MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey peeps. It was NEVER established that her kids ran in front of a car. If yiu are claiming that, you ARE making stuff up. NP btw

According to the police, the dogs ran in front of the car and the kids were trying to get control of them, so presumably they were in the road even if they weren't running in front of cars.

Chances are guy asks where mom is (aka why are your dogs running in traffic and unleashed and why isn't there an adult helping you get them back) and they say oh, she left to get food.

Not surprisingly, as it is nearly dark, there are dogs running in the road, and kids out in the road trying (and failing, it sounds like) to get them back in, with no parent in sight, guy calls the police and rightfully so. Obviously the situation was NOT under control.

Yes, he was worried that the kids would get hurt trying to get the dogs back - totally understandable that he would call the police. But it was one of those things that could have happened even if the mom had been inside the rental home. Kids could have been running in/out of the house, the dogs could have gotten out and the kids would have chased them into the street while mom was inside busy making dinner.

Maybe instead of cooking she was planning to run out, pick up a take out order and be back home in 15 minutes but the order wasn't ready when she got there and she had to wait a little while.

I can see why the kids ran after their dogs, I can see why the guy called the cops and I can see how the mom would have felt o.k. running out to pick up dinner and leaving the kids at the rental house.

I don't really understand the reason behind arresting her though. That seems like an over the top reaction based on what we know.

But if mom was home she probably would have come out when the guy (presumably) asked for her.

She was arrested because of Delaware law on ages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey peeps. It was NEVER established that her kids ran in front of a car. If yiu are claiming that, you ARE making stuff up. NP btw

According to the police, the dogs ran in front of the car and the kids were trying to get control of them, so presumably they were in the road even if they weren't running in front of cars.

Chances are guy asks where mom is (aka why are your dogs running in traffic and unleashed and why isn't there an adult helping you get them back) and they say oh, she left to get food.

Not surprisingly, as it is nearly dark, there are dogs running in the road, and kids out in the road trying (and failing, it sounds like) to get them back in, with no parent in sight, guy calls the police and rightfully so. Obviously the situation was NOT under control.

There is a lot of presuming and assuming here. And card stacking. 7:30 in the summer is NOT nearly dark. And even so...so what? My kid has been in the street all alone when he goes to play somehere else and he has been left home alone. He is 9.

If you're assuming things. Why not assume the kids had it under control and the adult, like many of the Hawks here, over reacted?!

BECAUSE THE LAW IN DELAWARE IS 12

It's not "12 unless you're on vacation and the kids are kinda responsible but o shit the dog got out."

+1 and even in the DMV it is generally DAYLIGHT HOURS ONLY at that age. PP, maybe you should consider that you are too lackadaisical and ignorant to laws instead of assuming anyone else overreacted.

+1 It's pretty clear that the poster you're mentioning has a very lax parenting style.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And of course no mention of dad...

She's 55. Dad might be dead. Or 5 years into 30 year old Wife #2. Or he's 59 and afraid to take vacation because the staff in his office are irresponsible. Or she's a single mom by choice who can afford a week-long beach rental --and with two ES age kids and two dogs, she deserves 45 min alone.

So what she can afford to vacation alone? What does that have to do with how much sense she has? Clearly not much - she left her two young children home alone in a vacation rental. What if Laquisha (in the projects) or Brandy (in a trailer park) had done this? Does your opinion change?

This was STUPID no matter who did it. Kids are 24/7. Not just when you feel like it. She should have gotten that 45 minutes through a babysitter or when they went to bed.

At 55, I'll admit that I wouldn't want to be keeping up with two kids that age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And of course no mention of dad...

She's 55. Dad might be dead. Or 5 years into 30 year old Wife #2. Or he's 59 and afraid to take vacation because the staff in his office are irresponsible. Or she's a single mom by choice who can afford a week-long beach rental --and with two ES age kids and two dogs, she deserves 45 min alone.

So what she can afford to vacation alone? What does that have to do with how much sense she has? Clearly not much - she left her two young children home alone in a vacation rental. What if Laquisha (in the projects) or Brandy (in a trailer park) had done this? Does your opinion change?

This was STUPID no matter who did it. Kids are 24/7. Not just when you feel like it. She should have gotten that 45 minutes through a babysitter or when they went to bed.

8/9 year old kids generally do not need to be watched like hawks. And it actually doesn't sound as if they were doing anything wrong. Their dogs got out and they chased them to try to get them back while Mom was down the street picking up dinner.

I don't think that we know enough about the circumstances - how the dogs got out, the maturity of the kids, if the kids were left inside the house or if they were running around outside, where the mom went and how long she expected to be gone - to really know if this was particularly careless on this mother's part or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And of course no mention of dad...

