Free-range parents cited but not charged

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://enews.earthlink.net/article/us?guid=20150312/80788942-a504-4285-92ba-7b6215236003

Attempted kidnapping of toddler:

"The incident began after Michael Wright left his three children with a baby sitter in Sprague on Sunday while he went to work. The children — Brenden, 10, Delicia, 8, and the toddler — were playing unsupervised in a city park near the sitter's house."

Again, the reason why events such as this make international news is because they are so rare.

[/b]It was from WA state. This just happened days ago. [b] Rare or not, the older kid should not have been responsible for a toddler.

Yes, it happened in WA state & I read about it on a British news site. So it was international news.

It happened just days ago. Since then likely hundreds of car crashes have occurred, some of them fatal & involving children. Yet I'm guessing you're still allowing your children to ride in cars.

[Anonymous]

On the other hand, there are a lot of things that kids can't do because they have never had to do it.

Six-year-olds did used to be able to do this. Now (you say) they can't. What changed?

I don't know "what changed" because in the neighborhood I grew up in, they couldn't. Kids started being able to go places on their own around 3rd grade, which seems right to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

On the other hand, there are a lot of things that kids can't do because they have never had to do it.

Six-year-olds did used to be able to do this. Now (you say) they can't. What changed?

I don't know "what changed" because in the neighborhood I grew up in, they couldn't. Kids started being able to go places on their own around 3rd grade, which seems right to me.

How old are you? I'm 47. I'm guessing you're younger than I am. In the neighborhood I grew up in, when I grew up, kindergarteners went to school by themselves and/or with siblings. (You weren't allowed to ride your bike to school by yourself until second or third grade.) If your mother had walked to school with you, everybody would have laughed at you for being a baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Unless she has been raised in a bubble, any neurotypical 6-year-old should certainly know enough to walk on the sidewalk, cross at the cross walks when the sign says walk, look both ways for cars before crossing, etc. & should be well beyond the age where darting out into the street is a risk! So the need for the 10-year-old to supervise in a situation like this is pretty minimal.

Wow, I guess my son and every single one of his friends who we have had over and taken to the park are raised in a bubble and not NT! Thank you so much for setting us straight about these many unusual kids.

You know several 6-year-olds who don't know better than to run out into traffic?

Wow.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read all 8 pages of this thread, but I will tell you a few things that were completely normal back in my day:

--Drano under the sink; no safety locks
--me riding public transportation alone, in an urban area, at 8 years old
--several kids piled in the "way back" of the station wagon; no seatbelts, of course
--as many kids as could fit in the backseat; sitting on laps was the norm. Again, no seatbelts
--smoking everywhere, including doctors' offices
--my grandmother giving me booze for a toothache
--and my personal favorite: when I was an infant, my mother used to visit my grandmother, who lived in a different neighborhood in our urban area. She would leave me sleeping in the stroller outside so I could "get some fresh air" while she visited. Totally not uncommon in those days.

Should those kids have walked alone? I don't know. But the excuse "it used to be OK" doesn't fly on its own merits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

On the other hand, there are a lot of things that kids can't do because they have never had to do it.

Six-year-olds did used to be able to do this. Now (you say) they can't. What changed?

I don't know "what changed" because in the neighborhood I grew up in, they couldn't. Kids started being able to go places on their own around 3rd grade, which seems right to me.

I'm 36 & where I grew up, kindergarteners were allowed to walk several blocks to school alone & were given free reign in the neighborhood when playing . And we all knew better than to run out into traffic well before then, too! I guess every kid I grew up with was unusually advanced...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read all 8 pages of this thread, but I will tell you a few things that were completely normal back in my day:

--Drano under the sink; no safety locks
--me riding public transportation alone, in an urban area, at 8 years old
--several kids piled in the "way back" of the station wagon; no seatbelts, of course
--as many kids as could fit in the backseat; sitting on laps was the norm. Again, no seatbelts
--smoking everywhere, including doctors' offices
--my grandmother giving me booze for a toothache
--and my personal favorite: when I was an infant, my mother used to visit my grandmother, who lived in a different neighborhood in our urban area. She would leave me sleeping in the stroller outside so I could "get some fresh air" while she visited. Totally not uncommon in those days.

