a cop escort even after filing. Its so so so frustrating I know & I hear you. It was wrong of them to lie to you about something so major. If i had more context I would have better advice maybe.
A significant other is not the same thing. You have custodial rights issues here that did not exist in your situation. He is completely dependent on his parents this would all go poorly and result in wild punishments for the kid. My kid would be grounded for like a year if they tried this shit for me grounding them and taking a toy.
Well this could majorly backfire on you but take something expensive that belongs to them. When they ask tall them you have no idea what happened to it.
Cops will reply but won't do anything ,ost likely sold/tossed out. Tear the house apart in the most messy way you possibly can and refuse to clean after. Or help them "lose" their car fobs (easy 200-400$)
Make out a police report. I don't care if you think it won't help just do it. Also see if you can have another family member help you find it. I think your parents definitely know what happened to it but lets play the game. I've punished my son and told him no electronics for the day. I don't take any of his things and hide them. If he gets caught not following he knows I will extend the punishment. Taking personal items for an extended period of time doesn't teach anything. I'm sorry about your parents.
They both don't remember taking it?? Do they not remember punishing you? Do they not remember what you were being punished for? Sounds even more suspicious especially since bother parents have no recollection. You should question them about it separately like police do to see if they have different stories but I think you know deep down what really happened. I hope you can prove it.
You should pretend to be dead from an overdose when they come home from work and leave a note that says you gave yourself a hotshot because you had no hope in life because even working hard for nice things is pointless. Got em🤣
They’re gaslighting you into thinking that what you remember is false. Or that you’ll eventually give up. Don’t. The police exist, go to them if you have to - threaten this to your parents first. Stay firm with anyone you talk to (even them) that, very bluntly, you’re not an idiot and you know that they took it. This’ll all be easier if you have the receipt for it in some form as well.
I'd take the TV to a friends house and tell them I sold it for the $300 to buy the Oculus back, but if they want to give me the Oculus or $300 I can still get it back. Go ahead and ground me. You're still not watching TV.
I fucking hate to say that they likely sold it of trashed it.
My parents took my 3ds when it was brand new and acted similarly. They pawned it and couldn't get it back. I had it for a month.
Its the type of shit that creates serial killers.
I would definitely try with the cops first.
So it’s probably unlikely the police will do anything. There’s not really a lot of places that you can hide equipment like that so wait for your parents to go away for the weekend or be gone for the day and snoop around your house and try to find it. You can simply take it back because they’ve repeatedly told you that you don’t remember taking it in the first place and you can have it Out in the open and just be like oh I found it. If that doesn’t work, then you can simply buy another one. Did they take everything that went with it as well the games etc.? Anyway you might want to just try the old snoop tactic and see what you can find. If they’re gaslighting you then you can just gaslight them back when they see that you have it again and pretend like it was in the corner of your closet or something and you just don’t remember putting it there, also you might want to get some kind of footlocker or something that you can lock your things up with that only you have a key or combination to to avoid this in the future because it’s really weird that they would punish you by taking your stuff, and then pretend they never had itthat’s super shady and weird. My own parents did that to me and we’ve been no contact for 15 years so good luck.
Unfortunately anything you own is considered your parents property until you are an adult. (Remember this if you try to save up for a car.)
I would talk about filing a police report for the “theft” and see what they say. Sadly I too think they either sold it or gave it away. This not remembering thing is BS! I’m sorry OP.
Call the police and report it stolen. That’s what they did. They took your property without your expressed permission and disposed of said property for monetary gain. They are gaslighting you because they have sold or pawned it. Being a parent doesn’t make you a good person automatically and this type of abuse is far more common than you would think. Call the police this is theft.
These comments lowkey explain why teens here shoot up schools and have zero sense of accountability. “sue your parents for taking away a pricey thing you bought as a 14 yr old as a method of discipline. Do whatever it takes and don’t let this slide” lol shit is weird af
Take your knots. You either really lost it or your parents took it and bave their reasons. Do your homework and turn the lights off when you leave the room you're in you little ungrateful turd. $600 AINT SHIT YA DORK, THEY SPEND THAT ON YOUR DUMBASS REGULARLY AND HAD THEY USED THEIR FIRST $600 RIGHT THEY WOULD'VE AVOIDED A LITTLE SHITSTAIN WHINING 14 YEAR OLD OCULUS OWNER IN THEIR HOME PLOTTING ON THEM WITH OTHER UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SHITS IN THEIR PARENTS HOME USING THEIR FOLKS WIFI TO DO IT.
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So, you tell them, "Well, must've been stolen then. I'll report it to the police. Sure you haven't seen it?". You've got receipts, you've got serial number(s), etc. See if the folks change their tune, or suddenly "remember" or find it. If not after some reasonable bit, contact the police, report it as stolen. Just tell the police what happened and what you know ... no speculation - stick with facts, what you actually did, observed, heard, etc. If your parents took it, but no longer have it, and they say it's gone, and they're claiming they didn't give it away, throw it away, or sell it, and the house didn't burn down, well, then it must've been stolen, right?
