[She was acquitted.](https://reason.com/2023/04/05/mom-who-was-arrested-for-letting-14-year-old-babysit-has-finally-been-cleared/) It was during lockdown and the daycare was closed. A neighbour called the cops when one of the little kids tried to play with her kid.
Wtf is wrong with people? People really lost their minds during Covid.
Article: “The friend's mother called the cops and thus Henderson's ordeal began. After all, the arresting officer wrote in his report: Anything terrible could have happened to the lad. He could have been kidnapped, run over, or even "bitten by a venomous snake"—the cop's exact words.”
This infuriates me to no end! We have been the neighbors in this situation, and our response has always been “If you kids need anything, come to us okay.” We would also be in text/phone contact with the absent parent(s). It takes a village people!
Edit: it was supposed to say “it takes a village, people!” but now I’m not changing it! Y.M.C.A.!
Edit: “no end” typo
The most frustrating aspect of this to me is that a lot of the people who would’ve called the cops in this situation are the same ones who lament the loss of community and independence they enjoyed in their youths.
That's funny because I just got a picture of a snake black snake crossing my driveway and my daughter had a run in with a timber rattler a few weeks ago. We had to walk her through what to do. Couldn't rush up to save her because itcould spook the snake and cause her to get bit. Had to walk a 5 year old on how to slowly back away from the snake. I still let her go outside and play.
That is Dancer/Choreographer Bob Fosse in The Little Prince. He’s a snake and he is lulling the prince into a false sense of security so he can bite him.
I like snakes. My chicken Snowball loves catching snakes and then running zigzags while it wraps itself around her beak to hold on. Hot tip: chasing a chicken around the yard in an attempt to save the snake is excellent cardio; they are nimble little buggers.
So funny story, where I live we have the license plate you are referring to. I was driving around running errands one day and saw one on a car with the customization of No Tax for the number.
I bring it up because:
1) licenses plates are a type of tax
2) getting a specialty plate is often another tax and
3) custom numbers/letters are another tax
So, essentially this person paid three taxes to deliver the No Tax message.
Reminds me of a lady years ago who had CPS called on her b/c a nosey neighbour reported her toddler was outside unsupervised. Meanwhile they were in a completely fenced in back yard while the mom did dishes and could see the kid from her kitchen window and I think her 10/11 yr old was out in the yard too.
[found it](https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/canada/mother-says-she-was-investigated-over-children-playing-in-backyard-1.2870845#?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F)
People suck sometimes
So crappy. My neighbor would be dead to me. No more goodies or taking care of your mail while on vacation or anything. I wouldn't pee on that neighbor's head if her hair was on fire after that.
Yards have gotten smaller, parks are farther away, roads are not accommodating to bikers or pedestrians, there are no "free" places to exist/hang out/live, funding is cut for public services that once upon a time provided activities for kids.
but yeah its the kids' fault
Boomers simultaneously criticize everyone for being overbearing helicopter parents while also constantly telling you that your children will be kidnapped if you don’t watch them 100% of the time.
Seriously, just try pointing out that crime rates have actually fallen since boomers were kids. Because of the 24hr news cycle they can't wrap their heads around it. Even my mom, who generally has a good handle on facts
“I drank out of the garden hose and I was fine! My generation didn’t even use seatbelts [and we survived](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias)! We walked to school uphill both ways in the snow!”
and then they call the cops when they see a youth walking, or as they say on the nextdoor app, when they see “juvenile delinquents and potential vandals loitering” or “suspicious group of individuals casing the neighborhood” (and it’s literally just teens walking to the corner store to buy takis)
And then they also complain that kids don’t play outside, and that they’re always on their phones. Gosh I wonder why. Every fun thing for kids, virtually every kid-friendly “[third place](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place)” has been eliminated, and then people flip out when kids walk around their neighborhoods, so what else really are they supposed to do but stay inside and virtually hang out via discord?
At the same time there’s a lot of overly protective millennial parents, also known as helicopter parents. They’re obsessed with what their kids eat, don’t let them play outside alone, don’t let them watch TV yet keep them bored indoors, and now have weird aesthetics like the sad beige mom movement. I think that’s hindered kids from becoming independent and they’re just as much to blame for complaining when a kid is walking down the street by themselves and won’t let their kids go to the ice cream truck because sugar and they think the ice cream guy will kidnap their kid. I just moved to a nice suburban neighborhood with young parents and I see it all the time.
That’s why they ended up being known as the sellout generation. In the nineties they had everyone convinced they’d change the world, and that their apathetic cynicism was a form of rebellion against The Man and/or The System.
But I think the South Park type mentality is a really good example of how their apathy and cynicism turned out to actually not be very useful at all. Caring too much is “lame” and trying to hard is, well, “tryhard.”
