Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 08:04     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In general I don't see the issue. However, it sounds like these particular children were not mature enough to understand to stay inside and not be chasing their dogs in the street. Therefore, they were not mature enough to be home alone. Leaving a young child who doesn't understand safety concerns home alone is neglect.


Yes, but the problem is you often don't know that they aren't mature enough until something like this happens. I worked with CPS in a state where leaving kids home is a judgment call and the effective rule ended up being - if nothing happened, the kid was mature enough and it was fine but if something happened, the kid wasn't mature enough and the parents were in trouble.


This is true, but most parents have an idea if their kids are good rule followers or not. If you aren't sure, don't chance it.

I would be more inclined to suspect that the mom did not explicitly tell them they need to stay inside, not let the dogs out, etc.


Kids make mistakes. Sometimes you need to just chalk it up to a kid making a mistake and learning a lesson. Not everything has to result in the parent being punished.


Kids do make mistakes.

When kids are left alone and make mistakes that put their life in danger, yes, there do need to be consequences for the parents.


There is no age when there is no possibility of a child making a mistake. Do you think teenagers should not be left alone? There has to be an age when the benefits outweigh the risks.


No, but if you're doing this in a state where the law says CPS will investigate kids under 12 left home alone, then if your kid is under 12 you should be damn sure they know what they're doing.

Also, there is "making mistakes" and then there is clear foolishness. The vast majority of 8 and 9 year olds know better than to run in traffic, full stop. The fact that they BOTH did not know better speaks to either poor parenting or extreme immaturity. I'm hard pressed to believe they just became so immature that day.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 08:04     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't have made that choice. My 11 year old still isn't home alone and I would hesistate to leave her in a vacation rental for 45 min even if she was used to it at home. She wouldn't know the neighbors if there was an emergency.

However, an arrest was not necessary. I'm sure that traumatized the kids far more than the dogs running into the street while mom was out getting food. A warning should have been enough and they could have had CPS follow up the rest of the week.

As a teacher in MCPS, I'm worried about the potential social impact as the kids as well. I hope their school is on the lookout for ostracism and bullying because their mom's mugshot is on the Internet.


My sense is that not leaving an 11 yo home some occasionally is unusually cautious.


She has ADHD and is impulsive. In 45 min alone, she'd decide to do something dangerous.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 08:00     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In general I don't see the issue. However, it sounds like these particular children were not mature enough to understand to stay inside and not be chasing their dogs in the street. Therefore, they were not mature enough to be home alone. Leaving a young child who doesn't understand safety concerns home alone is neglect.


Yes, but the problem is you often don't know that they aren't mature enough until something like this happens. I worked with CPS in a state where leaving kids home is a judgment call and the effective rule ended up being - if nothing happened, the kid was mature enough and it was fine but if something happened, the kid wasn't mature enough and the parents were in trouble.


This is true, but most parents have an idea if their kids are good rule followers or not. If you aren't sure, don't chance it.

I would be more inclined to suspect that the mom did not explicitly tell them they need to stay inside, not let the dogs out, etc.


Kids make mistakes. Sometimes you need to just chalk it up to a kid making a mistake and learning a lesson. Not everything has to result in the parent being punished.


Kids do make mistakes.

When kids are left alone and make mistakes that put their life in danger, yes, there do need to be consequences for the parents.


There is no age when there is no possibility of a child making a mistake. Do you think teenagers should not be left alone? There has to be an age when the benefits outweigh the risks.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:59     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
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.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:56     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In general I don't see the issue. However, it sounds like these particular children were not mature enough to understand to stay inside and not be chasing their dogs in the street. Therefore, they were not mature enough to be home alone. Leaving a young child who doesn't understand safety concerns home alone is neglect.


Yes, but the problem is you often don't know that they aren't mature enough until something like this happens. I worked with CPS in a state where leaving kids home is a judgment call and the effective rule ended up being - if nothing happened, the kid was mature enough and it was fine but if something happened, the kid wasn't mature enough and the parents were in trouble.


This is true, but most parents have an idea if their kids are good rule followers or not. If you aren't sure, don't chance it.

I would be more inclined to suspect that the mom did not explicitly tell them they need to stay inside, not let the dogs out, etc.


Kids make mistakes. Sometimes you need to just chalk it up to a kid making a mistake and learning a lesson. Not everything has to result in the parent being punished.


Kids do make mistakes.

