Maryland 'Free Range' Kids: The Police Timeline of Events

[Not a Tailor 1,370]

http://juliasteiny.com/2012/07/19/tranger-danger-is-a-uniquely-american-insanity/

I was so unclear. I meant the version I got from my grandmother, which was 'if something doesn't feel right about a situation, it is okay to lie and walk away, no matter who it is.' basically, trust your gut and it's okay to lie to protect yourself. Even if the 'stranger' is your teacher.

[decocker 7,198]

I've gone though this thread - i appreciate you sharing your stories. I know they can't be easy to share.

On the xbox thing: This confounded me - I would come home from work to find my windows all covered with tinfoil and network cables snaking everywhere. I say xbox, they were actually networked PCs. I think my home was selected because I was the only single father in the neighborhood so they figured I would put up with the mess. In my state a person can get a driver license at 14 though for night driving you need to be 16. I had to push my son when he was 17 to get his license and he had a car that had been sitting in the garage for nearly two years that he had never driven.. He just felt no want or need. I would have been licensed the first day it was possible - totally different priorities in youth these days.

my son says he never wants to move out. i don't get it but i guess i haven't made living with me insufferable enough yet.

I was so unclear. I meant the version I got from my grandmother, which was 'if something doesn't feel right about a situation, it is okay to lie and walk away, no matter who it is.' basically, trust your gut and it's okay to lie to protect yourself. Even if the 'stranger' is your teacher.

ah, now that i can get on board with. my son and i refer to it as the gut check, learning to use your instinct. and i have focused on honing that skill because it is the most useful to him. learning/teaching to gut check and being as truthful as possible about consequences with my kid has probably been the only thing i've really stuck to in parenting.

[Dakine10 5,452]

The kids are 6 and 10. State law says kids younger than 8 must be in the care of someone 13 or older. Pretty straight forward.

I'm not sure what age limits should be, or even if age is the most important criteria, but picking a battle with CPS over it is not the smartest move. They got a warning. They should have listened.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Dakine10

[shippingforecast 126]

I can tell you unequivocally the opposite is true here. I managed a team of people that were the first response to child abuse allegations. It was virtually impossible to place children in removal proceedings - and we're talking severe neglect cases. I'll never forget one that came through where the floor of the house was covered in dog ####### and litter, no food in the pantry, no heating, the bed was just a thin mattress on the floor... And still the child wasn't removed. It was amazing on the occasion when I felt like we made a difference, but part of me is relieved I'm done with that now.

[decocker 7,198]

I can tell you unequivocally the opposite is true here. I managed a team of people that were the first response to child abuse allegations. It was virtually impossible to place children in removal proceedings - and we're talking severe neglect cases. I'll never forget one that came through where the floor of the house was covered in dog ####### and litter, no food in the pantry, no heating, the bed was just a thin mattress on the floor... And still the child wasn't removed. It was amazing on the occasion when I felt like we made a difference, but part of me is relieved I'm done with that now.

that's what's troubling about this story to me, that the kids were taken and the parents weren't aware of it for hours. there are soooo many kids that live in complete squalor with drug addicted parents, etc. but parents who make a deliberate decision to approach parenting with the children's best interest at heart are taken. it's probably a personal grudge now, between md state and the parents and really has nothing to do with the best interest of the kids.

[Dakine10 5,452]

that's what's troubling about this story to me, that the kids were taken and the parents weren't aware of it for hours. there are soooo many kids that live in complete squalor with drug addicted parents, etc. but parents who make a deliberate decision to approach parenting with the children's best interest at heart are taken. it's probably a personal grudge now, between md state and the parents and really has nothing to do with the best interest of the kids.

I'd say there's at least one more factor involved - someone called CPS. I wonder if it's someone with a grudge or someone who saw something that caused concern.

[decocker 7,198]

I'd say there's at least one more factor involved - someone called CPS. I wonder if it's someone with a grudge or someone who saw something that caused concern.

yeah, i should have said md cps, not md state.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

I'd say there's at least one more factor involved - someone called CPS. I wonder if it's someone with a grudge or someone who saw something that caused concern.

My money would be on over protective parent - two parties on opposite sides of the spectrum as far as parenting goes.

In 43 states the ages of the children wold not have been an issue.

