sye Loc: The Old Dominion Near DC

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/parents-rally-around-free-range-family-with-petitions-protest-plans/2015/04/15/1e96963c-e381-11e4-b510-962fcfabc310_story.html?hpid=z5

This is the second time that Montgomery County, MD PD were called about so-called "free-range" children walking alone on the way home from a playground near their house. The parents see no issue with allowing their offspring to play without having to hover over them. What I don't agree with is that when the children were picked up by a MCPD officer and taken back to the station "for their protection", the parents were not notified for 5-1/2 hours. I can only assume that the PD did this to teach the parents a lesson -- Remember this is the second time with the same family, so the PD had the phone number.

I remember in the "good old days" that as children we were allowed to "free-range" with our friends all day long. Our parents weren't required to have us under their constant supervision and observation. What has become wrong with our society when it appears that the threat of child predators is winning. I agree that it is a real threat. I only hope that this sort of criminal activity against children will someday become a capital crime. However, the child predator threat shouldn't dictate how our children and their parents are raised and live.

Listening to the 911 call is also an issue. If I as a 10-YO boy with my
6-YO sister, we would probably have been more afraid of a stranger with a dog following us. Technically, that sounds alike like stalking to me.

Sorry, this will serve as my annual rant.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Right on!

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

As I saw this on the news I started to recall my own parents and what my two brothers and I were allowed to do as we grew up. My early recollections of about 3-4 years old were of playing in the front yard of a small town with my mother in the house somewhere. We also had the run of the street and the wooded/open field areas up the street. I then remember being maybe 7-8 years old and spending the summer with my grandmother. After my grandmother showed us the way my brother and I would walk to and from a summer bible school in the much larger town of Lockport, NY. Grandma would give us money to stop at the local drug store to buy Hires root beer on the way home. While child molesters were around in the 50's we were never bothered and we never had any problems. I suspect the same is true today. Sure there are child molesters around but my guess is that 99% of children are not bothered.

Let's move on to when I was a deputy sheriff in Southern California. On one occasion I happened to be working the graveyard shift and noticed a 3 year old little boy, wearing only a diaper, walking the main street, about 4:00 AM, of a good sized town. Of course I stopped and asked him where he lived and of course he had no idea. I put him in the patrol car and notified my dispatcher. About an hour later the boy's parents woke up, noticed he was missing and called the Sheriff's Office. I dropped him off with the happy parents and called it a day to finish my reports. No arrest was made, no call to protective services to have the case looked at by the District Attorney's office for later prosecution for child endangerment. That was it. The S.O. never heard anything else from the family insomuch as they were good upstanding parents in the community and had not willfully endangered their son.

We do NOT need the government getting into every single problem that happens in a family. At some point common sense simply must trump government interference with parents raising their children the way they want to raise the children.

Dennis

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

tusketwedge Loc: Nova Scotia Canada

I agree with you .I also feel blessed to be living in a small village that so far (knocking on wood) our children can and some still do walk to and from school or to friend houses,ride bikes etc.without any being harassed or obducted .
We do see a little crime but it's mostly misdemeanors,we still leave the car keys in all 3 vehicles and our house is seldom locked.

Didereaux Loc: Swamps of E TX

The government is US! WE, the people, you I and the 300+ million other Anericans are the cause of these problems. The majority have let the wild-eyed fringes run amuk, and the we sit on our couches complaining about the government. The twirly-eyed fringes, both left and right have almost taken over...and WE sit by.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Obviously you are correct but short of a revolution which none of us wants (if we are sane) there doesn't seem to be much that can be done. We vote for who we think is best for us however the other side also votes for who they think will be best for them. Of course, for me, it is hard to compete when the other side says, "Vote for me and I will give you more freebies".

We are no longer in the era of JFK who famously and correctly said, "Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country." Now we are in the era of the Liberal Left telling the people that they want people to be on welfare and that it is good for the country with more and more people on welfare because those people spend money. Of course my response to Pelosi's statement is WTF are you talking about?

Dennis

Didereaux Loc: Swamps of E TX

You miss an important point I think. Only about 20% of the population are twirly-eyed nutjobs. Equally divided between the tea-bagging right, and the brain-damaged left. It is the 80% sitting on their cans that are the problem....they do NOT vote in large enough numbers
to change anything. Part, maybe the largest part of the problem is that to many in the middle have taken up the 'Conservative/Liberal' hue and cry crappola so that they only hve to mouth inanities to deceive themselves into thinking they are doing something...what they are doing is avoiding thinking!

Kim LeBlanc Loc: St. charles, Mi.

I used to ride bike at 8 yrs old to local creek to fish catch frogs, coming home in time for dinner. Now your a bad parent if you let your kids live without constant supervision. Seems Dems say Republicans want to take away your rights, what do you call it when they think government is answer to everything & will tell you how to live, eat & play the way they think you should.

Add Loc: S.W.Florida

I roamed all over as a kid,enjoyed it. Did do a two day overnight out of state trip with a friend and did take along notes from our parents that we were not run aways. Turned out not needed.

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

How did this issue become political? Seems to me it's been caused by the media with its addiction to sensational presentation of news. Yes, horrible things happen but on a percentage basis are we that much worse off than when we were young? I'm not sure we are. BUT! The "State" has gone way too far dictating how we raise and discipline our children!! The result has been IMHO a greater percentage of youth who have no respect for anyone or any anything!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The police publicity is getting worse and worse every day. What's the difference between what the police did and kidnapping? No one is allowed to take and keep children without notifying their parents. What would have happened if a civilian had done that? Are the police above the law? Stupid question. Of course they are. Is there a law that says children must always be within three feet of their parents? Maybe the police should drive around in vans, picking up any children they see.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

I am of mixed feeling about this. But now every predator in the region will know where to pick up some children....

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I think they know, anyway. Hopefully, kids have been warned and know how to behave. Two or more kids traveling together would be safer than a lone child in an alley at night.

ted45 Loc: Delaware

I agree with you completely. Some how the majority have allowed the minority to take control of the boat. We have created a generation of kids being told by the government what to eat, how to play, what to play, what to think and that they can't do anything without the governments help.