When kids are left alone and make mistakes that put their life in danger, yes, there do need to be consequences for the parents.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:55     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
Leaving your kids home alone at home where they are in a familiar place and likely know the neighbors and how to get help is very different from leaving them in a rental property in another state. In this case, the kids clearly didn't know how to get help, or what the rules were, and no one who came across them would know their age or who they were or whether they had been left alone for hours or what. Most people who come across strange young children chasing their dogs in the road who then say they are visitors and their mom left them alone nearly an hour ago are going to call the police.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:53     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In general I don't see the issue. However, it sounds like these particular children were not mature enough to understand to stay inside and not be chasing their dogs in the street. Therefore, they were not mature enough to be home alone. Leaving a young child who doesn't understand safety concerns home alone is neglect.


Yes, but the problem is you often don't know that they aren't mature enough until something like this happens. I worked with CPS in a state where leaving kids home is a judgment call and the effective rule ended up being - if nothing happened, the kid was mature enough and it was fine but if something happened, the kid wasn't mature enough and the parents were in trouble.


This is true, but most parents have an idea if their kids are good rule followers or not. If you aren't sure, don't chance it.

I would be more inclined to suspect that the mom did not explicitly tell them they need to stay inside, not let the dogs out, etc.


Kids make mistakes. Sometimes you need to just chalk it up to a kid making a mistake and learning a lesson. Not everything has to result in the parent being punished.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:51     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
And of course no mention of dad...
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:51     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
Anonymous wrote:The arrest was over the top. It is normal parenting to give children that she some freedom and responsibility. Would your parents have been arrested for doing this? No way.!


If I had run out in traffic away from home in a state where the law doesn't allow for children that young to be home alone? Yes, probably.

It IS over the top. However, the mother only has herself to blame. She didn't look into the laws and didn't know/care that her kids could not be trusted to stay inside.

I'm not even clear on why this picking up food ordeal took so long.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:49     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In general I don't see the issue. However, it sounds like these particular children were not mature enough to understand to stay inside and not be chasing their dogs in the street. Therefore, they were not mature enough to be home alone. Leaving a young child who doesn't understand safety concerns home alone is neglect.


Yes, but the problem is you often don't know that they aren't mature enough until something like this happens. I worked with CPS in a state where leaving kids home is a judgment call and the effective rule ended up being - if nothing happened, the kid was mature enough and it was fine but if something happened, the kid wasn't mature enough and the parents were in trouble.


This is true, but most parents have an idea if their kids are good rule followers or not. If you aren't sure, don't chance it.

I would be more inclined to suspect that the mom did not explicitly tell them they need to stay inside, not let the dogs out, etc.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:47     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
The arrest was over the top. It is normal parenting to give children that she some freedom and responsibility. Would your parents have been arrested for doing this? No way.!
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:46     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
Anonymous wrote:In general I don't see the issue. However, it sounds like these particular children were not mature enough to understand to stay inside and not be chasing their dogs in the street. Therefore, they were not mature enough to be home alone. Leaving a young child who doesn't understand safety concerns home alone is neglect.


Yes, but the problem is you often don't know that they aren't mature enough until something like this happens. I worked with CPS in a state where leaving kids home is a judgment call and the effective rule ended up being - if nothing happened, the kid was mature enough and it was fine but if something happened, the kid wasn't mature enough and the parents were in trouble.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:44     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't have made that choice. My 11 year old still isn't home alone and I would hesistate to leave her in a vacation rental for 45 min even if she was used to it at home. She wouldn't know the neighbors if there was an emergency.

However, an arrest was not necessary. I'm sure that traumatized the kids far more than the dogs running into the street while mom was out getting food. A warning should have been enough and they could have had CPS follow up the rest of the week.

As a teacher in MCPS, I'm worried about the potential social impact as the kids as well. I hope their school is on the lookout for ostracism and bullying because their mom's mugshot is on the Internet.


My sense is that not leaving an 11 yo home some occasionally is unusually cautious.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:43     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
In general I don't see the issue. However, it sounds like these particular children were not mature enough to understand to stay inside and not be chasing their dogs in the street. Therefore, they were not mature enough to be home alone. Leaving a young child who doesn't understand safety concerns home alone is neglect.
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2016 07:39     Subject: MoCo Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone at Rehoboth Beach
I wouldn't have made that choice. My 11 year old still isn't home alone and I would hesistate to leave her in a vacation rental for 45 min even if she was used to it at home. She wouldn't know the neighbors if there was an emergency.

However, an arrest was not necessary. I'm sure that traumatized the kids far more than the dogs running into the street while mom was out getting food. A warning should have been enough and they could have had CPS follow up the rest of the week.

As a teacher in MCPS, I'm worried about the potential social impact as the kids as well. I hope their school is on the lookout for ostracism and bullying because their mom's mugshot is on the Internet.