There is a ten minute interview with the parents (before the latest episode). I could not get it to imbed here - but it is at the top of this page and runs about 10 minutes. I think it is a very interesting listen: http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/03/09/free-range-parenting-meitiv

Edited April 16, 2015 by OnMyWayID

[rlogan 2,036]

The new American tyranny over children is a lot broader in scope. We were investigated by Child Protective Services for teaching our child to walk "too early".

We were following peer-reviewed, published early infant learning science journal articles that explained the key to explosive early intellectual development was getting them started early on locomotor development. They start swimming lessons at three weeks old, and walking exercises at one month. We had a blog and were showing films of our happy child doing the things we learned in this literature.

People were thrilled to call Child Protective Services, hoping they could have him taken from us, and CPS was more than happy to oblige. Were it not for our pediatrician, who knew exactly what we were doing, they would have taken him from us. When they arrived, they had a paddy wagon to take me to jail, and were hoping to get my wife to say she was "forced" by me to do what we read these scientists recommending.

We dropped the blog and don't talk about everything we are doing now because we have learned how malicious people are - how they love terrorizing people in the name of the children. But our boy just passed his 7th grade reading test, and he's not even old enough for kindergarten yet.

[Dakine10 5,452]

My money would be on over protective parent - two parties on opposite sides of the spectrum as far as parenting goes.

In 43 states the ages of the children wold not have been an issue.

There is a ten minute interview with the parents (before the latest episode). I could not get it to imbed here - but it is at the top of this page and runs about 10 minutes. I think it is a very interesting listen: http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/03/09/free-range-parenting-meitiv

It does seem to be the issue is that they got on the wrong side of CPS and now it's a head butting contest. The link says they do consider more than age in Maryland so hopefully they talk to the kids and take everything into account.

I didn't send my kids out alone at that age, not so much because they couldn't handle it as we just seem to have a lot of weirdo's around here. My daughter walked home from school at 10, which was about 8 blocks. The law here doesn't have age guidelines for kids being alone but I'm not sure that makes it any easier. They suggest the relative age of the kids and the kids maturity and comfort level are more important, and also the amount of time they are alone.

[Sinister 0]

That crazy letting your kids walk to school alone.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

That crazy letting your kids walk to school alone.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

It does seem to be the issue is that they got on the wrong side of CPS and now it's a head butting contest. The link says they do consider more than age in Maryland so hopefully they talk to the kids and take everything into account.

I didn't send my kids out alone at that age, not so much because they couldn't handle it as we just seem to have a lot of weirdo's around here. My daughter walked home from school at 10, which was about 8 blocks. The law here doesn't have age guidelines for kids being alone but I'm not sure that makes it any easier. They suggest the relative age of the kids and the kids maturity and comfort level are more important, and also the amount of time they are alone.

Yeah I think you are right..

On that second paragraph.. If I pull up the sex offender map and look at all the red dots with a square mile of my home.. It feels like ever neighbor is a registered sex offender.

[decocker 7,198]

Yeah I think you are right..

On that second paragraph.. If I pull up the sex offender map and look at all the red dots with a square mile of my home.. It feels like ever neighbor is a registered sex offender.

thing is, if you really look into the offenses (i don't know if you can do that in all states, but in virginia you can) you can really narrow down who is a legit threat and who isn't. there are way too many people on the sex offender registry that should not (and too many that should be on the list, but aren't). anyway public urination can land you on the list. an 18 who knocks up his 16 year old girlfriend -and the girl's parents turn against him, sex offender.

[rlogan 2,036]

That crazy letting your kids walk to school alone.

No, what is crazy is infantilizing children instead of empowering them with knowledge and responsibility, while at the same time diverting police, court, and social service resources into tyrannizing ordinary families rather than fighting legitimate social problems.

What is crazy is in one generation having ordinary parenting turned into crimes and the ever-growing threat from CPS and police taking your children for things nobody would have dreamed of a generation ago.

It is not an exaggeration at all. Consider asking anyone from my parents' generation if they believed a parent could be jailed for their children walking to school. Or even that they would be criticized for it. These laws are not based on any rational weighing of risks nor priorities in social problems regarding children. We are a nation not just of nitwits now, but malicious nitwits that lead the world in jailing of our own citizens.

Edited April 18, 2015 by rlogan