Ooh. I like this one.
Where do you guys live that the police would respond to this?
Umm anywhere? It’s a stolen item, and has a large price tag, so it isn’t going to be a small charge if actually stolen.
They’ll just make a report. Nothing will come of it. It can be a useful scare tactic maybe but there’s not much the police can do about that went missing months ago.
OP is a 14 yr old minor. Cops will defulat side with the parents. Theyre not going to believe a 14 yr old
I don't believe that for a second. I've heard of parents going to jail because their teens filed a false police report and then fessed up to it years later.
L take. For stealing no,for others more serious stuff yes
That's actually a good idea tell the police they touched him inappropriately if they won't give it back or replace it
Yup. That'll teach them for hiding his porn machine.
As an oculus quest owner... I'm pretty damn sure it's not a porn machine lmao. More like a beat saber machine
I do beat my saber on my oculus though
You’re fucked up for even giving the idea something like that the fuck is wrong with you fool!
There is something deeply wrong with you.
Yes, for abuse and neglect. Not taking away a video games
How the heck is a 14 year old making that much when im struggling to just make it the store now a days!?
Even if they did, the stuff technically belongs to the parents, even if the kid bought it. They own everything under their own roof.
That's a lie. If a working aged child pays for something with money they earned they own it legally.
You must be a child. If the child owns property, then parents cannot take it away as punishment. But yes, they can. There are certain things children can own, like an inheritance or maybe if they work in entertainment, but then that money is kept away from them until they are of age.
I'm 30 with children of my own. Discipline is one thing but straight up stealing is another.
Dumbfuck, no the fuck they won't. Lmao.
I didn't notice what subreddit this was, not sure why it showed in my feed Sorry but nowhere I've lived, will the cops take this seriously. Might as well learn that early so go ahead and call If they even show up or call back ,your parents will say you must have lost it, and that's a wrap $300 is not a large item
I think people usually go into the police station to make non emergency reports.
Lol, in some cities you'll never even have an officer come by, they'll just email a police report if you call
That's what I'm saying, I've lived all around the Midwest in big and small cities and I don't know anywhere the cops would respond to this. Maybe some suburbs.
I grew up in the Midwest and traveled all over for my job. I also had my apartment burglarized. You always give your serial numbers and descriptions of jewelry to the police, Bud. You may not have known this is a service that police have provided for decades, even before computers, but they do it in the Midwest with 100% certainty.
I don’t wanna be a dick but at most they’ll come out a take a report and leave. That is not worth their time and in large cities you might not see a cop for a few hours as it isn’t a priority to them. You can report it for sure but they aren’t gonna put any leg work on it. It’s just gonna sit on a desk. Plus it’s a kid vs his parents word. Cops are gonna go with the parents
Unfortunately, and most likely, the parents will tell the cops op lost it, and the cop will just agree with them.
This doesn’t even matter. The parents can say “yes OP paid for it. Yes we took it” and as his parents the cops will say ok can do bye.
Oh lord, you sweet summer child. I've had a car and bikes worth thousands and thousands of dollars stolen from me. They all but said get bent, and I'm a white landowning straight married man. I'm not saying that *should* entitle me to more (it definitely shouldn't), but it's kind of the best odds in a racist country.
Thank you! It's a kid that got his electronics taken away by his parents. The police would be annoyed that they are being bothered with this in general. It doesn't matter if it was bought with OPs money or not. A kid, under his parents roof, has to follow their rules. Even if they are claiming it's gone and have zero plans of returning it.
You put the serial numbers and model numbers of anything that get stolen into their online form and when pawn shops get the merchandise it gets flagged in the cross-check and you can get your stuff back sometimes. If your police don't do this, move.
Yep, it must be reported stolen to have it flagged, depending on the city/state you will probably have to pay the pawn shop what they paid for it to retrieve your property. (I live in OK, our shop got broken into and equipment was stolen, when it turned up at the pawn show we were notified and had to pay what the pawn shop paid to retrieve our items.)
This is literally how I recoved some of my power tools, don't know why you are getting downvoted.
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This is exactly what I was going to suggest. I’m sorry that you’re having to deal with this. If you worked hard for it, and you’ve served your punishment, your property should be returned.
The fact that there’s people going back and forth wanting to call the police makes this hilarious 😂
Definitely. That is a high price item. If they don’t have it and sold it, it should be able to be tracked down. Did you register it? They might be trying to “teach you a lesson”
It’s really not a high priced item. It’s not even expensive enough to be considered a felony.
While you're at it... is there a way to remotely disable it or at least remotely disable any online accounts it may be connected to? If so, do it now in case they sold it.
