Free-range kids picked up AGAIN by police

[Anonymous]

No matter how much I wanted to make a point, no matter how right I knew I was, I would never put my kids thru what their kids went thru hat night and I would NEVER risk them being taken away from me, especially after j was put on notice.

I was 100% with the parents the first time it happened, and while I still agree they were within their rights, I would still back down if I were them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Arlington and expecting my first child soon. I find this case disturbing, regardless of the particular situation, but because it made me look up the Arlington County rules.

8 years and under : Should not be left alone for any period of time. This includes leaving children unattended in cars, playgrounds and yards.
9 to 10 years : Should not be left alone for more than 1 ½ hours and only during daylight and early evening hours.
11 to 12 years : May be left alone for up to 3 hours, but not late at night or in circumstances requiring adult supervision.
13 to 15 years : May be left unsupervised, but not overnight.
16 to 17 years : May be left unsupervised for up to two consecutive overnight periods.


Seriously, this is saying a 6 year old cannot EVER be alone, even in your own yard! It makes me anxious just thinking about it! I'm a child of the 90's. As soon as I was capable of riding a bike (at 5) I was allowed to ride to the corner and back. My mom sent me out into the yard ALL THE TIME, pretty much every day. I walked to school which was about 5 blocks starting in first grade (and on weekends to the playground), and now that would be neglect?! I can't believe most of the board is saying that's legitimate neglect and the children deserve to be picked up by CPS to allow young siblings to feel some freedom. To never be out of your parents watchful gaze until your 8 years old seems like a recipe for anxiety and mental health issues to me, and just hatred from your kid. My partner and I really have to think about leaving this damn town if the general consensus here would be we're bad parents and don't deserve children.

I suspect that those who are the most militant in their support for the CPS involvement and cop-callers have some serious skeletons to hide.

Huh? That makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Well I was there too, and it wasn't normal for me or in my area. So it was normal for you, but not normal for all.

When were you there? What year were you 6?

1981

You're too young, then. Things were already changing by the time you were 6.

Very possible, but what's your point? IF the norms have been different from what you're used to this long, then the 40 year olds of today should be completely incapable, right? But that's not what we're seeing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I grew up knowing how quickly bad things can happen and I have used that knowledge in my parenting to balance freedom and supervision to keep my children safe and healthy. I know that we can't protect our kids from any possible harm, but I will do my best to keep from putting them in situations that are beyond their age to handle.

I am certain that the Meitivs are also doing their best to keep from putting their children in situations that are beyond their age to handle. And since the Meitivs know their children, and you don't, there's a good chance that the Meitivs have a better idea of what their children can handle than you do.

My six year old relative was with a group of kids ages 6-10 playing at a park with no adults around. They were playing in a part of the park that an adult would have warned them away from because it was too close to the street. He was hit and his life was changed forever. I have talked to kids who were there when it happened and it truly would not have happened had an adult been there.

I get that kids are different but certain developmental milestones are fairly universal. Six year old children need supervision, and a ten year old is not yet ready for that and it is not fair to a ten year old to bear that responsibility. The kids who were there the day my relative was hit are adults now and they still think about that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Well I was there too, and it wasn't normal for me or in my area. So it was normal for you, but not normal for all.

When were you there? What year were you 6?

1981

You're too young, then. Things were already changing by the time you were 6.

Very possible, but what's your point? IF the norms have been different from what you're used to this long, then the 40 year olds of today should be completely incapable, right? But that's not what we're seeing.

My point is that it did used to be normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I get that kids are different but certain developmental milestones are fairly universal. Six year old children need supervision, and a ten year old is not yet ready for that and it is not fair to a ten year old to bear that responsibility. The kids who were there the day my relative was hit are adults now and they still think about that day.

If developmental milestones are universal, how come different cultures have such very different expectations of children's age-related capabilities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I grew up knowing how quickly bad things can happen and I have used that knowledge in my parenting to balance freedom and supervision to keep my children safe and healthy. I know that we can't protect our kids from any possible harm, but I will do my best to keep from putting them in situations that are beyond their age to handle.

