Free-range kids picked up AGAIN by police

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You don't make laws based on the one six year old who can do it. You have to draw the line somewhere at a reasonably safe age.

Which law makes it illegal for a six-year-old to cross a street without an adult?

[Anonymous]

To all the posters that say "I walked x miles and crossed x streets alone when I was age X and survived, so it's ok for kids today to do it." Consider this:

The kids that didn't survive aren't here to present the other view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why didn't the kids speak up and demand to call their parents? Why come the kids didn't fight back, run off, refuse to go, use their cell phone to immediately call their parents? What happened to the mature, knows what to do even In a frightening situation 10 yr old?

Imagine now it wasn't the police who came along and took the kids.

Clearly the 10 yr old and 6 yr old aren't equipped to deal with situations like the parents believed.

Yeah, blame the kids. This is Big Government run amok. And yet MCPS will say it can't support the school budget. Is CPS state-wide or under MOCo?

Don't be silly. No ones blaming the kids. We're saying the parents put the kids in a situation they weren't ready to handle. Totally the parents' fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whatever.

+1 Everyone was doing what they thought was right.

I have no interest into getting into another long thread about this again. OP just wants to find fault. Boring.

I'm not the OP, and I want to find fault. You know all those worries about kids being abducted by strangers? For these kids, that worry became reality yesterday, thanks to a busybody neighbor.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/28783266/free-range-kids

What? They weren't abducted. These parents care more about publicity and ideology than their kids.

PP, read the post. They walked to their neighborhood park and a neighbor saw them and called the police. This is ridiculous!

You need to read all the comments. This was not a "neighborhood park" - it was an urban park, in a dangerous traffic area, blocks away from a gang hangout spot. The "neighbor" likely was just a concerned citizen, not somebody who knew the kids or parents.

Are you saying that the DC urban area isn't a safe place for kids?

If so, how do you justify raising your kids here if it's that dangerous?

And if you are advocating parental supervision to "make it safe" - how exactly?

What's your plan?

Call 911 and hope for the best?

Make a cell phone video of the kidnappers car driving away with your kids inside?

Karate-chop the attacker?

You seem awefully judgemental for a willing DC parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You don't make laws based on the one six year old who can do it. You have to draw the line somewhere at a reasonably safe age.

Which law makes it illegal for a six-year-old to cross a street without an adult?

This has already been answered a zillion times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would the police even pick up the Kids? I'd laugh at the person who called. You'd think they have more important issues to deal with.

Except that sometimes you see kids alone that truly are being NEGLECTED. Hey, I send my kid down the street to the playground without adult supervision, however if I was approached by the police and/or CPS and they had an issue with it, I WOULD STOP. Would I agree, not necessarily, however that is my issue to fight, not my kids who would be the ones caught in the middle. I can move, I can lobby to change the laws and/or ordinances. I can write to my council person, governor, the President. However, I am not going to take the chance that my kids would be put in the system because I have a philosophical difference with the authorities. That is just stupid, and for that reason alone I think the parents are demonstrating PISS POOR judgement.
Not only that, but I would rather a neighbor was looking out, noticing if kids could possibly be in danger, than for something happen to a kid and everyone stood around MYOB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To all the posters that say "I walked x miles and crossed x streets alone when I was age X and survived, so it's ok for kids today to do it." Consider this:

The kids that didn't survive aren't here to present the other view.

Think about that every time you get on plane/train and especially when you put your kid in a car which is dangerous!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whatever.

+1 Everyone was doing what they thought was right.

I have no interest into getting into another long thread about this again. OP just wants to find fault. Boring.

I'm not the OP, and I want to find fault. You know all those worries about kids being abducted by strangers? For these kids, that worry became reality yesterday, thanks to a busybody neighbor.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/28783266/free-range-kids

What? They weren't abducted. These parents care more about publicity and ideology than their kids.

PP, read the post. They walked to their neighborhood park and a neighbor saw them and called the police. This is ridiculous!

You need to read all the comments. This was not a "neighborhood park" - it was an urban park, in a dangerous traffic area, blocks away from a gang hangout spot. The "neighbor" likely was just a concerned citizen, not somebody who knew the kids or parents.

Are you saying that the DC urban area isn't a safe place for kids?

If so, how do you justify raising your kids here if it's that dangerous?

And if you are advocating parental supervision to "make it safe" - how exactly?

What's your plan?

