Should a mom be charged for letting her kids play at a park unsupervised?

She walked them almost to the park and then just went home? I live directly across the street from the park, and my kids are not allows to play there without either myself or someone I trust watching them. There are benches in the shade, bring a book and a bottle of water, and make sure no one takes them. It is not that hard!

no

I'm undecided about this and here's why, first of all from what I read there was no mention of the time that these kids were allowed to play unsupervised at the school. Secondly, what was she doing that was so important that she had to send someone else to check on her children for her instead of walking the block and a half to do it herself? I also think we need to factor in what the neighborhood is like and how well she knew the neighbors because unless you know otherwise anyone could pose threat. A five year old girl was allowed to go to the park outside of their home to play with other kids from the neighborhood here in the city and she was there all of an hour before she ran home crying. She had been raped by a man in a nearby apartment complex. Granted, that is a pretty rough area so in that case I would say yes, the mother should have been charged with neglect. I don't think a five year old should be alone period but in this case, the five year old was with an eight year old. I grew up in a small town which has since become a small city, would I let my kids go to the park by themselves if it were only a block away back when it was a smaller, close-knit community? Most likely. Would I allow it now? Never.

This is horsesh_t!!!

At least given a good talking to by CPS. This is just the kind of dream situation a child molester looks for! There are children who have disappeared in front of their own homes. What the hell kind of mother does that? Think what you will of Patsy Ramsey, she did say one thing I agree with-"keep your babies close to you". This is neglect, plain and simple.

It seems that the issue really isn't that she let them play there unsupervised. Although she claimed that she could see the park from her house...she not only left them there, but when they didn't come home, she didn't go check on them...she sent someone else. And...the kids had disappeared.

That seems like a good amount of neglect...enough for some concern.

There was once upon a time in this world when kids could play all day outdoors unattended. I remember as a kid packing a lunch and leaving the house with my siblings and spending the entire day outside playing. We were told to be home before supper street lights come on and we knew that time by the sky.

There were other times I remember as a very small child say 7 or 8 years old and sister 10 riding the transit by ourselves and going downtown to window shop. I am not ancient either. It was a day out for us.We had fun and nobody bothered us and we did not bother anybody else

I guess in this day and age you can no longer do those things and I understand why we can no longer take our eyes off of our children. Sad but true and they miss so much by being unable to explore life on their own.

Accidents could happens anyway

The cops and the courts have crossed the line, the family courts in this country are illegal.

I lost my 1 year old in the house. We had just moved into a bigger house and there were boxes everywhere, he went into the laundry room found an empty box and went to sleep, the light was off in the room I looked in there called his name even the neighbours searched with us. We called the cops they came and a paramedic started emptying boxes and that's when we found him. He said that one of his daughters did exactly the same thing so when he sees boxes and a kid is missing he empties the boxes first.

I played with friends at the local playground and park when I was a kid and there sure as heck were no parents supervising us.

Thats stupid. The kids were fine, they were just playing.

the kids in the info box 5 and 8 yes she should but if the kid stays home by themselfs no

I hope that she has learned an important lesson about leaving young children unattended. So what if she lived only a block and a half away and could see the park, she lost track of her kids for a few minutes and they vanished and that scared the hell out of her. Now maybe she will stay with them. I think she learned her lesson.

The 8 year old might be allowed if with other kids as long as the park is very close by, but a child of 5 needs parental supervison. I dont like my grandkids to play outside unless they stay inside our fence.

When I was eight, I was always watching my little sister (six yrs. old) and my baby brother (one yr. old). I also mowed the lawn with our riding mower, rode all over town on my bike, and could help my grandpa plow the fields out on the farm. Children who are given responsibility, grow into responsible adults.

Yes

The world is not a more dangerous place. Crime is down in all areas from when I was a child - it is just that there is now instant worldwide media for it.

When I was a kid, we used to go to the playground all the time without our parents.

