4 ms·
> My children have had the cops called on them for playing in our front yard. Where do you live? Whenever I read these stories it feels like I live on a diffe
by PragmaticPulp 4y ago
> My children have had the cops called on them for playing in our front yard.
Where do you live?
Whenever I read these stories it feels like I live on a different planet from everyone else.
- kelseyfrog 4y agoI live in a vast Californian suburb dominated by single family residences built in the 90s. The homes are priced around the median for the area. The residents are split about 50/50 politically and racially plural. The majority are married and earn ever so slightly below median income. It's about as average as you can get. Note: I looked up these stats to make sure I got them right. They are mostly at the voting precinct, and census BG level, but I'm abstaining from posting them for obvious reasons.
- SoftTalker 4y agoMove to a sane state. I live in the midwest, in a smaller town. You still see kids playing in the neighborhood and parks and running around. Kids walk and bike to school. Nobody would call the cops over a kid walking by himself unless he looked to be lost or in distress.
- meowfly 4y agoUtah has a free range parenting law on their books. https://www.npr.org/2018/04/01/598630200/utah-passes-free-range-parenting-law https://www.npr.org/2018/04/01/598630200/utah-passes-free-ra...
- notch656a 4y agoYeah I lived in the midwest and there are roaming bands of ~10 year olds who are legit criminals, ripping off and stealing things from myself and other neighbors and basically living independently outside of school and sleeping at home. Cops and CPS can't be bothered (note I never personally called them, although I have had to address the children directly to ask them to stop stealing from my house). I still prefer that to a "safe" place where my kids have to risk getting ripped away from their parents for walking to a park. The key to not dealing with police is moving to a high crime area with a weak police presence. These kind of CPS paranoia stuff is generally not enforced in places that are actually less safe for children. If the area is safe, that's when CPS/police will have the time to focus on you to call it unsafe. That is, kids aren't really safe from CPS of accusing them of being unsafe unless it is actually unsafe, in which case authorities never responded in the first place because CPS and the police are busy visiting an abandoned crack-baby.
- kelseyfrog 4y agoSorry, but my life is more complicated than "move to a sane state." I would have to put a child of mine into an abusive household and subject myself to fewer legal protections because if who I am. It's ok to live somewhere and observe and critique it. I'm a multifaceted individual whose writings on a very narrow topic cannot be reduced to "move." Thank you for sharing your experience though.
- fanatic2pope 4y agoI live in suburban Ohio and had the same thing happen to my family. My son was playing by himself in the front yard. Someone called the cops, they walked him to my door and they lectured me about "watching" my kid.
- withinboredom 4y agoIt’s a shame you can’t press charges on or sue that person for attempted child abduction. Sure, they took the child to your front door, but you didn’t give them permission to do that. They are not the guardian and they had to trespass to do so.
- mrexroad 4y agoFwiw, I live in California as well, Bay Area specifically. My elementary school kid walks ~2/3mi from school (with a friend) and my middle schooler bikes a few miles to school solo. So do many of their friends. It’s the norm in my neighborhood.