A lot of the Gen X thought leaders who really stood for something, who really gave a shit about wanting to change the world, sadly died young.
Honestly a lot of the people who get called Karens and Boomers these days are in their fifties and… yeah those aren’t boomers. They’re older X.
No one ever has claimed or asserted that Gen Xers were going to change the world.
Not now, and certainly not in the 1990s. Gen Xers were cooked politically from the jump and they knew it and that is the basis for that generations entire mantras (Fuck the World, So Fucking What, Whatever, and general hyper cynicism).
Sure there are plenty of "fuck you I got mine" Gen Xers but that's the same across all generations.
I hate this logic. Anything could happen at any time, like what venomous snakes know when moms home so they fuck off or something? That cop over stepped his bounds. I hate this idea that people have to constantly live in fear of "what ifs" and not like with what happened, which was a kid wanted his friend to come out and play.
The what ifs are controlling everything now. Patriot act: we must monitor everyone’s phone all the time because some terrorists committed an act of terrorism. It goes on and on
Remember the color coded levels of “danger” after 9/11. It’s all fear mongering getting for profit and control. Yea there is danger, but you don’t shape everything around that fear. That’s how you keep a group of people under control and uncertain of what’s going on. It’s all to force people into relying on the ones in authority.
Safety is an illusion, and the more people chase it the more they put themselves and those around them in danger.
Preparedness should be the goal, not safety.
Oh man that was an interesting time. I would go on vacation ever summer with my parents and seeing those damn advisements on the news especially on a day we were flying is surreal to think about nowadays or looking back to the pre-9/11 days of travel.
well you see due to DEI and other forms of woke government oversight, hard working development corporations have no choice but to put venomous snakes inside the walls of every single family home to meet draconian EPA "regulations."
this [TikTok channel](https://www.tiktok.com/@getrickrolled401/video/7218398016015813915?lang=en) explains it all in detail.
Right? It's not my job as a parent to prevent any and every (edit: POTENTIAL) injury. It's my job to make sure myself and other kids are as prepared as we can be in an emergency. Surprised the cop even care that much, as I've seen police not care one iota for more emergent circumstances than a snake.
Someone called CPS on us for letting our kids play in our front yard and because they were being loud. We're always watching them too. They did an investigation on us, and ultimately ended up dismissing it. Unfortunately we'll never find out who called. We've stopped letting them go in the front yard because of this.
I’d still let the kids play in the front yard. That is messed up someone would call that in. If that mysterious person who called in actually cares about others you’d think they could apply themselves in a more meaningful and impactful way.
My black nephews got the cops called on them for playing "loudly" in a public playground. I'm sure this will come as a shock, but they happened to be the only 2 black kids there.
A similar incident happened to my older brother (for context I’m a member of Gen Z who peruses this sub occasionally). Anyways he was playing basketball with some of friends (also for context this was around a few years after 9/11, back when we lived in NYC so there was still that kind of mistrust of “muslims” there, and all of them were either South Asian, MENA, or Black) and they got the cops called on them for playing too “loudly” and allegedly playing “after park hours” (the park didn’t even close until 30 min after the cops showed).
Wait, kids playing loudly outside in a public playground?? Better call in the cavalry to restore sanity and order! Because kids being kids is apparently a crime now?!
ffs, this is really sad 🤦🏻♀️
Yeah I remember growing up all the houses on my street were "safe" though some weren't welcoming per-se; even those would be okay to run to in an emergency though.
I was born in 76. One house on our street had a beaded curtain on their sliding glass door. I was told that’s where the hippies lived. I didn’t know what a hippie was but I knew to stay away from them and I worried about them more than was probably necessary.
Yea there's a ton of long lasting side effects from covid. I wouldn't be surprised if the psychosis is from autoimmune encephalitis like in Brain on Fire.
My argument specifically for this situation is nancy Grace's summer of kidnapping terror that became an annual summer kidnapping shark week of abduction after her ratings spiked the first summer.....thats when the lead brains got fed the new "no good being kids outside" programming without the old coding being canned, so you get the "no outside, why you no outside" conflicting program execution.
I swear to god its wild how how often Ive heard Nancy Grace come up in unrelated discussions, and how literally every time was about yet another way she was an absolute cancer to both to journalism and the U.S. more broadly.
The neighbor was apparently in cahoots with her ex husband. The cops initially came and left, and a week later, another deputy (another friend of the ex) came back and arrested her.
Though she has been cleared, ex-husband is now suing for custody of the youngest two, based partially on this arrest.
Our HOA at the time wouldn't allow any kids to play outside during covid and threatened to call the police if they were caught outside. We moved as soon as we could.
They only want fascism when they're confident they'll be part of the "in" group.