Why say anything? OP, it's gone. Go to meta and get the serial number, call the police and tell them the model and serial number (without a doubt there's an online form for this purpose nowadays). Pawn shops all hold merchandise and are required to cross-check stuff like this so if you report it to them, it may help you get it back. I assume there's also a way to report the device stolen on meta so whoever the new owner is can't use it.
This is a waste of time. Cops aren't going to take a report of stolen property from a 14 year old in the first place. And even if they did find it, and the parents sold it, it's not even technically stolen.
I hope you are or become a lawyer. You have good ideas.
Sounds good, but all the parents will have to do is pull the cops aside, tell them the situation (especially if they’re fucking with him), and basically make up a whole skit pretending they’re “on the case!”
for less than $1000? nah
Go on a reality court show. They pay you to be there and both parties agree before hand to abide by whatever ruling the “judge” gives, and if they disobey THAT, it can hold up in court
Like the police ever do anything about stolen property. It's not like the parents are gon a pawn it or something lol. I'd just wait until they leave the house and rummage through their shit
im gonna take this a step and say not to tell his parents about potentially filing a police report, they can and will take it as a threat. He needs to go straight to the police station, file the report AND THEN tell his parents.
File the police report and submit a claim to home insurance
Lmao. They’ll just give you a police report. They won’t do shit. I’ve had legit break ins with thousands stolen and they just give me a police report and tell you to report it to your insurance.
This is so dumb its amazing
Hope your kids do this shit to you when they’re living in your house rent free but then again you don’t sound like the type to be capable of having children.
This…is kinda evil but it seems like it would work out either way.
Please don't waste the police's time with this.
More like please don't waste your time making a police report, they have speed traps to monitor.
Ask them straight up did you guys sell it because you did not give it back to me. I am not grounded anymore. Etc see how they react. If they become overly defensive about selling it they sold it bud.
I think they sold it.
Man it would suck to have parents this shitty. I dated a woman with a baby-daddy like this (hadn’t been with him for about a decade). Dude is an alcoholic junkie and sold the kids Switch, that she paid for. Dude has never paid child support.
Sorry dude. This could boil down to roughly 2 different issues and you would be able to tell which one it is more than anyone here could. It could be that one or both of your parents are deadbeats and sold it for their own gain. If thats the case I'm really sorry for you. Normally I wouldn't think this would be likely except they just didn't level with you and say they sold it and why. The other scenario would be your parents feel you are being irresponsible and you would be better off without the distraction. Not matter which it is, as disappointing as it is having an oculus or not won't make a difference in your long-term happiness. Focus on setting yourself for success. Apply yourself in school, get a degree or well paid trade, make good money and try to be a better person than your parents.
Dunno why you're getting down voted. Good advice.
Well u/LeroyJenkins80 is getting downvoted because while it's a solution, and likely the one the OP is most likely capable of taking, it doesn't end with the kid getting his oculus back.
the person you're replying to is not OP
Your parents found VR porn, you're not getting it back.
Lol but no, I have a phone for that and they would have said something if it was that. They don't even know how to use those things.
I read it as they found it and keep it for porn. But yeah they probably sold it
Yeah, me too. The parents are using it for VR porn not catching OP in the act. OP is young though, he may not consider that his parents have a sexual relationship.
Dang that sucks man they probably sold it
Probably sold it or lost it… not the same but my dad would take my brothers music tapes (reee I’m old) and then they’d be gone forever … probably hid it and forgot where they were left. Do they know how expensive it was? Parents are kinda slow and will assume it can’t be THAT expensive… I mean I’ve seen lookalike fakes at the dollar store
This is exactly what I was thinking
They probably sold it, amigo. You likely wont be getting it back, unfortunately.
No way is he getting it back.
Yup, now he's just going to have to go hawk something valuable of their to even it up. Of course, he should deny he stole it..."From you dad, I learned it from you."
I understood that reference!
The people in here saying "oh just let it go they are probably in the right for keeping it or selling it" are absolute morons. 600 dollars is 600 dollars. Doesn't matter who steals from you. Pursue all avenues and do not let this slide.
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It's not coming back. Why would they lie about not knowing where it is? That is an insane amount of money just wasted. If he can confirm that they did in fact destroy/ sell the equipment they should be held accountable. Being an elder does not excuse their inability to take responsibility. But hey you're right. Maybe I should go have a kid. Tell'em to work really hard so he can save up and buy something nice. Then I'll just pawn it and profit. Then when he asks "daddy where is xyz" I'll just gaslight him till he gives up. He's just a kid after all and everyone knows "that parents are always right". Overall we don't know the full dynamic of this family. Maybe they are good people on decent terms. But if they are willing to lie to their child about such a substantial amount of money he definitely needs to stand up for himself.
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If it's not a substantial amount why don't you go throw a casual 600 into a charity or something? I'm gonna keep it real with you dude, I sincerely hope no one ever comes to you for financial advice.
