The Balloon Boy (Falcon Henne)parents give new meaning to the phrase “Stage Mom.” Rarely has there been such a despicable use of one’s child for vapid, fame-seeking purposes.

By now everyone knows the story: Last week, the nation was gripped watching a hot-air balloon fly over Colorado with the belief that a six-year old was inside as it unexpectedly took off. Then the balloon ran out of steam and the boy was not found inside. Then the parents reported that the boy was hiding in the attic.

This was a lot of money and time (and attention) wasted already, but everyone was so relieved that the little boy was okay to the millions spent at least come with some solace at the end of the day.

It was all an nicely orchestrated scheme by the parents seeking a reality show mostly likely titled “The Adventures of Balloon Boy and His Stupid Parents.” The family had previously appeared in an episode of “Wifeswap” and got bitten by the Hollywood bug.

The plan toward fame was going well until Balloon Boy accidental popped the balloon fame and revealed how it was all BS:

Poor kid. He actually vomited telling the lie his parents set him up for. His parents were quickly about to die inside as their plan fell apart. I mean, do they really expect a six-year to follow a script. These parents are clearly insane. Who uses any children like this? And all for a stupid reality show.

The good news is that they are now being charged with something along the lines of fabricating a story that consumed public funds and police time. These people deserve to pay heavily. This is not some innocent joke for the police department to send hours following a balloon and then searching for a kid. In order to make a lesson, these parents need to be lashed in public (no, just kidding, but why not?).