She's 55. Dad might be dead. Or 5 years into 30 year old Wife #2. Or he's 59 and afraid to take vacation because the staff in his office are irresponsible. Or she's a single mom by choice who can afford a week-long beach rental --and with two ES age kids and two dogs, she deserves 45 min alone.

So what she can afford to vacation alone? What does that have to do with how much sense she has? Clearly not much - she left her two young children home alone in a vacation rental. What if Laquisha (in the projects) or Brandy (in a trailer park) had done this? Does your opinion change?

This was STUPID no matter who did it. Kids are 24/7. Not just when you feel like it. She should have gotten that 45 minutes through a babysitter or when they went to bed.

At 55, I'll admit that I wouldn't want to be keeping up with two kids that age.

Good grief, 55 is not elderly. Grandparents who are 70+ watch their grandkids all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And of course no mention of dad...

She's 55. Dad might be dead. Or 5 years into 30 year old Wife #2. Or he's 59 and afraid to take vacation because the staff in his office are irresponsible. Or she's a single mom by choice who can afford a week-long beach rental --and with two ES age kids and two dogs, she deserves 45 min alone.

So what she can afford to vacation alone? What does that have to do with how much sense she has? Clearly not much - she left her two young children home alone in a vacation rental. What if Laquisha (in the projects) or Brandy (in a trailer park) had done this? Does your opinion change?

This was STUPID no matter who did it. Kids are 24/7. Not just when you feel like it. She should have gotten that 45 minutes through a babysitter or when they went to bed.

8/9 year old kids generally do not need to be watched like hawks. And it actually doesn't sound as if they were doing anything wrong. Their dogs got out and they chased them to try to get them back while Mom was down the street picking up dinner.

I don't think that we know enough about the circumstances - how the dogs got out, the maturity of the kids, if the kids were left inside the house or if they were running around outside, where the mom went and how long she expected to be gone - to really know if this was particularly careless on this mother's part or not.

There's quite a wide spectrum between watching children like hawks and not leaving them alone in an unfamiliar vacation rental for almost an hour while mom is five miles down the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And of course no mention of dad...

She's 55. Dad might be dead. Or 5 years into 30 year old Wife #2. Or he's 59 and afraid to take vacation because the staff in his office are irresponsible. Or she's a single mom by choice who can afford a week-long beach rental --and with two ES age kids and two dogs, she deserves 45 min alone.

So what she can afford to vacation alone? What does that have to do with how much sense she has? Clearly not much - she left her two young children home alone in a vacation rental. What if Laquisha (in the projects) or Brandy (in a trailer park) had done this? Does your opinion change?

This was STUPID no matter who did it. Kids are 24/7. Not just when you feel like it. She should have gotten that 45 minutes through a babysitter or when they went to bed.

At 55, I'll admit that I wouldn't want to be keeping up with two kids that age.

Good grief, 55 is not elderly. Grandparents who are 70+ watch their grandkids all the time.

PP here. I agree, and I do babysit very often. Still working out at a gym as well. That's not the same as being a single parent 24/7 at that age, IMHO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey peeps. It was NEVER established that her kids ran in front of a car. If yiu are claiming that, you ARE making stuff up. NP btw

According to the police, the dogs ran in front of the car and the kids were trying to get control of them, so presumably they were in the road even if they weren't running in front of cars.

Chances are guy asks where mom is (aka why are your dogs running in traffic and unleashed and why isn't there an adult helping you get them back) and they say oh, she left to get food.

Not surprisingly, as it is nearly dark, there are dogs running in the road, and kids out in the road trying (and failing, it sounds like) to get them back in, with no parent in sight, guy calls the police and rightfully so. Obviously the situation was NOT under control.

There is a lot of presuming and assuming here. And card stacking. 7:30 in the summer is NOT nearly dark. And even so...so what? My kid has been in the street all alone when he goes to play somehere else and he has been left home alone. He is 9.

If you're assuming things. Why not assume the kids had it under control and the adult, like many of the Hawks here, over reacted?!

BECAUSE THE LAW IN DELAWARE IS 12

It's not "12 unless you're on vacation and the kids are kinda responsible but o shit the dog got out."

PLEASE READ THE LAW BEFORE CLAIMING TO KNOW WHAT IT SAYS.

Q. At what age can I leave my child home alone?
A. While there is no law in Delaware regulating an appropriate age for a child to be left home alone, the Division of Family Services will accept for investigation any report of a child under the age of 12 being left alone. DFS will also accept reports for children age 12 and over if there are any extenuating circumstances (e.g. developmental delays, physical disabilities).

It is best for parents and guardians to take in consideration their child"s comfort level, abilities and overall behavior and to talk to them about potential dangers (fire safety, what to do if someone comes to the door, etc.) before making the decision to leave a child home alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And of course no mention of dad...

