Free-range parents cited but not charged

[Anonymous]

Were the parents too busy to supervise their kids? I am all for independence but a 10 yr shouldn't be watching a 6yo.

[Anonymous]

I would not let my children walk that far without adult supervision and I do not prescribe to this Free Range trend, however I am outraged that these parents were harassed for their thoughtful and deliberate parenting.

The police and CPS have far worse cases to focus on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Were the parents too busy to supervise their kids? I am all for independence but a 10 yr shouldn't be watching a 6yo.

No, they put a lot of thought into teaching their children early independence. It's part of their "Free Range Kids" philosophy (of the eponymous book). I don't agree with it, but feel that if their kids have been trained to cross roads, react appropriately to strangers, etc, then they are in fact safer than if it was a true case of neglect and just dumping the kids spontaneously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.wjla.com/articles/2015/03/silver-spring-parents-charged-with-child-neglect-for-allowing-kids-to-walk-home-alone-112094.html

What a crazy world we live in. Statistics show the world is safer but yet government now has to decide when we as parents can let them have some independence. My 11yr old goes up to the park all the time with my 5yr old. I would be PISSED off if a cop stopped them and someone threatened my kids had to go to foster care while they investigate me.

I wouldn't be pissed off if a well intended law enforcement officer stopped and asked if they were OK, etc. Once it became clear that the kids are used to handling this responsibility (as they have been doing it for a while) it probably should rightly end there. The rest is kind of insane, IMO. But at the same time I keep getting the feeling that these parents are reveling in the attention so that they can soapbox their "cause", you know, the oppressed cause of affluent white children walking in affluent (or relatively so) neighborhoods unfettered so as to prove the superiority of parenting philosophies with strong online followings.

This is my point right here!!!!!!! It's ridiculous, they are not fighting for the rights of abused children -- just tell the cops you won't do it, find another way to teach independence, the world does not stop spinning on its axis because your brats cannot walk unsupervised down GA. ave!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As noted above, the way the parents have revelled in the media attention without any evident concern for how all that attention might affect the kids demonstrates they are unfit parents.

Lots of parents do things I wouldn't do. That doesn't make them unfit parents.

These parents are sticking to their principles, and there is a lot to admire about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As noted above, the way the parents have revelled in the media attention without any evident concern for how all that attention might affect the kids demonstrates they are unfit parents.

Lots of parents do things I wouldn't do. That doesn't make them unfit parents.

These parents are sticking to their principles, and there is a lot to admire about that.

No really it is not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As noted above, the way the parents have revelled in the media attention without any evident concern for how all that attention might affect the kids demonstrates they are unfit parents.

Lots of parents do things I wouldn't do. That doesn't make them unfit parents.

These parents are sticking to their principles, and there is a lot to admire about that.

Sticking to your principles is saying, 'hey we think this law is antiquated and ineffective, I'm going to lobby to change the law. In the meantime, I'm going to obey the law as it is, and find another way to foster independence and maturity in my kids. The emotional and finacial cost of legal wrangling and public/media exposure is not worth it to my family if no one is being harmed or abused." These people are not fighting to give their dying children to receive experimental treatment or medicine, they are not fighting to overturn an illegal adoption. They are not fighting to establish Amber Alerts. These people are making a big deal out of their kids not being able to walk down GA by themselves. There is more than one way to skin a cat, but these folks are using very little judgement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As noted above, the way the parents have revelled in the media attention without any evident concern for how all that attention might affect the kids demonstrates they are unfit parents.

Lots of parents do things I wouldn't do. That doesn't make them unfit parents.

These parents are sticking to their principles, and there is a lot to admire about that.

Sticking to your principles is saying, 'hey we think this law is antiquated and ineffective, I'm going to lobby to change the law. In the meantime, I'm going to obey the law as it is, and find another way to foster independence and maturity in my kids. The emotional and finacial cost of legal wrangling and public/media exposure is not worth it to my family if no one is being harmed or abused." These people are not fighting to give their dying children to receive experimental treatment or medicine, they are not fighting to overturn an illegal adoption. They are not fighting to establish Amber Alerts. These people are making a big deal out of their kids not being able to walk down GA by themselves. There is more than one way to skin a cat, but these folks are using very little judgement.

Exactly, and there is more than one way to stick to your principles.

As it happens, I think that they've been extremely effective in publicizing the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As noted above, the way the parents have revelled in the media attention without any evident concern for how all that attention might affect the kids demonstrates they are unfit parents.

Lots of parents do things I wouldn't do. That doesn't make them unfit parents.

These parents are sticking to their principles, and there is a lot to admire about that.

Sticking to your principles is saying, 'hey we think this law is antiquated and ineffective, I'm going to lobby to change the law. In the meantime, I'm going to obey the law as it is, and find another way to foster independence and maturity in my kids. The emotional and finacial cost of legal wrangling and public/media exposure is not worth it to my family if no one is being harmed or abused." These people are not fighting to give their dying children to receive experimental treatment or medicine, they are not fighting to overturn an illegal adoption. They are not fighting to establish Amber Alerts. These people are making a big deal out of their kids not being able to walk down GA by themselves. There is more than one way to skin a cat, but these folks are using very little judgement.

Exactly, and there is more than one way to stick to your principles.

As it happens, I think that they've been extremely effective in publicizing the issue.

More than one way to see it I guess, to me they have been effective in publicizing themselves, not the issue. Especially, since all I think when I see them is , 'what idiots', not 'hmm maybe they have a solid idea and the laws may need changing, tweaking, re-examining'.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As noted above, the way the parents have revelled in the media attention without any evident concern for how all that attention might affect the kids demonstrates they are unfit parents.

Lots of parents do things I wouldn't do. That doesn't make them unfit parents.

These parents are sticking to their principles, and there is a lot to admire about that.