I personally would not do hat I do not even let my daughter play at the playground in our apartment building with out someone (a neighbor if it is not me) watching her and that is right outside our window (of course it is also against the rule to let her play w/o supervision but that is not that point). I would wait till at least one of the is 10. But no I do not think she should get in trouble. When I was a kid we would leave the house in them morning and come home at lunch and then go out again and come back at sunset.

Sorry but the world is not safe. I understand that just about everyone of us was let loose and told to check in or be home by dark when the street lights came on but times have changed. Plus people are to damn sue happy, what if they would have gotten hurt because no one told them "No" don't do that and they got hurt and she sued the park for God only knows, we are the ones paying these lawsuits.

I can never get over the current Nanny Government that cannot manage worth a dam but worries about what everyone does. I used to play outside at a local park when I was 8,and gee we survived. I even drank 32 oz sodas and never got fat.

It's about time the government butted out of our lives a bit; it's becoming 1984, 28 years too late.

I was walking to school alone at that age. Seriously people are a little too paranoid.

Or well, I was also in karate at that age too and well informed on what to do if a stranger approaches you.

Really? I lived in a very good neighbourhood and my house was a VERY short walk from the park, even for a 8 and 5 year old. ANd my brother and I would go out there and play all the time without my parents even though they cam to check on us every 15 minutes.

What happened to the days of kids being able to just get on a bike and cycle for 5 minutes to a friends house without social services attacking the parents for being negligent? We'd all be clingy and dependant on our parents if we were brought up like that.

I use to play in the park unsupervised as well. I use to play basketball all day at the local court. As soon as one of my elders call me in for dinner, I drop the ball and leave. Simple as that.

Yeah, me too.

Times have really changed.

When I was young - - walked to school 4 blocks away... In the summer, I would leave after breakfast - - return for lunch... leave again, and not return until dark.. Usually we were playing on the playgrounds of either the school. or the city park.

No, but I would have never let my 5 and 8 year old go to a park by themselves these days.

Where is the sanity in this decision.

Granted, I wouldn't let my 7 & 4 year old out of my sight by themselves, but it depends on the community and the maturity of the children. If it was right across the street from my house where I could keep an eye on them, heck yea I'd let them go.

The media and the government are is in the hands of paranoid fruitcakes, I used to go out of the house for hours at a time to play unattended and under these nutty rules most moms would have been locked up when I was growing up.

Yes, bad things can and do happen but crime, although we are bombarded by the news with gory stories, is no worse now than it was back then. The idea that kids need to be locked away in gilded cages and monitored 24/7 is insane but that is exactly what the statists would have parents acclimate their young to these days.

That's retarded. Kudos to the mom for allowing her kids OUTSIDE to play instead of parking their butts in front of a television!

or a computer! lol.

holy crap!! Another example of people in authority pushing their agenda....my motto as a kid was "have bike, will travel"

I think that this mother is irresponsible and neglectful. But if she is facing felony child abuse charges then the investigation must have exposed something more… and I’m surprised that this matter was handled in open court???

Ridiculous. The news article says, "She says they live just a block and a half away, close enough to see the kids playing." While I personally wouldn't leave kids that age at a park alone, this is certainly not worthy of a felony.

Every parent in my neighborhood (including Tipper Gore's mom and grandparents) would have been charged with felony child abuse and neglect back when we were kids. In the summer we left the house in the early morning and didn't return, except for meals, until dark! We rode our bikes all over (including to National Airport, crossing the major Hwy 1 to get there), went 6 blocks to the elementary school to play on the swings and jungle gyms, ran in the woods that over-looked the Pentagon or in the 'sand dunes' that is now Crystal City. We were told NOT to talk to strangers or accept candy from people we didn't know. Other than that we PLAYED OUTSIDE!

Come on!

i was allowed to roam the wilderness alone at that age.

Seriously, I barely lived at home from birth. Not from lack of love from my folks, or anything. I just wanted to be out, and it was fine when I was growing up. Friends houses, sleep outs, riding my bike to all corners of town, going to the park, and playing in the Mojave desert where we had horny toads, and rattlesnakes, and all sorts of cool kid stuff. We've really taken some pendulum swings here.