‘Free-range’ parents plan to file lawsuit after police pick up children

[Krolikn]

Maybe they would rather their kids get hurt. The sign of a great parent is looking to make a headline and a quick buck.

[Flutterguy]

Yep. Like a lot of kids, I had to walk a couple miles home from school each day, and then I was on my own for an hour or more before my parents got home from work.

And in all those years, I only got molested by filthy hobos twice. Kids these days are just too soft.

I used to ride 4 miles to my middle school on a bike.. With NO helmet on!

[Rhine101]

Let the kids roam. If "free range " kids get kidnapped arrest the parents.

I feel bad for the kids, but you can't save everyone. There should be a test required to have kids.

[Sickjen]

The Meitivs’ children were picked up by police as they walked home from Ellsworth Park at 5 p.m. Sunday. Their parents had expected them home by 6 p.m.

I would be pretty sketchy if a 10 year old and 6 year old where walking around by themselves at 5 pm i don't care what the parents have to say or there lifestyle it's dangerous.

Danielle Meitiv said they frantically searched for Rafi, 10, and Dvora, 6, before being notified at 8 p.m. that CPS had the children.

What if they got picked up by someone other then the cops how frantic do you think they would be then?

[Rhine101]

I would be pretty sketchy if a 10 year old and 6 year old where walking around by themselves at 5 pm i don't care what the parents have to say or there lifestyle it's dangerous.




What if they got picked up by someone other then the cops how frantic do you think they would be then?

I'm sure they would still blame someone else ( police) and then sue anyway. Not even trying to be funny. Some people have no concept of personal accountability

[Deleted]

so many people in the thread who are, I'm afraid, the problem. After you swallowed that fearmongering BS hook line and sinker, you actually believe it.

Back when I was that age (around 1991), there were also evil peterfiles, maybe even more than now. And yet, I managed to go through my childhood unmolested.
I didn't live in the boonies, either. my city had close to 1mil. people in it, though I have to admit I lived in the outskirts and not smack dab in the city center.

I still remember the first time I was out unsupervised. My mom handed me her watch and tought me how to read it (it was an analog one) and when to be home.
I was mighty proud of myself when I managed to come home on time (and with my oral and anal virginity intact to boot)

Also, being home by 6am (for dinner) isn't an outragous request for the kids. What IS outragous that the police kept them past dinnertime and past bedtime, without food.

Someone SHOULD be charged with child neglect, and it's NOT the parents.

[Rhine101]

so many people in the thread who are, I'm afraid, the problem. After you swallowed that fearmongering BS hook line and sinker, you actually believe it.

Back when I was that age (around 1991), there were also evil peterfiles, maybe even more than now. And yet, I managed to go through my childhood unmolested.
I didn't live in the boonies, either. my city had close to 1mil. people in it, though I have to admit I lived in the outskirts and not smack dab in the city center.

I still remember the first time I was out unsupervised. My mom handed me her watch and tought me how to read it (it was an analog one) and when to be home.
I was mighty proud of myself when I managed to come home on time (and with my oral and anal virginity intact to boot)

Also, being home by 6am (for dinner) isn't an outragous request for the kids. What IS outragous that the police kept them past dinnertime and past bedtime, without food.

Someone SHOULD be charged with child neglect, and it's NOT the parents.

It's not that it's likely. It's just that as a parent, if your 6 year old gets snatched up because you were too lazy to go with them to the park you really should feel like shit.

Going to school in the morning I get. But on a weekend afternoon? Really? If your kids get hurt and you can honestly say there is reasonably not much more you could have done to prevent it then sure that sucks. But if all you had to do was get off your ass and simply walk someplace on a weekend then sucks for you.

[Deleted]

As for this "free-range" philosophy I get the idea of allowing kids the space to grow. It's a great idea if you're comfortable with the idea of "acceptable losses". Personally I don't think it's worth the risk. A far more rational approach is to give the kids an illusion of freedom, but always be aware of exactly where they are and who they are with. Ideally the child would grow up believing they're independent, but in the rare cases where they land up in trouble which they cannot cope with, the guardian appears.

How is that going to help you when they get kidnapped? the kidnapper will dispose of any GPS tracker/phone your kids have right away. At best you would notice sooner that something was wrong, but in reality, you would only notice the kids phone is still at the park after they were supposed to come home, just like these parents.

i mean live in fear of traffic instead, thats more likely to kill you/your kids then a kidnapper.