Should those kids have walked alone? I don't know. But the excuse "it used to be OK" doesn't fly on its own merits.

Of course "it used to be ok" doesn't fly on its own merits, and nobody is saying it does. What people are saying is that it used to be ok, and it still should be ok.

The risks vs. benefits of Drano under the sink, lack of seatbelts/carseats, smoking, and booze (or paregoric) are clear.

The risks vs. benefits of children riding public transportation by themselves, children walking places by themselves, and babies napping outside in their strollers/prams? Not so clear. In fact, all of these things are routine in other countries.

(See napping babies here: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988 )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read all 8 pages of this thread, but I will tell you a few things that were completely normal back in my day:

--Drano under the sink; no safety locks
--me riding public transportation alone, in an urban area, at 8 years old
--several kids piled in the "way back" of the station wagon; no seatbelts, of course
--as many kids as could fit in the backseat; sitting on laps was the norm. Again, no seatbelts
--smoking everywhere, including doctors' offices
--my grandmother giving me booze for a toothache
--and my personal favorite: when I was an infant, my mother used to visit my grandmother, who lived in a different neighborhood in our urban area. She would leave me sleeping in the stroller outside so I could "get some fresh air" while she visited. Totally not uncommon in those days.

Should those kids have walked alone? I don't know. But the excuse "it used to be OK" doesn't fly on its own merits.

Of course "it used to be ok" doesn't fly on its own merits, and nobody is saying it does. What people are saying is that it used to be ok, and it still should be ok.

The risks vs. benefits of Drano under the sink, lack of seatbelts/carseats, smoking, and booze (or paregoric) are clear.

The risks vs. benefits of children riding public transportation by themselves, children walking places by themselves, and babies napping outside in their strollers/prams? Not so clear. In fact, all of these things are routine in other countries.

(See napping babies here: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988 )

Now we're bringing in other countries? Have you compared the gun laws in the U.S. with, say, Canada? Or the typical living arrangements in Manhattan versus Kenya? Your stats, especially when we're dealing with children in public spaces, need to be specific to the environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read all 8 pages of this thread, but I will tell you a few things that were completely normal back in my day:

--Drano under the sink; no safety locks
--me riding public transportation alone, in an urban area, at 8 years old
--several kids piled in the "way back" of the station wagon; no seatbelts, of course
--as many kids as could fit in the backseat; sitting on laps was the norm. Again, no seatbelts
--smoking everywhere, including doctors' offices
--my grandmother giving me booze for a toothache
--and my personal favorite: when I was an infant, my mother used to visit my grandmother, who lived in a different neighborhood in our urban area. She would leave me sleeping in the stroller outside so I could "get some fresh air" while she visited. Totally not uncommon in those days.

Should those kids have walked alone? I don't know. But the excuse "it used to be OK" doesn't fly on its own merits.

The difference is, all the things you list actually posed statistically significant risks that far outweighed any possible benefits. Not so with allowing kids age appropriate freedoms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read all 8 pages of this thread, but I will tell you a few things that were completely normal back in my day:

--Drano under the sink; no safety locks
--me riding public transportation alone, in an urban area, at 8 years old
--several kids piled in the "way back" of the station wagon; no seatbelts, of course
--as many kids as could fit in the backseat; sitting on laps was the norm. Again, no seatbelts
--smoking everywhere, including doctors' offices
--my grandmother giving me booze for a toothache
--and my personal favorite: when I was an infant, my mother used to visit my grandmother, who lived in a different neighborhood in our urban area. She would leave me sleeping in the stroller outside so I could "get some fresh air" while she visited. Totally not uncommon in those days.

Should those kids have walked alone? I don't know. But the excuse "it used to be OK" doesn't fly on its own merits.

Of course "it used to be ok" doesn't fly on its own merits, and nobody is saying it does. What people are saying is that it used to be ok, and it still should be ok.

The risks vs. benefits of Drano under the sink, lack of seatbelts/carseats, smoking, and booze (or paregoric) are clear.

The risks vs. benefits of children riding public transportation by themselves, children walking places by themselves, and babies napping outside in their strollers/prams? Not so clear. In fact, all of these things are routine in other countries.

