Call me a curmudgeon. When I read about something stupid that involves a young person (i.e., anyone under 30), my first reaction is to shake my head and say, “freakin’ kids.” As a result, any time I read about a youngster who knows what he wants and goes after it, I have to admire him.

What prompted this philosophical discursion is a story I just read about a 13-year-old kid in Newark, Texas, who stole his Dad's credit card and ordered two hookers from an escort service.

Granted, stealing a credit card – especially your pop’s – is not cool. And the kid found this out the hard way – he was sentenced to three years of community service for his crime. But still, I gotta show him some love. When I was 13, I had no idea what I wanted to be. Actually, I did know what I wanted to be – I wanted to be 21. But as far as a career path, I was nearly clueless. I wanted to be Keith Richards, but not only would my parents not pay for guitar lessons, they were also pretty strict about us kids mainlining heroin. Plus, I’m allergic to eyeliner, so riff-meister for the Rolling Stones was not in the cards for me.

Anyway, this kid supposedly confessed to ordering an extra credit card from his father's account and taking some friends on a $30,000 spending spree that culminated in playing "Halo" on an Xbox with a couple of hookers in a motel room.

According to the article I read, the cops were tipped off by a delivery guy who dropped off a shipment of Dr Pepper, Fritos and Oreos to the kids. Apparently he guessed that either the kids were on the Cheech and Chong Diet, or something fishy was going on. At any rate, he called the law and, as Willie Nelson wrote, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over.”

The delivery guy, who apparently was never 13 himself, told cops that the kids had asked him “where they could score some chicks” and that they were willing to pay. When police arrived they found $3,000 in cash, numerous electronic gadgets, an Xbox video console with several games and two local working girls.

The girls, who were released without being charged, told the arresting officers that they thought something was up when the kids wanted to play Xbox rather than get busy. But they also said that the boys claimed to be circus midgets, and that they were wary of running afoul of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Well, they’re hookers and not rocket scientists, so I’ll cut them some slack.

The kid reportedly told the cops that his father wouldn't mind him using the card, as his dad had neglected to buy him a birthday present the week before. If this is true, the kid should have spent the money on a good tailor because he’s gotta have trouble getting his pants on over a set like his.

Anyway, as I said, I admire a kid who knows what he wants and where he’s going. The article said he wants to be a politician. With his experience at misappropriating other people’s money, hooking up his friends and consorting with folks who will do anything for a buck, this kid has a promising future.