[Deleted]

It's not that it's likely. It's just that as a parent, if your 6 year old gets snatched up because you were too lazy to go with them to the park you really should feel like shit.

Going to school in the morning I get. But on a weekend afternoon? Really? If your kids get hurt and you can honestly say there is reasonably not much more you could have done to prevent it then sure that sucks. But if all you had to do was get off your ass and simply walk someplace on a weekend then sucks for you.

The helicopter parenting is strong with you. The whole point is to teach kids independence. But no, lets be overprotective of kids, they'll be so sensitive later that a sneeze triggers them and they invent #Jazzhands /sarcastic hyperbole

[Dispraise]

It seems to me like the cops were worried that the kids may have been neglected.

Hence why the first sentence of my post would have been a rational reaction by the police.

This is why they made the parents run through hoops before they handed the kids back.

This, however, is completely unacceptable.

I "missed the point" on purpose, because the point you were trying to make is that paranoid fearmongering should be the preferred method of parenting. No, you should not keep your children chained to the radiator in their bedroom out of fear that some hobo is going to sodomize them. Especially since most children are victimized by people they know. Overwhelmingly by their own goddamn parents. Asking uncle Jimmy to come watch bobby for you while you run to the store, because you're too paranoid to let him out of your sight for a half a fucking hour, is putting him at more risk statistically than if you just let him go play with his friends in the park.

And no, under no circumstance is it acceptable to kidnap children and keep them captive for six hours to "teach the parents a lesson". I would've ignored the authorities in the earlier case as well, because that's fucking retarded.

Where the children taken to a secret government agency location where they where conducted to horrific tests in order to build them into some kind of superweapon?

No, but they were seized off the streets by government officials, who lied to them about doing something that would have actually been reasonable, and then kept them hostage for six hours.

So, neither of the things you said, really.

[Gheld]

I would be pretty sketchy if a 10 year old and 6 year old where walking around by themselves at 5 pm i don't care what the parents have to say or there lifestyle it's dangerous.

Really? My brothers and I walked to local parks on our own all the damn time. The expected mortality rate of childhood obesity is exponentially greater than the number of children killed by "Stranger danger" every year. How many of these children living sedentary lives are indoors because they aren't allowed to go outside without their parent's permissionEDIT: Supervision?

[Dispraise]

The expected mortality rate of childhood obesity is exponentially greater than the number of children killed by "Stranger danger" every year. How many of these children living sedentary lives are indoors because they aren't allowed to go outside without their parent's permission?

^^^This^^^

For the love of god, encourage your children to go play in the park.

[AndaliteBandit]

"Cops kidnapped my kids!!"

Well if you'd watch them you'd know where they were now wouldn't you.......

Wait, I thought helicopter parents were mocked for being too protective. You guys just can't make up your mind, can you?

[Sickjen]

Really? My brothers and I walked to local parks on our own all the damn time. The expected mortality rate of childhood obesity is exponentially greater than the number of children killed by "Stranger danger" every year. How many of these children living sedentary lives are indoors because they aren't allowed to go outside without their parent's permission?

Nobody said you can't go outside with out parental permission, The issue is when you let them wander away from home (a pretty significant distance). Let's say people shared the same idea of "free-roaming" in New York City do you honestly believe it's safe to let a 10 year old and a 6 year old to walk around the streets by themselves. It's not only "Stranger danger" there is a number of things that could happen to your kids just letting them wander around at a young age. If you could take a moment of your time and go to the theync.com and see how terrible the world can be at times.

Letting your kids play at a park is fine, but when it's starting to get late out supervising your kids is part of being a good parent. I don't think i was even aware of the dangers of the world at 6 years old honestly.

I'm sure they would still blame someone else ( police) and then sue anyway. Not even trying to be funny. Some people have no concept of personal accountability

I fully agree, people always want someone to blame even if there own fault.

[Sketchy]

I grew up in a small town about 1300 people, all children where free range children.

I can't see letting children run around in a city though, too many strangers you don't know.

I grew up in a city of 650,000 and we were all free-range kids. Yea sure that was 30 years go but still...

[Rhine101]

The helicopter parenting is strong with you. The whole point is to teach kids independence. But no, lets be overprotective of kids, they'll be so sensitive later that a sneeze triggers them and they invent #Jazzhands /sarcastic hyperbole

No, not really. I'm not even a parent. I do not consider actually spending the time to walk with my kids to the park as helicopter parenting.