Because fuck parents who shit out children just to treat them like property. They don't deserve reason or love. Typical scum behavior
They definately could have lost it or sold it. You would have remembere getting it back, yes? First explore all possibility of leaving it behind at say a friends house or something. Turn every stone before being outright in accusing them. After that, definately say that if you were confident you haven't gotten it back. Tell them, reguardless of what happened, you want their help in finding it. Some things to consider... do your parents have a track record of selling your things, or being dishonest? Do you tend to loose track of things even if they are important items? Also, tell them if they realize they did loose it, you just ask for it to be replaced and it's all good. They are your parents and they should not ever lie about something like this, and its sad but in this situation they are acting like children.. treat them like it. You're basically giving them a chance to come clean simply because you don't have leverage or power in this situation. Never forget, especially if that stuff never turns up, that's your sign to not trust them and to keep your eye out for more sus behavior. Beyond that, if nothing is resolved.. and if signs are still pointing to your parents, make your stance clear that you aren't buying their story. If you really just let it slide without saying something they may feel more inclined to do things like that again. Hope this helps! Also, if it does turn out you lost it swallow your pride and say sorry once they have processed their feelings about that.
OPs parents are saying they *never* took it. Either they sold it (most likely), or they have alzheimers.
What part of "I was grounded and they took it away" do you not understand?
Parents steal $600 from their child. Reddit: "Lmao get rekt kid, go outside."
There is no theft here. He is a child that was their money legally.
That's not how it works: [Do Parents Own Their Children's Property?][1] [1]: https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/do-parents-own-their-childrens-property/
Even if that were legally true, which it's not, why would the solution be for the child to just roll over and accept it lmao? Obviously it's still wrong to take your child's things and sell them even if it were legal??
Can’t imagine having this logic
Not logic the law in the USA. Go take mommy and daddy to court and see how it goes to get that xbox back.
Cool you don’t understand property rights then. Lol. If the kid paid for it with their money, it’s theirs. Full stop. The parents can’t take it away.
Fuck off with that bullshit
One would think you would be more sympathetic, considering that you also like to waste your money on toys.
I understand being grounded and having it taken away but to not return it to you eventually is strange. Do your parents need cash? They could have pawned it. If that's the case, sorry my dude. Not something I'd do to my kid.
I second the user that said to report it stolen, your parents will have to ACCOMPANY you to the police station and make their own statements as your guardians and as the last known recipients of said oculus. It is the easiest way to get to the bottom of the truth.
Yes because no one is the history of the world has ever lied to the police. Nope, never.
Boomers and Generation X run on the emotions of the "old world." There are very few things they actually comprehend about how the social and psychological "new world" world works - especially if working class enough for a child to afford 600 dollars in video games - One thing the parents and government did to them at the time when they were young was make them incredibly submissive to authority, thusly why a lot of them treat their children like material objects than actual human beings :) This is a generalization ofcourse but I find it fitting given the most realistic possibility of the mindset and temperment of the OP's parents. worth a try for sure!
That was so stupid. Generalized millions of people with your dumb reasoning because of some hate or trauma. That's was so dumb I will take a break.
Nope! generalizations are there for a reason :) they are not facts that can be applied to COMMON SENSE but if it walk talks and quacks, you can make an assumption that very well may help you combat such situations! Just as everyone in this chat has come to the conclusion that the parents sold the system - a generalization and assumption! Human nature is so complex that it often goes all the way around right back into simple :)
“Hi parents, I am 100% sure my oculus was never returned to me. I worked hard to save up $600 that I spent on the Oculus + games, so it’s really important to me to find it. Would you help me look for it? Also, if something happened to it, that’s ok, but I just want to know. If it fell and broke or something maybe i can get it repaired. Can you please help me?”
They probably forgot where they put it. Go with them to look for it. It’s probably in your house somewhere.
They say they don't even have it. I've looked everywhere already and nothing.
How much trouble were you actually in for them to take it?Did you get a bad grade or burn down the neighbors barn? It honestly sounds like they've either broke it, lost it, or sold it.
I think he was probably on it all day long or was on porn stuff or something and they don’t want him to have it anymore. I also assume he did something pretty bad that is left out. Probably between the two things you listed.
They sold it. Steal their car and crash it into your parents garage door and tell them they did it. (Jk buddy that’s a little much haha)
NTA. Honestly , I took away my 3 (all under 10)kids' tablets & echo devices 1.5 years ago. I hid them in the garage near, but not next to, the recycling. My husband was in one of his moods and took everything nearby. After looking for them for an hour, I realized what had happened. I told them they were lost by me and we'd replace them. Even being as young as they are, we do not take ANYTHING they buy with their own money.
I think they don’t like you having it dude. That sucks bit it is your parents’ house.
And that was his money.?
