Here's my attempt at a Scrapplefacing of this article:
New York City parents are barred from arguing around their kids.
A New York couple was sentenced Thursday to 10 days in jail for defying a court order not to argue in front of their children.
Tom and Silvia Stevens, who have admitted to arguing continuously in front of their children, were led from a New York courtroom in handcuffs. But the judge allowed them to post a $500 bond to stay out of jail while they appeal the ruling. "It should never have come to this," they said after spending four hours in jail before being released.
The sentence is the latest development in a bitter and long-running custody battle between the nanny state and the Stevens family, over the care of their children, ages 10 and 8. But the restriction on arguing has captured far greater attention.
"It is within the court's powers to jail somebody for criminal contempt, but they are not happy about getting 10 days," said her attorney, Harvey Tucker. "New York City is such a vociferous state, it's kind of surprising. I've never heard of a case where you restrict behavior this way."
The district attorney claimed that the measure was necessary to protect the sanity of the children, who live with their parents and often visit their grandparents on weekends.
Tom and Silvia said they have been argumentative since starting public school. The habit became an issue several years ago as the nanny state sought to control every aspect of people's lives. As part of this microcontrol, the Stevens were barred in a court order last August from arguing around their children. They appealed that order to New York Circuit Court, where it was upheld, and are considering filing another appeal with the United Nations.
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