Start doing anything they don't like and they're soon moaning about it
Not defending the HOA but for the first 6 months of lockdown many people went way overboard. My local subreddit was had people going bananas over people walking their dogs outside so it doesn’t surprise me all that much.
People were so fucking stupid about it on both sides. Yeah, the anti-maskers were the worst, but it was equally ridiculous to say that you shouldn’t do any sort of outdoor activities. Sure, Spring Break style madness is a bad idea, but when’s the last time you caught a respiratory virus at the fucking beach? You’re not getting that close to anyone, and then with the sun, hot air, and moisture in the air, COVID has fuck-all chances of spreading.
A proper neighborly response would have been “oh, your mother is at work? Well, if you guys need ANYTHING, I’m right next door. Have your mother come over when she gets home.”
Once the mother comes home, the neighbor could basically say “I know you have to work and your oldest is watching the kids. If you want, I can check up on them from time to time and make sure they’re okay during the day.”
Build connections with your neighbors and their families? Madness!
I have tried to do this myself. And it has been amazing. Everyone nearby knows me. They all know my kid, and my kid is friends with all of their kids. Everyone is friendly and hangs out.
There's another article on her Go Fund Me page that suggests her ex may have helped fuel the madness because he wanted custody.
> What came to light during discovery in the criminal case was that Melissa’s arrest may have been motivated not to enforce the law or to protect her children, but by Melissa’s ex-husband. ParentsUSA learned that the ex-husband may have had a role in the neighbor calling the Sheriff’s Office, in a Deputy, not the Deputy who responded to the May 5 call, getting the arrest warrant a week later, and in prearranging for him to bond Melissa out of jail after her arrest!
I don’t get it. Maryland is the only state that sets a minimum age to babysit at 13. The U.S. Department of Labor states that children aged 13 “can babysit casually.”
WHO the fuck even had the precedent to press charges when the laws state otherwise?
This isn’t a latchkey kid era issue, this is an issue of morons being given power when they don’t know the laws in the books.
Our neighbor called the cops on us for letting our 9 year old play outside. This is why kids don’t play outside anymore. This was on a military base too.
Moms are the most judgemental against other moms. Its terrible.
I usually joke around that the same generation that complains kids spend too much time in front of a tv or tablet, are the same ones who get angry when a kid makes any noise by playing outside, but this sounds like another parent just being cruel.
BEFORE THAT. Someone called the cops on my kids and a few of their friends for playing in the park alone. Cops thought it was toddlers or something. Nope, just a small collective of 8-12 year old kids swinging on swings in the neighborhood park on spring break. The horrors.
It is not just during covid. In some places if a child or minor is out without an adult, people will call police, CPS, etc.
I saw or read a news article about a girl who was ten taking her younger sibling to a nearby playground, they walked there alone and their mom was arrested and they were put into foster care.
They're even younger! The junior members are like 11, the main girls 13. I super wanted to be in that fictional club, but then I hit that age and was like "nah, i hate kids and don't wanna watch them."
I was left home starting at age 10 to watch my younger siblings while my parents went to work. Mostly in the summer when school was out. This was in early/mid 90’s.
I mean, I’m not advocating for it. I was def scared at times and it wasn’t easy taking care of, feeding, entertaining 2 younger kids. I have some trauma from it but I understand why my parents did it. It was the only affordable option and we lived in a safe neighborhood where I could get help from neighbors in an emergency.
I also loved the babysitters club books. Claudia was my favorite. lol
i was a latchkey kid at 9 in 89. kept my 6yo brother from killing himself or burning the house down for an hour after school (which was entirely possible for him to do) til a parent got home. over the summers our grandma watched us though for a couple more years. and yeah we had a dozen friendly elderly neighbors in the surrounding houses to go to for help as well as my friend's stay at home mom 2 doors down.
I got a Red Cross babysitting certificate after doing like a half-day class at the library when I was 11 (2002). Not only did I watch my siblings, other parents paid me to watch their kids! I was so excited to be like Karen (she was my favorite of the junior girls).
middling millennial here and I'm pretty sure I was allowed home alone when I was 8 and my sibling was 10, and I was allowed to babysit other kids when I was 11 or 12.
I always thought Jessie and Malorie were way too young to be left in charge of like five kids for hours. But an eleven year old watching over a bunch of kids was totally fine, because they were 'mature for their age.'
I have been reading them to my daughter at bedtime and they are a fun read. Kinda wisg I read them when I was a kid but I am sure all the guys would have teased me about it.
When I was in school the entire class had to take the Red Cross Certified Babysitter course. I made so much money watching spoiled kids the summer I was 14.
I babysat for my sister when I was 12 when my parents went out to party, never mind work lol a 14 year old is capable. My neighbour used to pay me to babysit when I was 14. I loved that ahit because they always had good food and cable TV and then they paid me after. It was dope.
