MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach

[Anonymous]

The kids were 8 and 9. Dogs got loose and the person who helped them called the police! She only went a few miles away to get food. Plus, in MoCo, isn't it legal to leave your kids alone for short time periods once they're 8?

Seems over the top to arrest this lady.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/eaf1bb6a-14f4-30bc-9db9-4f5a79516239/ss_police%3A-mom-charged-for.html

[Anonymous]

Uh, my parents would have been in the big house for life for the amount of times they left us alone in the 80s. They left me alone (13) with a 8 and 10 year old for three days and two nights. Nothing bad happened.

[Anonymous]

Yes. That seems over the top.

[Anonymous]

Yes, the arrest seems uncalled for.

[Anonymous]

And, nothing bad happened at all to the kids. What basis would they have for arresting the lady? Simply because she left an 8 year old (!) alone. It's not like the kids were toddlers.

She was only gone for 45 minutes!

[Anonymous]

There's a hospital here in MoCo that even offers 'Home Alone' classes for 8 year olds. I guess Delaware doesn't follow that line of thinking.

[Anonymous]

That's insane.

[Anonymous]

Man, when I was a kid and we went to Ocean City, my mom would send my sister and me back to our condo in the afternoon when we got bored with the beach. We walked the few blocks alone, when we were probably 6 and 9 years old. Leaving an 8- and 9-year-old seems perfectly safe.

In MoCo they have to be 8 to be left alone, and 13 to be left with a younger sibling. Since the younger sibling was 8, I don't think that second rule applies in this case. Of course, that's MoCo and not Rehoboth, but still, seems reasonable for the mom to follow that guideline.

[Anonymous]

That is ridiculous. In MoCo, I thought you could leave a kid aged 8 alone for an hour. What are the rules in Sussex County DE?

[Anonymous]

Wow. Delaware does not have a set age, but will investigate if a child up to TWELVE is alone. That is mind boggling. This seems like a huge over-reaction.

http://kids.delaware.gov/faqs.shtml

[Anonymous]

Perhaps their cops are bored these days.

[Anonymous]

Maybe one or both of the kids was developmentally disabled?

[Anonymous]

OMG! At 9 years old I got up at 5am and delivered newspapers

[Anonymous]

Imagine if the dog got loose and the children ran into traffic and got killed? The stupid mom should've just taken everyone in her car or ordered delivery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Delaware does not have a set age, but will investigate if a child up to TWELVE is alone. That is mind boggling. This seems like a huge over-reaction.

http://kids.delaware.gov/faqs.shtml

Wow... growing up, my friends and I were babysitting by age 12. Not just responsible for myself, but other kids including babies.