She's 55. Dad might be dead. Or 5 years into 30 year old Wife #2. Or he's 59 and afraid to take vacation because the staff in his office are irresponsible. Or she's a single mom by choice who can afford a week-long beach rental --and with two ES age kids and two dogs, she deserves 45 min alone.

So what she can afford to vacation alone? What does that have to do with how much sense she has? Clearly not much - she left her two young children home alone in a vacation rental. What if Laquisha (in the projects) or Brandy (in a trailer park) had done this? Does your opinion change?

This was STUPID no matter who did it. Kids are 24/7. Not just when you feel like it. She should have gotten that 45 minutes through a babysitter or when they went to bed.

8/9 year old kids generally do not need to be watched like hawks. And it actually doesn't sound as if they were doing anything wrong. Their dogs got out and they chased them to try to get them back while Mom was down the street picking up dinner.

I don't think that we know enough about the circumstances - how the dogs got out, the maturity of the kids, if the kids were left inside the house or if they were running around outside, where the mom went and how long she expected to be gone - to really know if this was particularly careless on this mother's part or not.

There's quite a wide spectrum between watching children like hawks and not leaving them alone in an unfamiliar vacation rental for almost an hour while mom is five miles down the road.

We don't know how long they had been staying at that rental house or if they had ever stayed there before. The mom may have felt that she knew the house, the area, her kids well enough that she could run out for a little bit. 5 miles is within walking distance to me. Meaning, if the car broke down or a road got closed I could get back to my kids on foot within a reasonable amount of time. The mom left the house during daylight and I'll bet that she expected to get back before dark but somehow her 15 minute trip took longer than expected.

Of course, if she just left w/o being clear on where the kids were and didn't tell them where she was going and they managed to let the dogs out while they were running in/out of the house/yard looking for her....that would be careless on the mom's part.

Even so, I would think that 99% of the time there would not have been an issue.

[Anonymous]

Also, it is the law in NJ you have to be 18 to drive. Does that mean a licensed 17 year old VA driver can't drive thru NJ? These "laws" do tnky necessarily apply to residents with different legal standards in their home states

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And of course no mention of dad...

She's 55. Dad might be dead. Or 5 years into 30 year old Wife #2. Or he's 59 and afraid to take vacation because the staff in his office are irresponsible. Or she's a single mom by choice who can afford a week-long beach rental --and with two ES age kids and two dogs, she deserves 45 min alone.

So what she can afford to vacation alone? What does that have to do with how much sense she has? Clearly not much - she left her two young children home alone in a vacation rental. What if Laquisha (in the projects) or Brandy (in a trailer park) had done this? Does your opinion change?

This was STUPID no matter who did it. Kids are 24/7. Not just when you feel like it. She should have gotten that 45 minutes through a babysitter or when they went to bed.

At 55, I'll admit that I wouldn't want to be keeping up with two kids that age.

Good grief, 55 is not elderly. Grandparents who are 70+ watch their grandkids all the time.

PP here. I agree, and I do babysit very often. Still working out at a gym as well. That's not the same as being a single parent 24/7 at that age, IMHO.

My own kids were pretty easy at that age. I would have felt comfortable leaving them alone long enough to run out to pick up take out pizza. Especially if we had had a busy, fun, active day and they were settled in and watching t.v. or playing quietly when I left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey peeps. It was NEVER established that her kids ran in front of a car. If yiu are claiming that, you ARE making stuff up. NP btw

According to the police, the dogs ran in front of the car and the kids were trying to get control of them, so presumably they were in the road even if they weren't running in front of cars.

Chances are guy asks where mom is (aka why are your dogs running in traffic and unleashed and why isn't there an adult helping you get them back) and they say oh, she left to get food.

Not surprisingly, as it is nearly dark, there are dogs running in the road, and kids out in the road trying (and failing, it sounds like) to get them back in, with no parent in sight, guy calls the police and rightfully so. Obviously the situation was NOT under control.

There is a lot of presuming and assuming here. And card stacking. 7:30 in the summer is NOT nearly dark. And even so...so what? My kid has been in the street all alone when he goes to play somehere else and he has been left home alone. He is 9.

If you're assuming things. Why not assume the kids had it under control and the adult, like many of the Hawks here, over reacted?!

BECAUSE THE LAW IN DELAWARE IS 12

It's not "12 unless you're on vacation and the kids are kinda responsible but o shit the dog got out."

PLEASE READ THE LAW BEFORE CLAIMING TO KNOW WHAT IT SAYS.

Q. At what age can I leave my child home alone?
A. While there is no law in Delaware regulating an appropriate age for a child to be left home alone, the Division of Family Services will accept for investigation any report of a child under the age of 12 being left alone. DFS will also accept reports for children age 12 and over if there are any extenuating circumstances (e.g. developmental delays, physical disabilities).