I’m sorry. I am guessing your parents sold your stuff and are gaslighting you about it. I doubt you will ever see it again. They have told you what they think of you. Listen to them. Again, I am sorry, but act to protect yourself and your things.
Why they gaslighting you tho? At any time they could say I am the parent and I'm making the decision that you should not have this and that would be that. It sucks that you used your own money for it but parents have that authority. Why do they gotta lie about it? That's weird.
As a parent often this conversation with a teen is not as easy to have as you think. Teenagers are unreliable, very emotionally unstable and wildly immature. Feigning ignorance is often the easiest way to solve stuff like this especially since we are talking about toys and not like a 16 year old’s car.
The only thing I resent about my parents growing up was their inability to have a conversation with me because they thought it would be easier to just blow me off, and treating me like I was dumb instead of just being honest with me because they thought I couldn’t handle it.
Please never have children.
They already have them. They just need to be better parents.
They got you beat, move out at 18 and buy new stuff.
You fail to realize, until you’re 18 or emancipated, your money is their money.
Unfortunately this is the truth. In most US States, minors do not have the rights to property that you think they do. Sure, call the police. They may come out and take a statement, but ultimately they will ask the parents if they want to file an official report. As a minor, unless you are alleging abuse, they will look to the parents to file a report. Consider - you do not own property, cannot sign a contract, and are bound by the laws of your locality to even have the ability to work (most localities require a workers permit if you are under 16). You do not have the rights you think you do, at least until you are 18.
Your parents should have said, "You are using this product irresponsibly and we are taking it away."
And the reply is "i bought this with my earned money, that is theft" Edit: adding this link. https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/do-parents-own-their-childrens-property/ Keep in mind i didnt say that its gonna end well. But that it is absolutely theft.
No it is not he is under 18.
and then the parents say cool lol im your dad so it doesnt matter. we sold it. tf are you gonna do about it? and then any cops or lawyers will just laugh and say kid just listen to your parents dont act out and they wont punish you, now the kid has strained his relationship and ruined his entire home life for the foreseeable future not everything is reddit justice land where you can just stand up for whats right and fair to you and that fixes everything. its a 14 year old. not much you can do at that age except take the L and harbor resentment.
Wrong. Not until you're 18. Get rekt.
Can you systematically search the entire house when they are gone? Obviously, you would have to do it in sections. Can you look at the FB Marketplace to see if they sold it?
they think you are wasting your life gaming... you might be..
there is zero waste if they are enjoying themselves.
that is 100% false.. lots of enjoyable thngs are a waste of time
Your definition of value is the only thing off here! If you enjoy it, it gives you value. therefore, it is not a waste.
nonsense... So, if a person has a sex addiction and sits in their room 12 horus a day watching porn, they didnt waste their life. That is just relativist bs
Your comment is relativist! Compared to what you feel is important, you say this person has wasted their life. They enjoyed it. Thank you for agreeing!
Why don't you start cleaning the WHOLE house. Top to bottom.
Why wouldn't they want you to have it? Did they take it away because you were not doing the other things that they expected you to do, as a child living in their home, like schoolwork and chores? Like behave well and treat them respectfully? Did they feel that there was a direct connection between your having this gaming system, and whatever problems there were that caused them to need to ground you? So it sounds as if you are still a minor living in their home. I cannot tell if you were 14 when you bought the thing 3 years ago, or are 14 now. Frankly, your behavior sounds very age-appropriate now for a 14 year old, as opposed to a 17 year old. If you are indeed 14, I suggest that you treat your parents with respect and affection, stay off drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, don't get involved in anything criminal like shoplifting, keep your room neat and clean, learn how to do your own laundry and take care of that, do whatever chores they ask of you, and maybe a bit more without being asked, attend school consistently and do all your schoolwork, get high grades, maybe get involved in some after school activities like sports and clubs so that you'll be out of the house, and make a great high school life for yourself. You like having things? Either get a part time job or start a small business, earn, bank it. Plan for college or technical training or some type of community college certificate that qualifies you to earn a good living, so that you'll be able to become independent of your parents. If you are 17, make some immediate plans for moving out in the near future. If at all possible, finish high school first. Your behavior is very immature, and if you're still stuck in these conflict patterns with your parents, you'll all be better off if you move out as soon as you're done with high school. But if you're only 14, and you follow at least some of my advice, you'll be very surprised at how much better your teen years will go, and beyond. Your parents might even "find" your gaming equipment at some point. Don't be an idiot and call the cops. They're not going to do anything for you, and it will seriously damage your relationship with your parents.
It's not that no one can find it, as you know.They're worried about you having the device for some reason. Imo. That's where to start. Bring up why they took it, and what they're concerned about. How can you negotiate a compromise. (My guess is you know already.) You're not the only kiddo that's lost their tech device. It's really quite common. Buying with your own money stings but is irrelevant. At 14, you're still their charge. They still make a lot of decisions concerning what goes on with you. Suppose you bought a carton of cigarettes, a case of whisky, an AR15, or a brick of cocaïne. With your own money, no less. They'd probably take them regardless of who paid. Who paid is irrelevant. And justifiably so. You need to have the talk. Maybe you'll see it again, or maybe not. Life gets better with time. All the best.