Sticking to your principles is saying, 'hey we think this law is antiquated and ineffective, I'm going to lobby to change the law. In the meantime, I'm going to obey the law as it is, and find another way to foster independence and maturity in my kids. The emotional and finacial cost of legal wrangling and public/media exposure is not worth it to my family if no one is being harmed or abused." These people are not fighting to give their dying children to receive experimental treatment or medicine, they are not fighting to overturn an illegal adoption. They are not fighting to establish Amber Alerts. These people are making a big deal out of their kids not being able to walk down GA by themselves. There is more than one way to skin a cat, but these folks are using very little judgement.

Exactly, and there is more than one way to stick to your principles.

As it happens, I think that they've been extremely effective in publicizing the issue.

More than one way to see it I guess, to me they have been effective in publicizing themselves, not the issue. Especially, since all I think when I see them is , 'what idiots', not 'hmm maybe they have a solid idea and the laws may need changing, tweaking, re-examining'.

And IMO all this publicity is just telling the perverts out there about vulnerable, unsupervised kids. It seems very stupid to me. Oh yeah and exactly where to find these children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And IMO all this publicity is just telling the perverts out there about vulnerable, unsupervised kids. It seems very stupid to me. Oh yeah and exactly where to find these children.

I don't think that "the perverts out there" need the media to tell them where to find potential victims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As noted above, the way the parents have revelled in the media attention without any evident concern for how all that attention might affect the kids demonstrates they are unfit parents.

Lots of parents do things I wouldn't do. That doesn't make them unfit parents.

These parents are sticking to their principles, and there is a lot to admire about that.

Sticking to your principles is saying, 'hey we think this law is antiquated and ineffective, I'm going to lobby to change the law. In the meantime, I'm going to obey the law as it is, and find another way to foster independence and maturity in my kids. The emotional and finacial cost of legal wrangling and public/media exposure is not worth it to my family if no one is being harmed or abused." These people are not fighting to give their dying children to receive experimental treatment or medicine, they are not fighting to overturn an illegal adoption. They are not fighting to establish Amber Alerts. These people are making a big deal out of their kids not being able to walk down GA by themselves. There is more than one way to skin a cat, but these folks are using very little judgement.

Exactly, and there is more than one way to stick to your principles.

As it happens, I think that they've been extremely effective in publicizing the issue.

+100000
More than one way to see it I guess, to me they have been effective in publicizing themselves, not the issue. Especially, since all I think when I see them is , 'what idiots', not 'hmm maybe they have a solid idea and the laws may need changing, tweaking, re-examining'.

And IMO all this publicity is just telling the perverts out there about vulnerable, unsupervised kids. It seems very stupid to me. Oh yeah and exactly where to find these children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Were the parents too busy to supervise their kids? I am all for independence but a 10 yr shouldn't be watching a 6yo.

No, they put a lot of thought into teaching their children early independence. It's part of their "Free Range Kids" philosophy (of the eponymous book). I don't agree with it, but feel that if their kids have been trained to cross roads, react appropriately to strangers, etc, then they are in fact safer than if it was a true case of neglect and just dumping the kids spontaneously.

I wish this expression had never been coined. The term "free range parenting" connotes that other, non-free-range parenting (helicopter parenting? hands-on parenting?) is the standard, and that "free-range" is a deviation from that. That it is strange or weird or somehow deviant.

In my 20910/downtown Silver Spring world, the choice these parents made (I won't use the above term) constitutes plain-vanilla "parenting." Full-stop. My own children have walked Georgia Avenue many times, unsupervised. They didn't do so at those ages, but it doesn't shock me to think that children those age would - I routinely sent my boys to the barber shop on Georgia with money for a haircut, unsupervised and with money in their pockets. At 11, my son would ride his bike to the comics shop on Fenton (not far from Georgia) to spend his allowance. No need for us to go along.

I myself did exactly what these children do as a child. At 6, I was riding my bike to the library to check out books. At 10, I was riding a bus to dance lessons with my best friend, and buying an ice cream on our way home.

These sorts of small freedoms lay the groundwork for confidence and competence. A child who is unaccustomed to navigating the world becomes a teen and later adult who has troubles with this as well. A child who never has to develop resourcefulness becomes an adult who has trouble solving problems. If we as parents do not give our children the opportunities they need to develop these skills, then no one else will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not the best area? What intersection did they actually cross? And which park were they going to? I live close to this area. There is no crossing along Georgia near downtown SS that is dangerous from a mugging perspective. Except maybe late at night with no one around, and that can be true anywhere.

New PP who works in downtown SS and lived here previously. I would not worry about muggings. I would worry--a lot--about traffic in this area. To say drivers are inconsiderate is putting it mildly. I'd be afraid they would not even see that 6-year-old.

I don't think the law should have gotten involved. I do think the parents are dumb to have let them navigate these particular streets. And I get really, really irritated when this story is reprinted elsewhere accompanied by a stock photo of a kid with his backpack, strolling down a sylvan pathway free of cars. That's not the terrain these kids were on.

You do realize in NYC kids in 3rd grade and up walk to the subway and then take the subway to school. Kids 2nd grade and under get a free subway pass for mom/dad/caregiver. But somehow they manage it just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.wjla.com/articles/2015/03/silver-spring-parents-charged-with-child-neglect-for-allowing-kids-to-walk-home-alone-112094.html

What a crazy world we live in. Statistics show the world is safer but yet government now has to decide when we as parents can let them have some independence. My 11yr old goes up to the park all the time with my 5yr old. I would be PISSED off if a cop stopped them and someone threatened my kids had to go to foster care while they investigate me.

We did this thread already.

Personally I think those parents are idiots. Who lets small children walk home alone down Georgia Avenue? Crossing major intersections? No.