(See napping babies here: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988 )

Now we're bringing in other countries? Have you compared the gun laws in the U.S. with, say, Canada? Or the typical living arrangements in Manhattan versus Kenya? Your stats, especially when we're dealing with children in public spaces, need to be specific to the environment.

What do gun laws in the US vs. Canada or typical living arrangements in Manhattan vs. Kenya have to do with children riding public transportation by themselves and walking places by themselves? I honestly don't understand -- aside from the obvious fact that children can't ride public transportation by themselves if there is no public transportation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

On the other hand, there are a lot of things that kids can't do because they have never had to do it.

Six-year-olds did used to be able to do this. Now (you say) they can't. What changed?

I don't know "what changed" because in the neighborhood I grew up in, they couldn't. Kids started being able to go places on their own around 3rd grade, which seems right to me.

How old are you? I'm 47. I'm guessing you're younger than I am. In the neighborhood I grew up in, when I grew up, kindergarteners went to school by themselves and/or with siblings. (You weren't allowed to ride your bike to school by yourself until second or third grade.) If your mother had walked to school with you, everybody would have laughed at you for being a baby.

I am 54. At six, I was walking to school (eight blocks) by myself or with siblings. In the summer, I rode my bike to the park to participate in the rec program there. At 7/8, I was riding to the town center to run an errand for my mother, stopping at the library on the way home.

The only thing that has changed is the parenting approach.

Crime rates are in fact lower than they were when I was a child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://enews.earthlink.net/article/us?guid=20150312/80788942-a504-4285-92ba-7b6215236003

Attempted kidnapping of toddler:

"The incident began after Michael Wright left his three children with a baby sitter in Sprague on Sunday while he went to work. The children — Brenden, 10, Delicia, 8, and the toddler — were playing unsupervised in a city park near the sitter's house."

Again, the reason why events such as this make international news is because they are so rare.

It was from WA state. This just happened days ago. Rare or not, the older kid should not have been responsible for a toddler.

NP - but they still are rare. And the older kids thwarted him off. Kudos to them!

Why do you put your kids in a car? They are much more likely to die there than getting kidnapped.

[Anonymous]

It amazes me how uptight parents can be. Social media and 24hr hyped-up news really have done their jobs of making you all paranoid. I walked 2 blocks to a school bus stop by myself until I met up with others starting in K. There was never a mom at a bus stop after the first day. Ever! It was no big deal because we all played outside on our own already. Today every mom/nanny is at the bus stop and many even drive to the bus stops. Now if I let my 7yr old walk home the 8 houses alone, I look like a negligent mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It amazes me how uptight parents can be. Social media and 24hr hyped-up news really have done their jobs of making you all paranoid. I walked 2 blocks to a school bus stop by myself until I met up with others starting in K. There was never a mom at a bus stop after the first day. Ever! It was no big deal because we all played outside on our own already. Today every mom/nanny is at the bus stop and many even drive to the bus stops. Now if I let my 7yr old walk home the 8 houses alone, I look like a negligent mom.

Another thing that has changed is parents working longer hours and many people not knowing and not having friendly relationships with their neighbors. It's different when you don't know the people 2 doors down -- which you usually did when I was coming up and I am 48.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://enews.earthlink.net/article/us?guid=20150312/80788942-a504-4285-92ba-7b6215236003

Attempted kidnapping of toddler:

"The incident began after Michael Wright left his three children with a baby sitter in Sprague on Sunday while he went to work. The children — Brenden, 10, Delicia, 8, and the toddler — were playing unsupervised in a city park near the sitter's house."

Again, the reason why events such as this make international news is because they are so rare.

[/b]It was from WA state. This just happened days ago. [b] Rare or not, the older kid should not have been responsible for a toddler.

Yes, it happened in WA state & I read about it on a British news site. So it was international news.

It happened just days ago. Since then likely hundreds of car crashes have occurred, some of them fatal & involving children. Yet I'm guessing you're still allowing your children to ride in cars.

Yes, of course. And the truth is that most of the safety things we do are for things that never happen to us personally. My kids have never had a bike accident - yet wear helmets. I've never been in a car accident - yet as an adult I'll wear a seatbelt even in the back seat. The point is the likelihood of an injury or accident or horrific event, the point is that we all make choices because of what MAY happen. Are you saying that the 10 year old was old enough to watch his toddler brother?