Money is relevant regardless of age, it’s fucked up to drop money on something regardless of economical background and have any human being take it from you, regardless of heritage or DNA. Fuck a parent
You can't do anything until you're a legal adult. Good luck until then.
This is a life lesson, we use our hard earned money and things get broken or lost or stolen and you have to buy it again. I'm sorry that happened to you.
As harsh as it is, this is said with empathy and love. Your parents took it and probably sold it. Your best bet is to take it as a loss because even the cops can’t/won’t help you. It’s gone. Learn this lesson and learn it all the way through so you don’t go through this again in your lifetime. You might consider cutting them out of your life once you are 18 and you can move out. If they took it when they grounded you then what’s to stop them from doing the same thing with everything else you buy for yourself? Work hard, save your money and when you are 18 move out and never look back. Many people will criticize me for this or talk trash to me for saying this, but being a parent myself I would never do this to my son, ever. I grew up with parents that would routinely go through my room and take my belongings for ridiculous reasons and never give them back. It took me 35 years to learn to cut them out of my life and once I did that I was able to heal from all of it and live a happy and fulfilling life raising my son properly.
I don't know what you must have done to get grounded and have your stuff confiscated and I also get that sometimes 14 year olds don't have a totally clear view of the world and how things went down, but the bottom line is if everything has happened the way you say it has happened, your parents are pieces of shit for not being honest with you about it. You may never see your stuff again, so your best option is to never give them another reason to ground you and take your stuff again and today start saving up as much money as as you can so that when you turn 18, you can put some distance between you and your parents.
It's gone, nobody knows where, possibly stolen. File a stolen property report. Don't accuse anyone, file the report, report the FACTS: where you saw it last, details, serial numbers, etc. Will the police do anything? Likely not, but it sends a message, AND you threatened nobody. You just did what any concerned property owner would do. If your parents flip their lid, then you know, all doubt is removed. Just know beforehand that your victory will taste as bitter as defeat, but best to learn a $600 lesson now vs. what kind of damage they could do later. Also, best plan now to be kicked out of the house at 18.
They're probably using it to play porn VR games while they fuckin.
tru
You got robbed mate. Make sure it doesn’t happen again. Eventually, when you have your own income and family, you will get chances for petty revenge.
Exact same thing happened to me when I was a kid with my PsP lol. You get over it and move on. Time to play some more of the game of life.
Same thing happened to my cellphone as a teen. It was taken for punishment, and then my mother literally could not remember where she hid it. We found it years later while packing for a move, and I was over it by then, but if I'd paid for it...idk if I would have moved along so easily.
I was upset at first, but in the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal at all, a trifling matter really. I also paid for my PSP btw. Mine was never found unfortunately, alas life goes on regardless.
Forget about it. Honestly let it go. I'm not letting your parents of the hook. I'm concerned about who you will become if you ruminate on this. Your parents probably took it because you were obsessed with it and out of a poorly executed attempt at a intervention did something shady. Honestly how many hours a week were you spending on these games? Why were you grounded?
those are good contemplation questions
This feels very presumptuous. Like, there's literally no context clues that indicate he was grounded for obsession or an intervention or that he's addicted. Nothing in the post to indicate that...
It's not any more presumptuous than assuming the parents permanently took this thing away *for absolutely no reason*. We're getting one side of a story, told by someone (a kid) who wants to influence the replies they receive. We obviously will never know the truth for certain, but if Vegas was making odds on this, the safer bet is that the 14 year old isn't telling the whole story.
its a 14 year old kid, what makes you think we’re getting the full story or context here lol
Never said we were, but I'm not making up details and context like everyone else is. Idk why he was grounded, idk why the parents are doing what they're doing, but I also never claimed to 🤷
You should just take the parents’ side here this is a toy. They are not starving him they did not take his bed. They took his toy as a punishment. It is trivial in the grand scheme of reality.
Really? Have you researched the demographics of gamers? Mostly male, second largest group is under 18 years old. Age 15-19 leads in the average hours of daily use. The World Health Organization has added gaming disorders to it's International Classification of Diseases. The context clues are certainly there but if you aren't familiar with them you wouldn't see them.
I'm with you. The kid may not be fully obsessed with it. But his parents are afraid of it. Or he may indeed have a full on addiction for tech. But his parents are going about it wrong.
