Yeah this is the kid's fault.

I would have locked him out on purpose with him sneaking out and all.

That's not really responsible. Something could have happened to the kid, and it would have been her fault.

What could happen would depend on where she lives. Around here, I don't think much could happen without the kid physically trying to harm himself.

My parents used to do this to my sister and I'll do it to my kids...

Either you sit your busted a$$ on the porch and wait for dad to come out to get the paper (and possibly refuse to let you in, resulting in you having to go to school/work in your "party" clothes) or you ring the bell and risk waking everyone up...

Either way, you're screwed.

You will find a variety of responses depending on the responder. If I was younger (by about 25 years) I might be concerned about the welfare of the teenager. Being older and wiser, I applaud the mother for teaching the son a lesson. She was most likely worried sick and was checking on him often. As a parent I really think that our hands are tied for trying to raise our children to be responsible, decent, productive members of our society. We should be able to punish our children in a reasonable manner,and yes, I do think this was reasonable.