Balloon Boy: Will Falcon Heene's Parents Lose Their Kids?

By now, everyone in the country knows who Falcon Heene is. Better known as the Balloon Boy, Falcon Heene was involved in an alleged hoax perpetuated by his family, involving a homemade weather balloon and a false report to authorities that six year old Falcon was believed to be inside of the balloon as it accidentally launched into the skies over Colorado. As millions of viewers hopelessly watched their television screens, worried that the tiny boy reported to be inside would surely crash to his death, the parents of Falcon Heene let the charade continue.

When the balloon finally touched down in a field two hours later, gently enough that viewers and rescue personnel were hopeful that he had survived, it was quickly found that the now dubbed Balloon Boy, was not inside after all. Shortly afterward, it was reported that six year old Falcon Heene was alive and well, at home.

As the story materialized, the public learned that the Balloon Boy had supposedly been hiding in a garage attic during the search, reportedly fearful of his father due to an earlier scolding. However, as time passed, the public then learned that the whole ordeal had been a hoax, and that the Heene parents had orchestrated the entire ordeal, even going so far as to instruct at least one of their young children to lie to authorities.

So, what should happen now? The family has been featured on TLC's Wife Swap twice, and to anybody watching the clips of the episodes the Heene family were in, it's startlingly clear that Richard Heene is an unstable, abusive individual who often screams angrily at anyone who is not molding to his every whim. His wife, Mayumi Heene, appears to be a textbook case of a battered and dysfunctional wife, and the three young Heene boys seem very detrimentally affected by their parents' lack of reasonable parenting skills. Should the children be taken out of the home? It's been reported that Child Protective Services is looking into the Heene family and their situation, so it's reasonable to assume that removal is a possibility.

Additionally, the Heene parents are both facing federal charges, and although it's been reported that they are not likely to actually serve any prison time, much of the public feels they should be slapped with a hefty fine for all of the emergency services that were called into play during their little joke. Still, others in the media believe the Heene family may actually land a reality T.V. show as a result of this ridiculous stunt.

One thing seems certain, and that is the fact that there's likely no way the Balloon Boy or his brothers, at the hands of their parents, can possibly grow up to be functional adults. Whether or not America will be seeing more of the Heene family remains to be seen, but it would seem premature to write this family off just yet.