Anonymous wrote:I don't really think it matters whether kids that age used to be able to walk around on their own in the past. Kids that age used to be able to hold jobs at factories in the past. They did it successfully, much of the time. But society decided that wasn't what most people felt that kids should be doing.

Charles Dickens was working in a factory and living in a boarding house when he was about nine because his dad was in debtors prison. He went on to lead a pretty successful life, so maybe that would be a good route for a lot of kids today. A little self-reliance and independence is a good thing.

I don't really think it matters whether kids that age used to be able to walk around on their own in the past. Kids that age used to be able to hold jobs at factories in the past. They did it successfully, much of the time. But society decided that wasn't what most people felt that kids should be doing.

Anonymous wrote:Big difference between hovering and knowing where your kids are. These parents didn't know where their kids were. They were dropped at the park and were supposed to be home at a certain time. The kids were wandering around SS in the opposite direction from where they live (so they weren't walking home) when the guy called 911. They were within blocks of DC. And their parents never called the police even when the kids had been missing for hours. That's very different from hovering. Honestly, walking your kids to the park and sitting on a bench reading is different than hovering. Hovering would be climbing on the playground equipment.

And the children were apparently sitting in a police car a few blocks from the family home, yet the parents were unable to find them. This is the part that is confusing to me. In my neighborhood, if a parent couldn't find a kid, the neighbors would be out looking. We've had the classic situation in our neighborhood where everyone was out looking for a kid, and he was found asleep somewhere in his own house, but nevertheless, people were out looking. My kids played with other neighbor kids all over our neighborhood, but they knew their boundaries and when they were under about ten or so, they were always in a group and within eyesight of someone's parent.

Is their neighborhood so huge that parents plus neighbors didn't see the kids sitting in a marked police car only blocks from home?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big difference between hovering and knowing where your kids are. These parents didn't know where their kids were. They were dropped at the park and were supposed to be home at a certain time. The kids were wandering around SS in the opposite direction from where they live (so they weren't walking home) when the guy called 911. They were within blocks of DC. And their parents never called the police even when the kids had been missing for hours. That's very different from hovering. Honestly, walking your kids to the park and sitting on a bench reading is different than hovering. Hovering would be climbing on the playground equipment.

About calling the police when the kids did not return home on time, well, the family already knew that involving the police should be an absolute last resort from their prior experiences. Blaming them for not calling the police is a bit much.

Blaming these parents for anything is NOT a bit much. The parents continue to put their kids and themselves in this situation. Baffling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care whether people don't like them, think it is a scam or a set up. The fact is kids should be able to walk to and from locations when parents decide they can. Not the government.

The problem is these are the sand parents who will cry wolf if/when something happens to their kids. That free range garbage will be out the window and they will be crying foul play. Claiming that the government services did not step in/respond.
People who are looking for causes- law suits are committed only insofar as they can stir up trouble in any direction.
Like it or leave it the government steps in a lot in how we rasie our kids. Truancy laws, vaccinations, occupancy restrictions. This is not unprecedented.
My advice: take your kids to SW where we live. There are kids roaming the streets all day/night. And cops don't care. Or- continue to make a selective stink in silver spring. You know- where you can free range with other white kids.

Actually if you take them anywhere but around here you will be fine. We are a military family and this is the only area we have lived where kids walking to a park constitutes neglect. If you check the comments on the msn links, people think we are insane. It is just that people around here that think it is normal.

And no I don't think it is okay for the government to step in on this issue. Make it a federal law across the board if it is that big of a safety issue. Don't allow one area full of paranoid helicopter parents dictate some local CPS to overstep their boundaries. But you realize normal parents would go ape-shit of having to keep their kids supervised every second as ridiculous.

Actually if you take your kids anywhere in MoCo, you are also just fine to let them roam. It's only the Meitivs who seem to keep running into problems. What does that tell you?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big difference between hovering and knowing where your kids are. These parents didn't know where their kids were. They were dropped at the park and were supposed to be home at a certain time. The kids were wandering around SS in the opposite direction from where they live (so they weren't walking home) when the guy called 911. They were within blocks of DC. And their parents never called the police even when the kids had been missing for hours. That's very different from hovering. Honestly, walking your kids to the park and sitting on a bench reading is different than hovering. Hovering would be climbing on the playground equipment.

About calling the police when the kids did not return home on time, well, the family already knew that involving the police should be an absolute last resort from their prior experiences. Blaming them for not calling the police is a bit much.

This is why you should not burn bridges... Even if you have to swallow your pride.

Anonymous wrote:Big difference between hovering and knowing where your kids are. These parents didn't know where their kids were. They were dropped at the park and were supposed to be home at a certain time. The kids were wandering around SS in the opposite direction from where they live (so they weren't walking home) when the guy called 911. They were within blocks of DC. And their parents never called the police even when the kids had been missing for hours. That's very different from hovering. Honestly, walking your kids to the park and sitting on a bench reading is different than hovering. Hovering would be climbing on the playground equipment.