It is best for parents and guardians to take in consideration their child"s comfort level, abilities and overall behavior and to talk to them about potential dangers (fire safety, what to do if someone comes to the door, etc.) before making the decision to leave a child home alone.

That means under 12 is at police and CPS discretion to charge them. Obviously they didn't meet the criteria of level and ability to be alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey peeps. It was NEVER established that her kids ran in front of a car. If yiu are claiming that, you ARE making stuff up. NP btw

According to the police, the dogs ran in front of the car and the kids were trying to get control of them, so presumably they were in the road even if they weren't running in front of cars.

Chances are guy asks where mom is (aka why are your dogs running in traffic and unleashed and why isn't there an adult helping you get them back) and they say oh, she left to get food.

Not surprisingly, as it is nearly dark, there are dogs running in the road, and kids out in the road trying (and failing, it sounds like) to get them back in, with no parent in sight, guy calls the police and rightfully so. Obviously the situation was NOT under control.

There is a lot of presuming and assuming here. And card stacking. 7:30 in the summer is NOT nearly dark. And even so...so what? My kid has been in the street all alone when he goes to play somehere else and he has been left home alone. He is 9.

If you're assuming things. Why not assume the kids had it under control and the adult, like many of the Hawks here, over reacted?!

BECAUSE THE LAW IN DELAWARE IS 12

It's not "12 unless you're on vacation and the kids are kinda responsible but o shit the dog got out."

PLEASE READ THE LAW BEFORE CLAIMING TO KNOW WHAT IT SAYS.

Q. At what age can I leave my child home alone?
A. While there is no law in Delaware regulating an appropriate age for a child to be left home alone, the Division of Family Services will accept for investigation any report of a child under the age of 12 being left alone. DFS will also accept reports for children age 12 and over if there are any extenuating circumstances (e.g. developmental delays, physical disabilities).

It is best for parents and guardians to take in consideration their child"s comfort level, abilities and overall behavior and to talk to them about potential dangers (fire safety, what to do if someone comes to the door, etc.) before making the decision to leave a child home alone.

That means under 12 is at police and CPS discretion to charge them. Obviously they didn't meet the criteria of level and ability to be alone.

Yes, that does NOT mean that leaving a kid under 12 is always illegal. The mom obviously thought they did meet the maturity level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, it is the law in NJ you have to be 18 to drive. Does that mean a licensed 17 year old VA driver can't drive thru NJ? These "laws" do tnky necessarily apply to residents with different legal standards in their home states

That's not the same at all. You have to be 18 to get a NJ license. You have to be a licensed driver to drive in NJ. If you really believe that the age you can leave your kids alone depends on where you live and not where you are, you are more obtuse than can be explained away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey peeps. It was NEVER established that her kids ran in front of a car. If yiu are claiming that, you ARE making stuff up. NP btw

According to the police, the dogs ran in front of the car and the kids were trying to get control of them, so presumably they were in the road even if they weren't running in front of cars.

Chances are guy asks where mom is (aka why are your dogs running in traffic and unleashed and why isn't there an adult helping you get them back) and they say oh, she left to get food.

Not surprisingly, as it is nearly dark, there are dogs running in the road, and kids out in the road trying (and failing, it sounds like) to get them back in, with no parent in sight, guy calls the police and rightfully so. Obviously the situation was NOT under control.

There is a lot of presuming and assuming here. And card stacking. 7:30 in the summer is NOT nearly dark. And even so...so what? My kid has been in the street all alone when he goes to play somehere else and he has been left home alone. He is 9.

If you're assuming things. Why not assume the kids had it under control and the adult, like many of the Hawks here, over reacted?!

BECAUSE THE LAW IN DELAWARE IS 12

It's not "12 unless you're on vacation and the kids are kinda responsible but o shit the dog got out."

PLEASE READ THE LAW BEFORE CLAIMING TO KNOW WHAT IT SAYS.

Q. At what age can I leave my child home alone?
A. While there is no law in Delaware regulating an appropriate age for a child to be left home alone, the Division of Family Services will accept for investigation any report of a child under the age of 12 being left alone. DFS will also accept reports for children age 12 and over if there are any extenuating circumstances (e.g. developmental delays, physical disabilities).

It is best for parents and guardians to take in consideration their child"s comfort level, abilities and overall behavior and to talk to them about potential dangers (fire safety, what to do if someone comes to the door, etc.) before making the decision to leave a child home alone.

That means under 12 is at police and CPS discretion to charge them. Obviously they didn't meet the criteria of level and ability to be alone.

Yes, that does NOT mean that leaving a kid under 12 is always illegal. The mom obviously thought they did meet the maturity level.

Right. But that was a risk she took, because she was wrong. The guidelines clearly state a report will be investigated and parents need to think carefully before leaving kids that young