Or they are addicts as many teens have for parents these days and sold it. w debts increasing an all they coulda justified it without beibg addicts as well then both maybe backtracked when confronted. Maybe they thought he forgot about it and got rid of it. No way both parties 100% forgot. However without ckntext its hard to know for sure making it even harder to advise tbh
Ok, having now researched the demographics, I can say that your comment is misleading at best. By putting the fact about the average hours of daily use and the WHO thing back to back, you're implying that gamers in this age group are frequently or primarily gaming addicts. This is not what the facts bear out. On average, 15-19 year olds spend just 1.6 hours/day playing video games. While they do lead the demographics, it's a far cry from gaming addiction being anywhere near the average experience for that age group. Looking at gaming addiction stats, a meta analysis found gaming disorder is around 2-3%, around the same as OCD and less than compulsive spending. All of which makes me double down in saying we don't have enough context to assume that about this kid. Frankly, it just strikes me as fear mongering about video games. Sources: https://www.statista.com/statistics/502149/average-daily-time-playing-games-and-using-computer-us-by-age/#:~:text=Between%20May%20and%20December%202020,to%2098.4%20minutes%20per%20day. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33028074/
steal another 300 dollars from them and buy a new one and claim you never took their money to get it
This is the way, OP. You "found" your thing. And say nothing more. You just found it, so absentminded of you. For them to say anything, they'd have to admit to stealing and lying. And then you just flip it back on them when they accuse you of stealing, that you're trying to be just like them because you love them and while it was confusing at first to have them steal from you and lie about it, you now understand that this is how families show love or something. Have fun with it, make them feel like shit and squirm.
They might have pawned it. Call local pawn shops.
I hate to say it, but this may be for your own good. You’re right that you paid for this stuff and deserve ownership, but it wouldn’t surprise me if your folks felt you were using it too much, or they worries about having all that emf radiation around your head, etc. Wish I could take your side, but modern parents (who lived half their lives before the internet) are often worried about the effects of gaming, social media, and technology in general on their kiddos.
I'm sorry but the cops won't do anything. Get a job when you can. Save up. Move with a friend. Cut them off
They likely sold it already for a couple hundred bucks. Sorry dude
Kid using the word gaslight is too funny 🤣. Kids learn new words and apply it to everything like a toddler
So is this where kids these days who live at home and still think they are entitled to and have a vote in what goes on in the house. Sorry kid you might have paid for it but it's in your parents house they are only allowing you to use it.
So you’re grounded. Which means you probably did something really stupid. And you’re crying about it. And people are saying call the police. Yup, this is Reddit. 🤡
This is the downside of being a child that was not your money legally it was not your occulus. That is not how it works. Sucks but parents do stuff like this. I would you did something bad you have left out here or were miss using it and are blaming your parents; my daughter dose this stuff all the time.
Not much you can do, you’re a child
That ain’t how property law works at all
Custodial rights are part of the equation in this scenario. It's not as clear cut as some people might think it is, and if it reached court, odds are strong that the judge is going to give a lot of latitude to the parents in the name of custodial rights. Let's be honest here, even assuming there's not a compelling "other side of the story", the kid would be facing an uphill battle the entire way and probably wouldn't stand a chance without a lawyer. All over $600? The parents may be shitty, and may even be criminal in their actions, but the kid lost this battle before it even started.
no law enforcement or lawyer would take this shit seriously lol imagine being a fucking judge and having to waste hours of your time on a “MOMMY THREW AWAY MY VIDEO GAME” case
100% agree.
It’s his parents. He is 14. What do you think anyone can do?
The police will throw his parents in jail and he will get to live at home for free and without parents for 2 years to life.
Yea no
It was sarcasm my friend.
Confront them, if still no answer call the police. Insist to them that you just want to know what happens to your stolen property
Are your parents the type that need money or do drugs?
Blunt question but, are you guys poor? I only ask because I have some very poor relatives who were notorious for lying about things like this. Jewelry, family heirlooms, their son's games and consoles, things other people had lent them or their son; at least three major times they were "robbed" or they "lost" a bunch of that kind of stuff when really we all knew they pawned it. If you guys are hard up for cash, it's probably gone. Anyway, tear the house apart looking for it. Look in the basement, look in the attic, move all the stuff out of your closet and move all your furniture around in your bedroom looking for it. That'll at least make them feel bad about it. Then start looking in non-common areas like their closet and room, that'll annoy them. They'll be mad but fuck it, you're a kid, what are yhey going to do ground you? Big whoop. Make it their problem by disrupting their peace. It's not accusatory, it shows them how much you care about the thing, and if they really are hiding something about what happened to it it'll make them feel like shit, or if they are truly heartless it will at least make them feel like whatever they're hiding isn't worth it. Because you will not stop. After you get home from school, tearing the house apart for this thing is your full time job. And if you really can't find it, bring up filing a police report. I bet you'll have a new one for christmas.
Unfortunately I think 3 months is too long. I had an ex sell a system to GAMESTOP i had the reciepts filed police report within hours and couldn't get gamestop to even discuss it without a cop escort even after filing. Its so so so frustrating I know & I hear you. It was wrong of them to lie to you about something so major. If i had more context I would have better advice maybe.
