Free-range kids picked up AGAIN by police

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so obsessed with this, OP? Do you even have young children?

This is OP. It is the second time I have posted in this thread. I'm not really sure how one would characterize me as "obsessed" simply because I posted a link to article that has been a hot topic not only in the DC metro area, but was picked up by the national news. PP I'd love to hear how posting a link to WaPo article makes me obsessed.

Yes, I have children, ages 9 and 13. I live in a place some on this forum have expressed fear over: the District of Columbia. I've had to figure out how far my own kids would go without their parents. I would not consider myself a free-range parent.

Any other questions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6 is way too young to be without adult supervision.

Maybe for some kids, or even a lot of kids, but definitely not every kid.

No, for every kid. The end.

Six-year-olds used to be capable of being out without adult supervision. Six-year-olds in other countries to this day are capable of being out without adult supervision. Do middle-class people in the US just have particularly incompetent six-year-olds, these days?

When were six-year-olds commonly walking around without adult supervision? Be specific.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s (my experience and my partner's experience). Also in the late 1930s (my parents' experience). Is that specific enough?

No, it's not. In those days, kids moved in packs, did they not? They weren't in pairs in urban settings. Even back in the 1930s or 1960s a 6 yo wandering around alone or with just a slightly older sibling would attract attention. You're romanticizing something that isn't there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

there are 2 laws ... one is a child neglect law... the other is a law on what age children can cross the street without supervision.

Can you link to those laws, please?

My Paralegal fees are very high, not sure you can afford them. If you look at the old thread on this you can find the laws. There are 2 different laws.

Now get out of bed and do something.

[Anonymous]

When th first incident occurred, I figure that the cops who brought them home observed something that wasn't right (dirty home? Boozey parent?) and that's what prompted the follow up investigation. If a neighbor called the cops this time, maybe the neighbor suspects something as well and was just looking for a reason to call the police?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so obsessed with this, OP? Do you even have young children?

This is OP. It is the second time I have posted in this thread. I'm not really sure how one would characterize me as "obsessed" simply because I posted a link to article that has been a hot topic not only in the DC metro area, but was picked up by the national news. PP I'd love to hear how posting a link to WaPo article makes me obsessed.

Yes, I have children, ages 9 and 13. I live in a place some on this forum have expressed fear over: the District of Columbia. I've had to figure out how far my own kids would go without their parents. I would not consider myself a free-range parent.

Any other questions?

Yes. Do you have a life of your own?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The mom has a public Facebook page if you want to follow this:

https://www.facebook.com/author.danielle.meitiv

It's not actually against the law for these kids to be at a park unsupervised, is it?

The sad thing is I think she actually believes she's doing the right thing.

Find another crusade, lady. One that thrusts your children into the limelight like this is beyond the pale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back in the day, this mythical "free range" thing involved kids moving in packs. Safety in numbers, be in a group.

Two siblings rarely played alone at a park, even in the 1970s.

BTW, I lived the 1970s. The fondness for them that is expressed here sometimes if misguided. It wasn't that great.

Total BS. At age 10, I commuted every day to my school BY MYSELF. This included walking, taking a bus and then the tube. I lived in London. NOTHING HAPPENED.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6 is way too young to be without adult supervision.

Maybe for some kids, or even a lot of kids, but definitely not every kid.

No, for every kid. The end.

Six-year-olds used to be capable of being out without adult supervision. Six-year-olds in other countries to this day are capable of being out without adult supervision. Do middle-class people in the US just have particularly incompetent six-year-olds, these days?

When were six-year-olds commonly walking around without adult supervision? Be specific.

Jesus F. Christ, read the huge original thread and there are hundreds of examples of this. Mine was one and I will repeat it here for you: I grew up here, and Chevy Chase, and walked home alone from half-day kindergarten every day starting when I was four.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There is a law. Google it... md case law. Guidelines are written for those that can't/won't understand the law.

Is there a law, or is there case law?

google it

Google what? Case law on unsupervised children? Case law on children walking to the park by themselves?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6 is way too young to be without adult supervision.

Maybe for some kids, or even a lot of kids, but definitely not every kid.

No, for every kid. The end.

