This delightful ad recently appeared in a small Wyoming newspaper:

400 For Sale: Trucks

VERY mad mother selling 16 yr. old son’s 1993 Ford Ranger. Drove 3 mos. before son forgot to use his brain and got caught driving drunk. $3,500 OBO. Call meanest mother in Wyoming.

Is that the sound of parents around the world standing up and applauding I hear? We should all be so mean. Talk about teaching her son a lesson. And maybe saving his life into the bargain. Mean Mom is a trucker who probably knows from experience that alcohol and  wheels are a lethal combination. What makes her so special is that she isn’t afraid to take away her child’s toy (so to speak) when he’s done the wrong thing. This in the age of the helicopter parent makes her highly unusual.

There are two possible Tarot cards that might represent this situation.

Justice: Karma. Consequences. Weighing your options.

Judgement: Judgement (um, derr!) Being called into action.

But which one is it?

I’m tending towards Justice. If the boy had been the one to regret his actions and sell his car then the card ruling this situation would have been Judgement. But when others are punishing you for your actions than I think we’re definitely in the realm of the Justice card. Judgement is in the Maturity section of Life Lessons Tarot (the Major Arcana) which is focused on situations involving self-reflection and self-learning. Justice is in the Adulthood section which focuses on common experiences we have as adults.

But let’s take a vote. That would be a very Justice thing to do, lol. Which card do you think sums up this scenario? Justice or Judgement?