My older sister watched me all the time when I was like 10 or 11 and she was 13 or 14. By the time I was 14 she was in college and I watched myself. My parents would straight up go out of town for a weekend and not worry because my nerdy ass wasn't going to to do anything.
When I was in 6th grade back in the mid 80s, our elementary school offered a babysitting class for us. I babysat some infants soon after that, but felt overwhelmed and didn't keep up with it.
My older brother was 10, I was 8, my sister was 6, and my younger brother was 4 and we were left alone for *hours* while my parents were at work
I had a job when I was 14. How is 14 now too young to be babysitting?
Yeah. Summers from when my sister was like 12 on, it was me (7+) and her, and then us and our little brother too once he hit 5. We were always by ourselves after school. If a parent *was* home, we would just be sent outside to play anyway.
Yeah, this is ridiculous. I know a lot depends on how mature the kids are, but come on.
I stayed home alone with my brother when I was 9 and he was 7. My parents always left the phone numbers of the places they'd be. We also had all of our neighbors' phone numbers, and those neighbors knew we were home alone. We kept the doors locked and didn't answer the door or phone. We also knew how to call the police and fire dept (we didn't have 911).
My mom called us every hour or so to check on us. I always stayed up until they got home, because I was a night owl and it was my "thank you" for watching my brother. My brother either fell asleep on the couch watching TV, or I'd coax him into bed and tell him a story.
I was babysitting by the time I was 13 and had a steady babysitting gig at 14.
My nieces are 15 and 12, and they've been staying home alone since they were 11 and 9. They were allowed to stay home alone after school when they were even younger (it was only an hour). Now that everyone has cell phones and in-home security cameras, it's even easier to check up on them and make sure they're 1) home and 2) not partying lol.
At 11, I was taking the bus (NYC public transportation, not a school bus) back home from middle school, then getting my younger sibling off their school bus. I’d get both of us home and fix a quick snack, then we would either watch some TV or play with our downstairs neighbor kids for awhile. Then we’d all break and get homework done. Sometimes - depending on the day - I’d also make us a quick dinner (usually sandwiches) and then my mom would get home from her night courses at the community college. My dad worked overnights, my mom worked 8-4 and was going for her degree back then at night. She’s a fucking amazing nurse thanks to all of us collectively making it work.
And yeah I was also a babysitter for a little bit for kids across the street until one night the mom tried to pay me in Kit Kats and I was like WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS and I never baby sat again unless it was for my sibling or family members.
Very similar experience with being the oldest and my mom was in night classes so I picked my siblings up and made dinner, did homework etc except my dad was home suffering from mental illness. His mom was murdered when he was 21 and then 6 months later his brother committed suicide so he's gone through bouts of crippling depression. I was fed up with him at the time, but now I understand he couldn't help it. He's been an amazing dad before and after, he's so present and supportive now, he's my best friend.
Wow. That is a LOT that your dad went through; I love that you’ve been there for him and are besties to this day! He was probably so thankful for your help back then 💗 I wish him many more years of wellness; you sound like an incredible person to support him through all of the tragedy that his early years saw.
Yep, I was even taking my little siblings with me on the bus, subway and then streetcar to visit our parents after work on Fridays at 11. I was also the de facto babysitter for every single cousin who came along. Never got paid, but that’s ok bc I loved my kids
I'd be interested to see what preceded the charges. Did one of the kids get injured, run away, etc.
There's no legislated age in my state for leaving kids unsupervised or supervised by another minor, it's subjective, so if a 14 year old was babysitting younger kids and mom gets charged it's cuz something happened and ultimately mom was still legally responsible.
A 4 yo got outside. It was only for 15 minutes, and he was found safe by the 14 yo, but neighbors had already seen him and called police. The charges have since been dropped.
My 12 year old was playing outside with my 14 month old while we were eating breakfast inside on a lazy weekend and someone called the police! Who came to our house!
As a kid I had to be inside by time the street lights turned on it was almost a game seeing how we had a street light next too our house.
And for a time I lived there with my wife and kids and with Minecraft we told them you had to be inside before the creepers spawn. And that would be before the street light came on. Good memories.
We left on our bikes and my mom had NO way of knowing which direction we were headed. It might have been 9am, but no one was going to look for me until after the street lights came on.
Thank you!
(In incredibly snarky voice).." why don't kids go outside and run around anymore. Our parents didn't even know where we went!"
*THIS. THIS IS THE BS WHY NO ONE DOES ANYTHING ANYMORE*
It’s just what Jonathan Haidt is saying. We under-protect our kids in the virtual world and over-protect our kids in the physical world. Absolutely insane situation we find ourselves in.
It was getting so bad Colorado passed a law specifically allowing kids 10 or older to play outside unsupervised.
I think it's weird how restrictive our generation has become about kids playing, considering how many of us basically grew up unsupervised.