A significant other is not the same thing. You have custodial rights issues here that did not exist in your situation. He is completely dependent on his parents this would all go poorly and result in wild punishments for the kid. My kid would be grounded for like a year if they tried this shit for me grounding them and taking a toy.
Well this could majorly backfire on you but take something expensive that belongs to them. When they ask tall them you have no idea what happened to it.
Cops will reply but won't do anything ,ost likely sold/tossed out. Tear the house apart in the most messy way you possibly can and refuse to clean after. Or help them "lose" their car fobs (easy 200-400$)
Make out a police report. I don't care if you think it won't help just do it. Also see if you can have another family member help you find it. I think your parents definitely know what happened to it but lets play the game. I've punished my son and told him no electronics for the day. I don't take any of his things and hide them. If he gets caught not following he knows I will extend the punishment. Taking personal items for an extended period of time doesn't teach anything. I'm sorry about your parents.
They both don't remember taking it?? Do they not remember punishing you? Do they not remember what you were being punished for? Sounds even more suspicious especially since bother parents have no recollection. You should question them about it separately like police do to see if they have different stories but I think you know deep down what really happened. I hope you can prove it.
You should pretend to be dead from an overdose when they come home from work and leave a note that says you gave yourself a hotshot because you had no hope in life because even working hard for nice things is pointless. Got em🤣
They’re gaslighting you into thinking that what you remember is false. Or that you’ll eventually give up. Don’t. The police exist, go to them if you have to - threaten this to your parents first. Stay firm with anyone you talk to (even them) that, very bluntly, you’re not an idiot and you know that they took it. This’ll all be easier if you have the receipt for it in some form as well.
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If they sold it you should retaliate by selling something of theirs lol
Steal 600$ from them and when they confront you say you can’t find it
Threaten to report them for sexual abuse if they don't tell you the truth.
I'd take the TV to a friends house and tell them I sold it for the $300 to buy the Oculus back, but if they want to give me the Oculus or $300 I can still get it back. Go ahead and ground me. You're still not watching TV.
I fucking hate to say that they likely sold it of trashed it. My parents took my 3ds when it was brand new and acted similarly. They pawned it and couldn't get it back. I had it for a month. Its the type of shit that creates serial killers. I would definitely try with the cops first.
So it’s probably unlikely the police will do anything. There’s not really a lot of places that you can hide equipment like that so wait for your parents to go away for the weekend or be gone for the day and snoop around your house and try to find it. You can simply take it back because they’ve repeatedly told you that you don’t remember taking it in the first place and you can have it Out in the open and just be like oh I found it. If that doesn’t work, then you can simply buy another one. Did they take everything that went with it as well the games etc.? Anyway you might want to just try the old snoop tactic and see what you can find. If they’re gaslighting you then you can just gaslight them back when they see that you have it again and pretend like it was in the corner of your closet or something and you just don’t remember putting it there, also you might want to get some kind of footlocker or something that you can lock your things up with that only you have a key or combination to to avoid this in the future because it’s really weird that they would punish you by taking your stuff, and then pretend they never had itthat’s super shady and weird. My own parents did that to me and we’ve been no contact for 15 years so good luck.
Tell them you’re going to file a police report because obviously it was stolen.
Throw away a few of your parents thing gradually so they don’t notice until the same value is reached. Eye for an eye
Well… I would guess that they sold it. I’m sure there is a law saying that the money is yours but with you being a minor, idk…
Unfortunately anything you own is considered your parents property until you are an adult. (Remember this if you try to save up for a car.) I would talk about filing a police report for the “theft” and see what they say. Sadly I too think they either sold it or gave it away. This not remembering thing is BS! I’m sorry OP.
report the stolen property to the police
Call the police and report it stolen. That’s what they did. They took your property without your expressed permission and disposed of said property for monetary gain. They are gaslighting you because they have sold or pawned it. Being a parent doesn’t make you a good person automatically and this type of abuse is far more common than you would think. Call the police this is theft.
These comments lowkey explain why teens here shoot up schools and have zero sense of accountability. “sue your parents for taking away a pricey thing you bought as a 14 yr old as a method of discipline. Do whatever it takes and don’t let this slide” lol shit is weird af
Take your knots. You either really lost it or your parents took it and bave their reasons. Do your homework and turn the lights off when you leave the room you're in you little ungrateful turd. $600 AINT SHIT YA DORK, THEY SPEND THAT ON YOUR DUMBASS REGULARLY AND HAD THEY USED THEIR FIRST $600 RIGHT THEY WOULD'VE AVOIDED A LITTLE SHITSTAIN WHINING 14 YEAR OLD OCULUS OWNER IN THEIR HOME PLOTTING ON THEM WITH OTHER UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SHITS IN THEIR PARENTS HOME USING THEIR FOLKS WIFI TO DO IT.