Call 911 and hope for the best?

Make a cell phone video of the kidnappers car driving away with your kids inside?

Karate-chop the attacker?

You seem awefully judgemental for a willing DC parent.

Do you honestly not get that a kid is safer with a parent/caretaker adult present than alone? Really that obtuse? Here's a simple one for you. I am comfortable walking along H street downtown with my 6 year old. I would not have her walk along H street downtown alone. Why? Because she is safer with me there. But if you're this dumb, maybe your kid is safer alone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To all the posters that say "I walked x miles and crossed x streets alone when I was age X and survived, so it's ok for kids today to do it." Consider this:

The kids that didn't survive aren't here to present the other view.

Think about that every time you get on plane/train and especially when you put your kid in a car which is dangerous!

Yep. That's why we use car seats. Kids used to not do that either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why didn't the kids speak up and demand to call their parents? Why come the kids didn't fight back, run off, refuse to go, use their cell phone to immediately call their parents? What happened to the mature, knows what to do even In a frightening situation 10 yr old?

Imagine now it wasn't the police who came along and took the kids.

Clearly the 10 yr old and 6 yr old aren't equipped to deal with situations like the parents believed.

Yeah, blame the kids. This is Big Government run amok. And yet MCPS will say it can't support the school budget. Is CPS state-wide or under MOCo?

Don't be silly. No ones blaming the kids. We're saying the parents put the kids in a situation they weren't ready to handle. Totally the parents' fault.

How do you know that the kids weren't ready to handle it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You don't make laws based on the one six year old who can do it. You have to draw the line somewhere at a reasonably safe age.

Which law makes it illegal for a six-year-old to cross a street without an adult?

This has already been answered a zillion times.

No, it hasn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To all the posters that say "I walked x miles and crossed x streets alone when I was age X and survived, so it's ok for kids today to do it." Consider this:

The kids that didn't survive aren't here to present the other view.

Think about that every time you get on plane/train and especially when you put your kid in a car which is dangerous!

Yep. That's why we use car seats. Kids used to not do that either.

Kids in car seats die too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would the police even pick up the Kids? I'd laugh at the person who called. You'd think they have more important issues to deal with.

Except that sometimes you see kids alone that truly are being NEGLECTED. Hey, I send my kid down the street to the playground without adult supervision, however if I was approached by the police and/or CPS and they had an issue with it, I WOULD STOP. Would I agree, not necessarily, however that is my issue to fight, not my kids who would be the ones caught in the middle. I can move, I can lobby to change the laws and/or ordinances. I can write to my council person, governor, the President. However, I am not going to take the chance that my kids would be put in the system because I have a philosophical difference with the authorities. That is just stupid, and for that reason alone I think the parents are demonstrating PISS POOR judgement.
Not only that, but I would rather a neighbor was looking out, noticing if kids could possibly be in danger, than for something happen to a kid and everyone stood around MYOB.

plus a million. The people blaming CPS here are the same ones who would blame them if the blew off the neghbor's call and then the kids got kidnapped. Why does everyone assume these people are good parents? Because they're wealthy and white?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would the police even pick up the Kids? I'd laugh at the person who called. You'd think they have more important issues to deal with.

Except that sometimes you see kids alone that truly are being NEGLECTED. Hey, I send my kid down the street to the playground without adult supervision, however if I was approached by the police and/or CPS and they had an issue with it, I WOULD STOP. Would I agree, not necessarily, however that is my issue to fight, not my kids who would be the ones caught in the middle. I can move, I can lobby to change the laws and/or ordinances. I can write to my council person, governor, the President. However, I am not going to take the chance that my kids would be put in the system because I have a philosophical difference with the authorities. That is just stupid, and for that reason alone I think the parents are demonstrating PISS POOR judgement.
Not only that, but I would rather a neighbor was looking out, noticing if kids could possibly be in danger, than for something happen to a kid and everyone stood around MYOB.

The neighbor didn't look out for the kids. The neighbor called the police.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To all the posters that say "I walked x miles and crossed x streets alone when I was age X and survived, so it's ok for kids today to do it." Consider this:

The kids that didn't survive aren't here to present the other view.

Think about that every time you get on plane/train and especially when you put your kid in a car which is dangerous!

Yep. That's why we use car seats. Kids used to not do that either.

Kids in car seats die too.

Wow you must be an idiot. So do you reject car seats too?