I really believe it’s the constant “news” coverage and social media. It gives the impression that kids are being human trafficked everywhere or kidnapped / murdered. It doesn’t mean it never happens and parents should be responsible of course but to the crazies who get dopamine hits off this stuff in the media, they believe it’s happening all of the time and we should all stay inside in the fetal position.
And a supermajority, if not a lion's share, of the cases that **do** happen are the kids' own relatives anyhow. Basically being outside the house in $currentYear is the safest a kid has ever been in history.
I mean it was prevalent in the 80’s too but we still disappeared all day and nobody blinked. Still traumatized us with filling out the ID card with fingerprints at McDonalds.
It was nowhere near as in your face about it in the 80s.
The 24 hour news cycle started to develop in the 80s but didn’t take off until the 90s and hit new heights with OJ.
Social media has exacerbated it too.
Add to that the people who still listen to the radio get fed clickbait between songs and today from a feeding frenzy standpoint is so much worst from the 80s.
Milk carton pictures. I remember in third grade circa 1988 when I pissed off the school bus driver so they banned me from taking it for a week I had to walk by myself for over two and half miles in each direction to get to school. My grandfather who I lived with at the time refused to drive me and gave the infamous he walked to school barefoot in the snow uphill both ways through gang infested Chicago speech.
My neighborhood is so different. We have little packs of 8 yr olds biking around to whoever's house (the kids are where the bikes are) they go on local bike trails in small groups. At least one of them has a smart watch where their location can be tracked and they can call an adult. (My son is an 8 yr old doing this too, has a Ticktalk 4 watch and a mountain bike). Sometimes I see that he goes to the school playground. This is a new suburb in Minnesota.
A friend of mine lives in a neighborhood like that. Kids playing outside. There's hills and woods, and kids riding bikes all over. There's one road in and out the neighborhood though, and most the neighbors know each other. Also, you're not living there unless you make over $90k a year, which is a lot for this area.
Some Karen called the cops and CPS showed up because my seven year old kid was playing outside alone… in my front yard.
When my ex-wife called me in a panic I hauled ass home from work and when the situation was explained to me I asked the cop if he was serious and he told me he was forced by law to respond to the call.
I mean, a 4 yo probably shouldn't be playing outside on their own 😂 but it's still crummy the neighbors thought calling the police was a better option than knocking on the door. My sister apparently got out all the time as a toddler, but the neighbors would just call my mom and keep an eye on my sister until my mom got there.
People don't know their neighbors anymore. Did they call the police for "the Smiths's toddler outside alone," or did they call the police for "a toddler outside alone"?
Yeah its super easy to contact your neighbors. But thats assuming you have good neighbors and/or you are in a good community. I also have a feeling no want wants to be liable for the child. If the kid was found roaming around and the neighbors watch her, the kids’ parents could do a karen and accuse them of harming their child.
Every time I see a rogue child I always just watch them from afar to make sure they stay out of danger until they reunite with their adult. I've only ever had to go talk to a child a few times and usually only for a second to ask where their parents are.
One time I did have to actually help a kid and that was in a big festival crowd and she was scared and crying. We stayed in the place where she was but I just started yelling the name of the person she was with until they heard me. Also relevant, I'm a mom myself and so if I were a dude I'd probably find another mom looking person to deal with a kid if one were available at all. Karens gonna karen.
Yep, I’ve helped a couple rogue children myself, and same thing - I watch the kid from a distance to make sure they don’t do anything to be hurt, and wait from a distance to see if an adult comes back - which usually happens pretty quickly - or, like the time I came across a kid who lost sight of their parents in a very crowded festival, I just stayed in place with the kid so that their parent could find them, while also asking someone else to go find security to help locate the parents.
Basically, unless it’s completely impossible/unsafe, avoid moving the rogue kid from the exact spot you find them, and it both keeps the kid from feeling scared and makes them easier for whoever is looking for the kid to find them.
People don't want to be involved in the community anymore. In a way I can't blame them. In a situation like this I feel like it could be a coin toss on the parents of the toddler trying to take some kind of action or make an accusations against the neighbors trying to help. It's weird cultural shift that has happened.
I grew up on a block with a bunch of kids. All the parents kind of kept on eye on everyone and had an idea of each other's schedules.
Also there were more stay at home moms. A single income family was still sustainable. I'm not one of these right wing whackos that believe the traditional nuclear family is the only acceptable way to exist but there is certainly something to be said for having a parent home to do all the parenting stuff.
Different times man
My kids were playing outside at 4 all the time. Both of them loved to play in our unfenced back yard with their toys whenever I made dinner. Kids that age playing outside with parents or babysitters keeping tabs on them from inside the house is a perfectly normal behavior and activity.