When i am out with my nephew I let him run around (as long as its not by a road) and i just keep him in eyesight. Know how many times he wondered around a mall at 5 years old? never once told him no. I just did what actual responsible adults do and kept him in my eyesight. When an adult approached him he would look back and see me walking toward him to "greet" the adult and let them know he isn't alone.

Wanna make any more baseless accusations?

One more thing. Now the loser is 10 and he keeps dragging me on mini adventures. he told me he wanted to walk to Popeys and it was "across the street". 45 minutes later and a trek by a busy main road and a partial wooded area I designated "Rape and murder woods" we got there.

Yeah.I think I did fine.

[Eliandal]

I fully agree, people always want someone to blame even if there own fault.

Oh come ON! How hard would it have been, exactly, for the police to just take them home. I can see the argument for parental supervision - especially in this case. There is NO cause for the abuse of authority shown by the police and CPS however.

[Gheld]

Nobody said you can't go outside with out parental permission,

I meant supervision. I think it's 100% obvious in the context of the conversation that I meant supervision. and I'm not here to argue semantics.

The issue is when you let them wander away from home (a pretty significant distance).

Define significant distance?

Let's say people shared the same idea of "free-roaming" in New York City do you honestly believe it's safe to let a 10 year old and a 6 year old to walk around the streets by themselves.

Did this story take place in New York City? No? Then this is a moot point.

It's not only "Stranger danger" there is a number of things that could happen to your kids just letting them wander around at a young age. If you could take a moment of your time and go to the theync.com and see how terrible the world can be at times.

What a surprise, a website devoted to snuff videos is full of snuff videos.

I'll start worrying when there's so many snuff videos floating around that in order to avoid running out of space they start putting them on Children's netflix.

Letting your kids play at a park is fine, but when it's starting to get late out

5 pm is not late.

supervising your kids is part of being a good parent.

Unless you coddle your kids to the point that they come out of highschool completely incapable of functioning in society because it turns out all of the happy magical ponies were killed off by tobacco and swear words

I don't think i was even aware of the dangers of the world at 6 years old honestly.

Really? My parents had successfully taught me not to play in traffic by the age of 6. And I would walk to school with my older brother who was 9 at the time and also well aware that one should not play in traffic or get into strangers cars.

[Sickjen]

No, not really. I'm not even a parent. I do not consider actually spending the time to walk with my kids to the park as helicopter parenting.

When i am out with my nephew I let him run around (as long as its not by a road) and i just keep him in eyesight. Know how many times he wondered around a mall at 5 years old? never once told him no. I just did what actual responsible adults do and kept him in my eyesight. When an adult approached him he would look back and see me walking toward him to "greet" the adult and let them know he isn't alone.

I think this is reasonable, you are not hovering over your kids but you also aren't letting them go on there own at 5 years old. I just can't comprehend/justify that parents who let there kids go where they please at 5 years old or in the articles case 6. A 6 year old won't have the knowledge to protect themselves in the case of something happening. I think being there for your children is a huge part in being a parent.

I meant supervision. I think it's 100% obvious in the context of the conversation that I meant supervision. and I'm not here to argue semantics.

Define significant distance?

Sure when its starting to get dark and you have a 6 year old and a 10 year old walking the streets, The distance between is a significant when your parent isn't there when some thing happens.

Did this story take place in New York City? No? Then this is a moot point.

Is it though? What's the difference? At a park or new york city there are parks in new york...

What a surprise, a website devoted to snuff videos is full of snuff videos.

Also, videos of unintended killings.. if you turn a blind point to this i don't know what to tell you.

I'll start worrying when there's so many snuff videos floating around that in order to avoid running out of space they start putting them on Children's netflix.

Again, turning a blind eye to actual problems in the world isn't really proving a point.

5 pm is not late.

Cops seem to disagree...

Unless you coddle your kids to the point that they come out of highschool completely incapable of functioning in society because it turns out all of the happy magical ponies were killed off by tobacco and swear words Really? My parents had successfully taught me not to play in traffic by the age of 6. And I would walk to school with my older brother who was 9 at the time and also well aware that one should not play in traffic or get into strangers cars.

You are under the assumption ever kid is the same, it's not coddling if you are teaching your kids progressively to become more independent... Not at the age of 6 years old.



Edit: Good game on your quick edit as well there's a difference between super vision and permisson.

[Belize]

What the fuck is a free-range parent? Didn't McDonald's say they would only use free-range chicken? Is the "chicken" actually kids!?