I am certain that the Meitivs are also doing their best to keep from putting their children in situations that are beyond their age to handle. And since the Meitivs know their children, and you don't, there's a good chance that the Meitivs have a better idea of what their children can handle than you do.

You're certain that they're doing that, eh? Why? Do you know them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Those are all reasonable actions for a credible report of neglect, which this was. What you insist on ignoring is that once the poloce received a credible report of neglect there were a series of steps they and CPS were obliged by law to take. How were the police to immediately know these were "free range" kids, as opposed to lost or abandoned? They needed time to figure it out. That is what happens when you insist on doing things that appear to be neglect to some reasonable observers.

But the police didn't receive a credible report of neglect. They received a report of two kids walking along.

As for how were the police to know that the kids weren't lost or abandoned? Like this:

Police: Are you lost?
Kid: No, we're two blocks from home.
Police: Is that where you're going?
Kid: Yes.

Or the police could even put the children in the car and drive them home. That's what they did the last time.

That's not what happened according to the police report. They were stopped by the garage, where they'd been for at least 5 min. It doesn' t take 5 min to walk past a parking garage.

[Anonymous]

I suspect that those who are the most militant in their support for the CPS involvement and cop-callers have some serious skeletons to hide.

Huh? That makes no sense.

Right. I would think a person with skeletons to hide would be the least likely to call CPS or the police!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

That's not what happened according to the police report. They were stopped by the garage, where they'd been for at least 5 min. It doesn' t take 5 min to walk past a parking garage.

That is not what the police report says.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I grew up knowing how quickly bad things can happen and I have used that knowledge in my parenting to balance freedom and supervision to keep my children safe and healthy. I know that we can't protect our kids from any possible harm, but I will do my best to keep from putting them in situations that are beyond their age to handle.

I am certain that the Meitivs are also doing their best to keep from putting their children in situations that are beyond their age to handle. And since the Meitivs know their children, and you don't, there's a good chance that the Meitivs have a better idea of what their children can handle than you do.

No, these parents are putting their kids repeatedly in situations that lead to them being picked up by police and eventually foster care.

CPS is supposed to act in the best interests of the children. Do you think it's in the best interests of the children to be in foster care, just to show the parents that CPS can take the children away if CPS wants to?

I don't see any reason to doubt the children's ability to walk home from the park. I don't think that they're capable of handling CPS and the police, but things are totally messed up if a child has to be capable to handle CPS and the police in order to be able to walk home from the park.

Do you really think that's CPS's motivation? You probably also thing "big pharma" is just tricking us into getting vaccines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

That's not what happened according to the police report. They were stopped by the garage, where they'd been for at least 5 min. It doesn' t take 5 min to walk past a parking garage.

That is not what the police report says.

The police report puts the kids at that garage for at least 5 min. The caller spotted them there and they were still there when the cop got there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I grew up knowing how quickly bad things can happen and I have used that knowledge in my parenting to balance freedom and supervision to keep my children safe and healthy. I know that we can't protect our kids from any possible harm, but I will do my best to keep from putting them in situations that are beyond their age to handle.

I am certain that the Meitivs are also doing their best to keep from putting their children in situations that are beyond their age to handle. And since the Meitivs know their children, and you don't, there's a good chance that the Meitivs have a better idea of what their children can handle than you do.

You're certain that they're doing that, eh? Why? Do you know them?

Have you read interviews with them? They're not just saying, "Oh, what the hell, let's drop the kids off in the woods with bread crumbs in their pockets and let them make their way home, it seems like they ought to be ready for that." They have really thought about these questions systematically. In fact, they've probably thought about them much more than I have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No matter how much I wanted to make a point, no matter how right I knew I was, I would never put my kids thru what their kids went thru hat night and I would NEVER risk them being taken away from me, especially after j was put on notice.

I was 100% with the parents the first time it happened, and while I still agree they were within their rights, I would still back down if I were them.

Totally agree with this comment!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Well I was there too, and it wasn't normal for me or in my area. So it was normal for you, but not normal for all.

When were you there? What year were you 6?

1981

You're too young, then. Things were already changing by the time you were 6.

I'm not these PPs, but I was 6 in 1979, and it was perfectly normal for me and others to walk to school on your own or run around the neighborhood on your own.