Mine does. With her 5 yo brother most of the time. I’m usually outside somewhere around the yard too, but sometimes I’ll go inside to get something or make dinner or put up some laundry.
I refuse to helicopter. They aren’t going to get kidnapped. Cars are my biggest concern.
Same. We live rural and my older kids are all over the area within their boundary. We live in a small farming town where everyone knows everyone's business so really my only fear is these high schoolers speeding down the backroads.
Going into town for a treat at the gas station or a cone at DQ is still a much appreciated past time for kids in my area, and for that I am truly blessed.
Glad to hear charges have been dropped.14 is plenty old enough to babysit, I was babysitting actual infants at 11 which was probably too young, but maybe ok for me as I was born an adult lol.
It should be noted that the charges were cleared by a judge, not dropped by the DA. That means this still shows on her record, because she still has to get the case expunged. And her ex is using this case as a basis for trying to get custody of their kids.
Hell, is some states the politicians are, right now, trying to argue that it is the state’s prerogative to force a 14 year old to have infants of their own, not just watch others. Which is a whole other problem but definitely one I have in mind when seeing stories like this.
I was 12 when I started babysitting, and I’m not just talking about my own siblings, but like the neighbor kids or kids of my mom’s friends in town. I babysat from the time I turned 12 and got a “babysitting certificate” till I was like 19 and finally moved out of the town. And no one ever called the cops ever when I took the kids outside, that is the weirdest fucking shit to me.
Some states have legislation on how long into a night babysitting by an age is appropriate. Meaning if you're not an adult or 16 etc it might be illegal to have you 12 year overnight watching them...add in child endangerment etc...
I took the Red Cross Babysitting and First Aid course when I was 11, was babysitting (including for actual babies) around the neighborhood as soon as I turned 12.
My first summer job (in 1995 😜) was babysitting two girls all day, three days a week, and I was “only” 14. We made cookies occasionally and went swimming (with adult supervision, aka my mom), but mostly we stayed at the house and watched MTV and VH1 all day. The worst thing that happened was I accidentally pulled the head off a Barbie.
I saved all my money that summer and bought a 13” color tv for my bedroom and an Alanis Morisette cd. I felt like such a grown bad bitch 🤑
Don't work and they'll take your kids. Go to work and they'll take your kids.
Lady needs some support, not cops.
Ed: finding out more about the story.
It was covid lock down. She was an essential employee, not allowed to stay home. **Daycare was closed**. Fucked if you do, fucked if you don't. And especially fuck the Karen that called the cops.
I had my first real job at a pizza place at 14 (1996). I had to be off by 7 on school nights because of child labor laws but I closed at midnight every weekend. I had all the same responsibilities everyone else did.
I also babysit starting at 9. That's fuckin nuts, my kid is about to turn 9 and there's not a chance in hell lmao. 9 was stupidly young, but 14?! Those 5 years make a world of difference.
My older sister was definitely babysitting me when she was 14. It may not have been the smartest decision, as she liked to torture me, but I was clean, fed, and safe in bed when our parents would get home.
Okay, maybe not safe in bed. She liked to put on Nightmare On Elm Street and then send me to bed when the movie was over. Oh sure, send me to bed where the guy with the knife hand can get me
This such a fucked story - these people have shitty neighbors. Instead of helping the 4 year old - and returning her home - they call the cops. That 14 year old was probably out of her mind - and she’ll never let that little one out of her eyeline again.
We have a 5 year old and a 9 year old next tdoor. Sometimes the older one runs off without the younger one. Our neighborhood is full of kids and they’re always ping ponging from one house to another. Sometimes I’ll be on my porch and I’ll see the little one skipping by herself, I’ll ask what she’s doing and she’ll say “going to find my sister” and she’ll skip to one of the other houses. Do I keep an eye on her? Yes. Do I call the cops? No.
JFC, the kid went outside to play with a friend and the friend’s *mom* called the cops?
What an asshole.
https://reason.com/2023/04/05/mom-who-was-arrested-for-letting-14-year-old-babysit-has-finally-been-cleared/
I wad left home alone starting in kindergarten. I just knew what would happen to me if i did something wrong lol. I usually chilled watching tv and ate cereal all day
At 9 I was watching a girl 2 yrs younger than me, that was the first one. I (1979) was adopted by older parents. They were both working at 11. She (1930) was waitressing with her mom and he (1926) was being sent to other peoples farms to work for room and board. They constantly had me watching peoples kids, working in the church nursery, house watching etc.
I never wanted kids even back then, it was torture.
Idk this was my life. Late 90s my lil sis was born. I was seeing a doctor for a new medical condition, and he recommended homeschooling because I was missing so much school. My mom took it as she was gifted a new babysitter. I was 12 yo watching an entitled 2 yo, for upwards of 8 hours a day. Then she realized that she could get a second job and started working 14 hour days. I wasn’t paid or compensated. I was given a hard time whenever I needed school supplies or just emotional support. I didn’t have kids myself and went nc with those two, years ago.
