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In CA there's laws specifically against leaving a child in the car due to risk of overheating. There's no laws about leaving them at home alone. That being sa

In CA there's laws specifically against leaving a child in the car due to risk of overheating. There's no laws about leaving them at home alone. That being said, there have been lots of horror stories of other adults calling the cops out of concern for child "neglect." And this creates a huge hassle for the parents. Try to figure out our neighborhood's feelings on the topic, and obviously look into the Free Range Kids movement for resources.

rafale 4y ago
Politically speaking, it's also good to push back on any legislation or system where parents lose power on their kids education and upbringing, even in the name of their well-being. It's important as a society that we have autonomy and diversity in the upbringing of the next generation.
- gernb 4y ago
  Unfortunately vocal people on both sides of the spectrum hate that. The people calling CPS hate it because they think parents are being negectful. Certain people hate it because they imagine kids getting indoctrinated into religions they don't like. I have several friends and families that were raised via home schooling or raised their kids homeschooled. All the kids are amazing, none of them had any religion involvment.
  - thatjoeoverthr 4y ago
    I had home schooling myself. My parents took me out after the school wanted to put me in special ed due to my autism. (Of course, they tried Ritalin first.) After being taken out of school, there weren’t any actual problems. My parents let me spend the day programming and biking, and deal with the standardized tests myself. It was one of their best parenting decisions. I don’t have autism. Lately I’m letting my daughter try home schooling, after they started doing six hours a day of Zoom meetings. It’s not going as well, but I think the main thing is she knows I’m on her side.
    - rafale 4y ago
      I guess you will need to find another avenue for her to socialize with her peers. Maybe extracurricular activities like sports or music or something. Socialization and social kills are super important, especially for introverts who need to "work out" that muscle.
bombcar 4y ago
A huge part of it is talking to neighbors, even if just a little bit. If you see "Suzy's kid" walking down the street you're much less likely to freak out than if you see "unknown kid". But the easiest is to just move to somewhere where people aren't as freaked out.
hef19898 4y ago
>> Free Range Kids movement So basically a normal childhood? Just wondering, because as a European I find this whole discussion enlightening (learning something new) and bizarre at the same time. Heck, our kids are picking up groceries and bread at the two shops near by every week-end. Which is great, because it means us parents can sleep in longer. Just thinking about someone calling CPS or the cops for that, I think they would be laughed out. At least I hope that cops would even refuse to show up in such cases, because honestly, if the caller sounds worried enough they just could. That being said, we have a community youth center and sports / playground right across the street. There, kids and teenagers of all sorts are hanging out well into the night. I just wished I could motivate my elder son to do so as well, because that would be so much better than spending his time indoors. There is only so much screen time limiting you can do.

rafale 4y ago

Politically speaking, it's also good to push back on any legislation or system where parents lose power on their kids education and upbringing, even in the name of their well-being. It's important as a society that we have autonomy and diversity in the upbringing of the next generation.

gernb 4y ago
Unfortunately vocal people on both sides of the spectrum hate that. The people calling CPS hate it because they think parents are being negectful. Certain people hate it because they imagine kids getting indoctrinated into religions they don't like. I have several friends and families that were raised via home schooling or raised their kids homeschooled. All the kids are amazing, none of them had any religion involvment.
- thatjoeoverthr 4y ago
  I had home schooling myself. My parents took me out after the school wanted to put me in special ed due to my autism. (Of course, they tried Ritalin first.) After being taken out of school, there weren’t any actual problems. My parents let me spend the day programming and biking, and deal with the standardized tests myself. It was one of their best parenting decisions. I don’t have autism. Lately I’m letting my daughter try home schooling, after they started doing six hours a day of Zoom meetings. It’s not going as well, but I think the main thing is she knows I’m on her side.
  - rafale 4y ago
    I guess you will need to find another avenue for her to socialize with her peers. Maybe extracurricular activities like sports or music or something. Socialization and social kills are super important, especially for introverts who need to "work out" that muscle.

bombcar 4y ago

A huge part of it is talking to neighbors, even if just a little bit. If you see "Suzy's kid" walking down the street you're much less likely to freak out than if you see "unknown kid". But the easiest is to just move to somewhere where people aren't as freaked out.

hef19898 4y ago

>> Free Range Kids movement So basically a normal childhood? Just wondering, because as a European I find this whole discussion enlightening (learning something new) and bizarre at the same time. Heck, our kids are picking up groceries and bread at the two shops near by every week-end. Which is great, because it means us parents can sleep in longer. Just thinking about someone calling CPS or the cops for that, I think they would be laughed out. At least I hope that cops would even refuse to show up in such cases, because honestly, if the caller sounds worried enough they just could. That being said, we have a community youth center and sports / playground right across the street. There, kids and teenagers of all sorts are hanging out well into the night. I just wished I could motivate my elder son to do so as well, because that would be so much better than spending his time indoors. There is only so much screen time limiting you can do.