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The WaPo reports that Danielle and Alexander Meitiv in Montgomery County Maryland say they are being investigated for neglect after letting their 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter make a one-mile walk home from a Silver Spring park on Georgia Avenue on a Saturday afternoon. “We wouldn’t have let them do it if we didn’t think they were ready for it,” says Danielle. The Meitivs say they believe in “free-range” parenting, a movement that has been a counterpoint to the hyper-vigilance of “helicopter” parenting, with the idea that children learn self-reliance by being allowed to progressively test limits, make choices and venture out in the world. “The world is actually even safer than when I was a child, and I just want to give them the same freedom and independence that I had — basically an old-fashioned childhood,” says Danielle. “I think it’s absolutely critical for their development — to learn responsibility, to experience the world, to gain confidence and competency.”
On December. 20, Alexander agreed to let the children walk from Woodside Park to their home, a mile south, in an area the family says the children know well. Police picked up the children near the Discovery building, the family said, after someone reported seeing them. Alexander said he had a tense time with police when officers returned his children, asked for his identification and told him about the dangers of the world. The more lasting issue has been with Montgomery County Child Protective Services which showed up a couple of hours later. Although Child Protective Services could not address this specific case they did point to Maryland law, which defines child neglect as failure to provide proper care and supervision of a child. “I think what CPS considered neglect, we felt was an essential part of growing up and maturing,” says Alexander. “We feel we’re being bullied into a point of view about child-rearing that we strongly disagree with.”
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday January 17 2015, @01:05PM
And that made me think that perhaps society did have a future. These kids were free to *discover* that falling off a boulder that's taller than you *fucking hurts*, and that way, they learn. They learn to evaluate risks and danger, with realistic perspectives. I'm guessing that the one of them that grows up to be a politician is not going to wage a "War On Boulders" when their own kid gets a graze one day, for example.
Another funny tale about that school I have is of the swings they had. There were 2 swings, and there were 4 kids who wanted to play on them, two boys and two girls. The two boys were fighting over one of the swings, if one of them briefly got onto the tyre, the other would do his best to stop it from swinging, and try to pull him off, lose lose all the way. The two girls were squeezed snugly onto the other swing and both having a whale of a time swinging merrily - win win all round. It was in some ways unsurprising, but it still stood out and was a great, powerful, even, commentary on gender, even if it is only an anecdote about 4 people.
That was Finland, if anyone's interested.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 17 2015, @07:39PM
Call me heartless, but fact is I think it's better for the greater good if more of stupidly careless kids die out (or render themselves less likely to breed or qualify to vote).
The cops should be working to make the area safe enough for kids to walk home alone, rather than harassing kids and their parents.
If the area is safe enough already, there's no need to bother the kids or their parents. The cops can escort them home if they want. And maybe imprint a "Cops are good guys" image to the future generation. Rather than cause problems and cause the kids to realize that "Cops are bad people to be avoided".