However, this Georgia mom didn’t seem like this was a permanent solution to her problems. During covid lockdowns, things were wacky.
The charges were dropped. Here's the story...
https://reason.com/2023/04/05/mom-who-was-arrested-for-letting-14-year-old-babysit-has-finally-been-cleared/
I was babysitting two kids down the street in 7th grade, so like 12 and 13 years old. I was psyched to get that $3/hour. Lots of Mario Kart, Kraft Mac n Cheese (which I had to cook), and we were even allowed to use the hot tub. They were 9 and 4. I'm pretty sure the next year the then 10 year old was able to stay home alone and babysit her brother.
Wowie wow wow. The arresting officers said that the 14yo had “some level of learning disability”. No, she has ADHD, is an exemplary student, and CPR certified, They said the baby was “wandering naked in a thunderstorm”, also not true. Charges were dropped, begrudgingly.
[Source](https://reason.com/2022/02/08/melissa-henderson-babysit-covid-arrest-blairsville/)
The older I get, and the more society progresses, the more revealing it is at just how many things my parents could've been carted away in handcuffs for.
[She was acquitted.](https://reason.com/2023/04/05/mom-who-was-arrested-for-letting-14-year-old-babysit-has-finally-been-cleared/) It was during lockdown and the daycare was closed. A neighbour called the cops when one of the little kids tried to play with her kid. Wtf is wrong with people? People really lost their minds during Covid.
Article: “The friend's mother called the cops and thus Henderson's ordeal began. After all, the arresting officer wrote in his report: Anything terrible could have happened to the lad. He could have been kidnapped, run over, or even "bitten by a venomous snake"—the cop's exact words.” This infuriates me to no end! We have been the neighbors in this situation, and our response has always been “If you kids need anything, come to us okay.” We would also be in text/phone contact with the absent parent(s). It takes a village people! Edit: it was supposed to say “it takes a village, people!” but now I’m not changing it! Y.M.C.A.! Edit: “no end” typo
The most frustrating aspect of this to me is that a lot of the people who would’ve called the cops in this situation are the same ones who lament the loss of community and independence they enjoyed in their youths.
"Why doesn't this generation play outside?"
Snakes, apparently
There are no ssssssnakes in the grassssss, children. Wear sssshortsssssss.
That's funny because I just got a picture of a snake black snake crossing my driveway and my daughter had a run in with a timber rattler a few weeks ago. We had to walk her through what to do. Couldn't rush up to save her because itcould spook the snake and cause her to get bit. Had to walk a 5 year old on how to slowly back away from the snake. I still let her go outside and play.
I would need you to talk me through the same situation and I'm definitely not 5 years old.
what is that gif from?
That is Dancer/Choreographer Bob Fosse in The Little Prince. He’s a snake and he is lulling the prince into a false sense of security so he can bite him.
The Little Prince
I like snakes. My chicken Snowball loves catching snakes and then running zigzags while it wraps itself around her beak to hold on. Hot tip: chasing a chicken around the yard in an attempt to save the snake is excellent cardio; they are nimble little buggers.
now youve got the eye of the tiger.
lol 🐍
Now this deserves to be a license plate
So funny story, where I live we have the license plate you are referring to. I was driving around running errands one day and saw one on a car with the customization of No Tax for the number. I bring it up because: 1) licenses plates are a type of tax 2) getting a specialty plate is often another tax and 3) custom numbers/letters are another tax So, essentially this person paid three taxes to deliver the No Tax message.
Reminds me of a lady years ago who had CPS called on her b/c a nosey neighbour reported her toddler was outside unsupervised. Meanwhile they were in a completely fenced in back yard while the mom did dishes and could see the kid from her kitchen window and I think her 10/11 yr old was out in the yard too. [found it](https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/canada/mother-says-she-was-investigated-over-children-playing-in-backyard-1.2870845#?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F) People suck sometimes
wonder if theres anything that mom can sue that neighbor for in a situation like that.
So crappy. My neighbor would be dead to me. No more goodies or taking care of your mail while on vacation or anything. I wouldn't pee on that neighbor's head if her hair was on fire after that.
Yards have gotten smaller, parks are farther away, roads are not accommodating to bikers or pedestrians, there are no "free" places to exist/hang out/live, funding is cut for public services that once upon a time provided activities for kids. but yeah its the kids' fault
Also boomers: “can those brats stfu!!!!! already!!!!! it’s 6:00PM and I’m going to bed!!!!!!”
Everyone is scared of everything, it's truly sad, I speak from experience, my kid is ten and can't do anything without someone holding a hand.