Six-year-olds used to be capable of being out without adult supervision. Six-year-olds in other countries to this day are capable of being out without adult supervision. Do middle-class people in the US just have particularly incompetent six-year-olds, these days?

Kids raise in environments like DC tend to be less competent because their parents are involved in every decision they make. Kids (like mine) who were raised in more rural environments are very different. It's not a US thing. It's a helicopter parent thing.

Until they have to drive in DC, then they are helpless.

Each environment renders a child helpless in one way or another, no 1 way is perfect. I am sure my kids will not know how to gather eggs and your kids won't be able to navigate the streets in a city.

Not true at all. We moved to DC when my kids were in high school. They did fine specifically because they had been given the opportunity to develop confidence. It did take them a few weeks to become comfortable driving in the city. They had to learn to navigate the metro. They had to adapt to a busier lifestyle. The point is, they weren't at all afraid to do so because growing up they learned to figure things out on their own without a parent hovering over them all the time.

It's less about the physical location and more about parenting style. The typical DC parent is over-involved in their children's lives, in my opinion. Everything from planning play dates and extra curriculars to constant communication with teachers. I'm not saying I think parents should be uninvolved. However, when you are involved in every decision your children make, you take away the opportunities for them to gain confidence in their own abilities. You unintentionally send a message that you think they are incapable.

Hell, just read the college forum. Most kids across the country (mine included) get into college without the level of parental involvement you read about on this forum. It makes me wonder - Are you planning to help out with the job search? Going with your child on their first day? When something goes wrong, are you going to email their boss?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so obsessed with this, OP? Do you even have young children?

This is OP. It is the second time I have posted in this thread. I'm not really sure how one would characterize me as "obsessed" simply because I posted a link to article that has been a hot topic not only in the DC metro area, but was picked up by the national news. PP I'd love to hear how posting a link to WaPo article makes me obsessed.

Yes, I have children, ages 9 and 13. I live in a place some on this forum have expressed fear over: the District of Columbia. I've had to figure out how far my own kids would go without their parents. I would not consider myself a free-range parent.

Any other questions?

Yes. Do you have a life of your own?

Absolutely! Very rewarding. Do you? I'm sensing some hostility and tension. Perhaps you need a break, PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

In the late 1960s and early 1970s (my experience and my partner's experience). Also in the late 1930s (my parents' experience). Is that specific enough?

No, it's not. In those days, kids moved in packs, did they not? They weren't in pairs in urban settings. Even back in the 1930s or 1960s a 6 yo wandering around alone or with just a slightly older sibling would attract attention. You're romanticizing something that isn't there.

I spent a lot of time wandering around in the 1970s with my brother who was two years older. We didn't attract any attention. I also didn't attract any attention when I walked home from school by myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Back in the day, this mythical "free range" thing involved kids moving in packs. Safety in numbers, be in a group.

Two siblings rarely played alone at a park, even in the 1970s.

BTW, I lived the 1970s. The fondness for them that is expressed here sometimes if misguided. It wasn't that great.

Total BS. At age 10, I commuted every day to my school BY MYSELF. This included walking, taking a bus and then the tube. I lived in London. NOTHING HAPPENED.

But, PP, what if something had happened? What if adults had had to stop and help you? That would have been intolerable for them, and a huge presumption on the part of your radical and anti-social parents! -- or so I've learned on this thread.

[Anonymous]

You know what? As stated several times in this thread, it is crazy that these parents are so arrogant that they think their community's standards as enforced by CPS and the police and the neighbor who called, simply don't apply to them.

I was a free range kid and honestly, it wasn't always peachy. We played in construction sites, with rusty nails, occasionally did other nasty things kids do.

Has our society gone too far in mandating constant parental supervision? Yes. Do I get to unilaterally decide that the rules don't apply to me. No, I don't. If these parents were poor, the kids would have been in foster care weeks ago.

Also, I have a friend of a friend who lives in the neighborhood. Walking to the park alone isn't the only possibly unsafe thing that these kids did alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scenario: 6 yo falls off the monkey bars and breaks his arm. What will the 10 yo do?

Call for help, presumably. What do you think?

Walk her home? Same thing I would do if I were with her.