About calling the police when the kids did not return home on time, well, the family already knew that involving the police should be an absolute last resort from their prior experiences. Blaming them for not calling the police is a bit much.

Big difference between hovering and knowing where your kids are. These parents didn't know where their kids were. They were dropped at the park and were supposed to be home at a certain time. The kids were wandering around SS in the opposite direction from where they live (so they weren't walking home) when the guy called 911. They were within blocks of DC. And their parents never called the police even when the kids had been missing for hours. That's very different from hovering. Honestly, walking your kids to the park and sitting on a bench reading is different than hovering. Hovering would be climbing on the playground equipment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care whether people don't like them, think it is a scam or a set up. The fact is kids should be able to walk to and from locations when parents decide they can. Not the government.

The problem is these are the sand parents who will cry wolf if/when something happens to their kids. That free range garbage will be out the window and they will be crying foul play. Claiming that the government services did not step in/respond.
People who are looking for causes- law suits are committed only insofar as they can stir up trouble in any direction.
Like it or leave it the government steps in a lot in how we rasie our kids. Truancy laws, vaccinations, occupancy restrictions. This is not unprecedented.
My advice: take your kids to SW where we live. There are kids roaming the streets all day/night. And cops don't care. Or- continue to make a selective stink in silver spring. You know- where you can free range with other white kids.

THIS RIGHT HERE!

Agree. It's the obvious economic divide.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care whether people don't like them, think it is a scam or a set up. The fact is kids should be able to walk to and from locations when parents decide they can. Not the government.

They are young children and need supervision. As a child, your rights are different and the parents are deliberately neglecting them.

Well I guess my parents neglected me then. I walked home from school everyday starting in K.

Not hovering over kids does not mean neglect.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or could it be that there is actually something wrong with these parents and they are hiding behind the free-range parenting cover?

Ding ding ding!

Abduction is rare, but accidents are not rare. So if it has been years that these parents have been taking chances with their kids roaming around underage, I think it is very likely that they are hiding behind free range parenting.

Did your parents hide behind free-range parenting or was it normal then?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care whether people don't like them, think it is a scam or a set up. The fact is kids should be able to walk to and from locations when parents decide they can. Not the government.

The problem is these are the sand parents who will cry wolf if/when something happens to their kids. That free range garbage will be out the window and they will be crying foul play. Claiming that the government services did not step in/respond.
People who are looking for causes- law suits are committed only insofar as they can stir up trouble in any direction.
Like it or leave it the government steps in a lot in how we rasie our kids. Truancy laws, vaccinations, occupancy restrictions. This is not unprecedented.
My advice: take your kids to SW where we live. There are kids roaming the streets all day/night. And cops don't care. Or- continue to make a selective stink in silver spring. You know- where you can free range with other white kids.

Actually if you take them anywhere but around here you will be fine. We are a military family and this is the only area we have lived where kids walking to a park constitutes neglect. If you check the comments on the msn links, people think we are insane. It is just that people around here that think it is normal.

And no I don't think it is okay for the government to step in on this issue. Make it a federal law across the board if it is that big of a safety issue. Don't allow one area full of paranoid helicopter parents dictate some local CPS to overstep their boundaries. But you realize normal parents would go ape-shit of having to keep their kids supervised every second as ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or could it be that there is actually something wrong with these parents and they are hiding behind the free-range parenting cover?

Ding ding ding!

Abduction is rare, but accidents are not rare. So if it has been years that these parents have been taking chances with their kids roaming around underage, I think it is very likely that they are hiding behind free range parenting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care whether people don't like them, think it is a scam or a set up. The fact is kids should be able to walk to and from locations when parents decide they can. Not the government.

The problem is these are the sand parents who will cry wolf if/when something happens to their kids. That free range garbage will be out the window and they will be crying foul play. Claiming that the government services did not step in/respond.
People who are looking for causes- law suits are committed only insofar as they can stir up trouble in any direction.
Like it or leave it the government steps in a lot in how we rasie our kids. Truancy laws, vaccinations, occupancy restrictions. This is not unprecedented.
My advice: take your kids to SW where we live. There are kids roaming the streets all day/night. And cops don't care. Or- continue to make a selective stink in silver spring. You know- where you can free range with other white kids.

THIS RIGHT HERE!

Anonymous wrote:I don't care whether people don't like them, think it is a scam or a set up. The fact is kids should be able to walk to and from locations when parents decide they can. Not the government.

The problem is these are the sand parents who will cry wolf if/when something happens to their kids. That free range garbage will be out the window and they will be crying foul play. Claiming that the government services did not step in/respond.
People who are looking for causes- law suits are committed only insofar as they can stir up trouble in any direction.
Like it or leave it the government steps in a lot in how we rasie our kids. Truancy laws, vaccinations, occupancy restrictions. This is not unprecedented.
My advice: take your kids to SW where we live. There are kids roaming the streets all day/night. And cops don't care. Or- continue to make a selective stink in silver spring. You know- where you can free range with other white kids.