MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FFS. The kids were trying to catch their dog, which was running loose on a relatively quiet residential street. They weren't dofging traffic on Route 1 or playing with matches. And Mom ran out for less than an hour during daylight. She wasn't playing slots or trying to score meth. If the person who called police was so concerned then he could have remained with the kids to ensure their safety. I'm also pretty sure the kids were old enough to know Mom's cell phone number. It was handled led poorly, even if there is some likelihood that Mom didn't react well to the police being called and the situation escalated. So what is the upshot: charges will ptobably be dropped, Mom will have to spend thousands in a lawyer, a vacation was ruined and the children were traumatized do some sort of example could be made of this woman? Ridiculous.

Word. Wish I wasn't too lazy to have written this myself!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hindsight is 20/20. Policing parents like this is a way to teach mothers that their place is in the home.

No, but it "teaches" mothers AND fathers that their priority should be their children--whether in their home or away from home. Good parenting decisions matter.

Curious how old you are. Parents used to feel like they didn't have to be next to their kids constantly. People used to think that kids learning to navigate the world without parents was a part of learning how to grow up.

[Anonymous]

In at least several states, maybe more, children 8 and younger can't be left alone unless someone 13 or older is with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps their cops are bored these days.

Someone called them, so they have to respond. They weren't out looking for it.

[Anonymous]

We're either helicopter parents or neglectful. Can't win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hindsight is 20/20. Policing parents like this is a way to teach mothers that their place is in the home.

No, but it "teaches" mothers AND fathers that their priority should be their children--whether in their home or away from home. Good parenting decisions matter.

Curious how old you are. Parents used to feel like they didn't have to be next to their kids constantly. People used to think that kids learning to navigate the world without parents was a part of learning how to grow up.

I'm a grandmother and grew up in a small town with a lot of freedom, however, our parents would not left us alone in an unfamiliar vacation place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hindsight is 20/20. Policing parents like this is a way to teach mothers that their place is in the home.

Truly one of the stupidest things I have heard on DCUM.

Why? Sounds like you must really have it figured out to judge others so freely. Please be generous and share your wisdom.

Because nothing about expecting a parent to follow the law and not leave kids who can't handle it alone suggests WOMEN need to not work. It suggests that PARENTS need to LITERALLY be home with their kids if they aren't mature enough to be alone.

[Anonymous]

My DD was gifted a vintage Sesame Street book from the 1980s about Grover's first day of school. Grover is depicted walking to the school on his own.

Grover's mom would legit be arrested these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She just went down the street to grab food? Thats terrible she got locked up. I was home alone at that age.

It wasn't just down the street. She was about 5 miles away. They weren't in their own home. Those differences really matter.

This. Were they home and this was a neighbor, none of this probably would have happened. But in this case, the dogs got out for whatever reason, and the kids didn't know what to do so they chased them into traffic. W

The article says only the dogs were in front of a car. Not the kids. My dog is terrible and runs into the street all the time without being chased.
People are really extrapolating here.

It says the driver encountered the kids after the dogs ran out. Surely in a vacation home the dogs aren't just allowed to roam freely unfenced in the yard, so the kids must have let them out. Whether they ran out in the road after them or opened the door to the stranger who brought them back doesn't really matter. There is no scenario in which mom is away, dogs are running wild outside, and kids are dealing with strangers in order to handle the dogs that is OK.

Yeah There is the scenario in which my 9 year old is problem solving and perfectly capable of checking the street for the dogs, who could easy have gotten out through no real fault of the kids. This is just not a big deal.

Okay, explain the scenario in which the dogs open the door and escape into traffic on their own.

But you're right. Mom should have been charged with animal endangerment instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hindsight is 20/20. Policing parents like this is a way to teach mothers that their place is in the home.

Truly one of the stupidest things I have heard on DCUM.

Why? Sounds like you must really have it figured out to judge others so freely. Please be generous and share your wisdom.

Because nothing about expecting a parent to follow the law and not leave kids who can't handle it alone suggests WOMEN need to not work. It suggests that PARENTS need to LITERALLY be home with their kids if they aren't mature enough to be alone.

I feel so sorry for your kids. Sounds like you watch them like a hawk! Do they have to leave the door open while they're in the bathroom?

[Anonymous]

You know those parenting books "Your five year old" etc? We have an old copy from the bookstore and being able to walk 6+ blocks alone is in the "kindergarten readiness checklist".

[Anonymous]

There has been nothing established that shows the kids couldn't handle it. Just that someone else got involved at some point. Whether necessarily or not.

And no, sorry. If my 9 year old is allowed to be left home alone in Virginia, I don't research the laws in every state I go to to make sure that I'm not breaking them. Especially when it comes to Parenting and child care.

And let's be honest. You seriously don't either. You're probably just one of those parents will never leave your kid home alone until they're 21 anyway

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hindsight is 20/20. Policing parents like this is a way to teach mothers that their place is in the home.

No, but it "teaches" mothers AND fathers that their priority should be their children--whether in their home or away from home. Good parenting decisions matter.

Curious how old you are. Parents used to feel like they didn't have to be next to their kids constantly. People used to think that kids learning to navigate the world without parents was a part of learning how to grow up.

Not Pp, but How old are YOU? Because I'm in my 30s and when I was growing up, no one left 8 year olds alone in vacation rentals.

Also, please remember that back in the day when there was less helicoptering, kids learned early on not to let the dogs out in traffic or run in the road. The problem nowadays is that parents helicopter 90% of the time and then expect the kids to be able to figure it out when they throw them out on their own.

[Anonymous]

Here's the thing: the DE police are hardcore. People should understand that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There has been nothing established that shows the kids couldn't handle it. Just that someone else got involved at some point. Whether necessarily or not.

And no, sorry. If my 9 year old is allowed to be left home alone in Virginia, I don't research the laws in every state I go to to make sure that I'm not breaking them. Especially when it comes to Parenting and child care.

And let's be honest. You seriously don't either. You're probably just one of those parents will never leave your kid home alone until they're 21 anyway

I work closely with CPS, so yes, it would absolutely occur to me to make sure I'm not breaking any laws in leaving my kids alone.

If you don't want to, that's perfectly fine, but you don't get to whine about the consequences of YOUR actions.

Stop trying to shift the blame onto the person who found two unattended kids outside and called the police.