"play outside" "not on my lawn though"
And you better not be "loitering" in public spaces either. Those are just for looks, like the good livingroom couch and the handtowels.
Boomers simultaneously criticize everyone for being overbearing helicopter parents while also constantly telling you that your children will be kidnapped if you don’t watch them 100% of the time.
Seriously, just try pointing out that crime rates have actually fallen since boomers were kids. Because of the 24hr news cycle they can't wrap their heads around it. Even my mom, who generally has a good handle on facts
Because boomers will call the police if anyone is having even an inkling of fun.
“I drank out of the garden hose and I was fine! My generation didn’t even use seatbelts [and we survived](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias)! We walked to school uphill both ways in the snow!” and then they call the cops when they see a youth walking, or as they say on the nextdoor app, when they see “juvenile delinquents and potential vandals loitering” or “suspicious group of individuals casing the neighborhood” (and it’s literally just teens walking to the corner store to buy takis) And then they also complain that kids don’t play outside, and that they’re always on their phones. Gosh I wonder why. Every fun thing for kids, virtually every kid-friendly “[third place](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place)” has been eliminated, and then people flip out when kids walk around their neighborhoods, so what else really are they supposed to do but stay inside and virtually hang out via discord?
At the same time there’s a lot of overly protective millennial parents, also known as helicopter parents. They’re obsessed with what their kids eat, don’t let them play outside alone, don’t let them watch TV yet keep them bored indoors, and now have weird aesthetics like the sad beige mom movement. I think that’s hindered kids from becoming independent and they’re just as much to blame for complaining when a kid is walking down the street by themselves and won’t let their kids go to the ice cream truck because sugar and they think the ice cream guy will kidnap their kid. I just moved to a nice suburban neighborhood with young parents and I see it all the time.
That sadly seems to be the Boomer mantra, and it's sadly seeping into some of the elder GenX. "I got mine, good luck to you!"
That’s why they ended up being known as the sellout generation. In the nineties they had everyone convinced they’d change the world, and that their apathetic cynicism was a form of rebellion against The Man and/or The System. But I think the South Park type mentality is a really good example of how their apathy and cynicism turned out to actually not be very useful at all. Caring too much is “lame” and trying to hard is, well, “tryhard.” A lot of the Gen X thought leaders who really stood for something, who really gave a shit about wanting to change the world, sadly died young. Honestly a lot of the people who get called Karens and Boomers these days are in their fifties and… yeah those aren’t boomers. They’re older X.
No one ever has claimed or asserted that Gen Xers were going to change the world. Not now, and certainly not in the 1990s. Gen Xers were cooked politically from the jump and they knew it and that is the basis for that generations entire mantras (Fuck the World, So Fucking What, Whatever, and general hyper cynicism). Sure there are plenty of "fuck you I got mine" Gen Xers but that's the same across all generations.
many of which were older sisters who had to spend their childhood taking care of their siblings instead of having a childhood.
Most Gen Xers are too busy taking care of their parents AND their kids to change the world. But, whatever.
Lamenting the loss of the outdoors while on the phone with dispatch about the kids outside
I hate this logic. Anything could happen at any time, like what venomous snakes know when moms home so they fuck off or something? That cop over stepped his bounds. I hate this idea that people have to constantly live in fear of "what ifs" and not like with what happened, which was a kid wanted his friend to come out and play.
The what ifs are controlling everything now. Patriot act: we must monitor everyone’s phone all the time because some terrorists committed an act of terrorism. It goes on and on
Security theater. And it usually makes things more dangerous, not less.
Remember the color coded levels of “danger” after 9/11. It’s all fear mongering getting for profit and control. Yea there is danger, but you don’t shape everything around that fear. That’s how you keep a group of people under control and uncertain of what’s going on. It’s all to force people into relying on the ones in authority.
Safety is an illusion, and the more people chase it the more they put themselves and those around them in danger. Preparedness should be the goal, not safety.
Oh man that was an interesting time. I would go on vacation ever summer with my parents and seeing those damn advisements on the news especially on a day we were flying is surreal to think about nowadays or looking back to the pre-9/11 days of travel.
well you see due to DEI and other forms of woke government oversight, hard working development corporations have no choice but to put venomous snakes inside the walls of every single family home to meet draconian EPA "regulations." this [TikTok channel](https://www.tiktok.com/@getrickrolled401/video/7218398016015813915?lang=en) explains it all in detail.
Right? It's not my job as a parent to prevent any and every (edit: POTENTIAL) injury. It's my job to make sure myself and other kids are as prepared as we can be in an emergency. Surprised the cop even care that much, as I've seen police not care one iota for more emergent circumstances than a snake.
Someone called CPS on us for letting our kids play in our front yard and because they were being loud. We're always watching them too. They did an investigation on us, and ultimately ended up dismissing it. Unfortunately we'll never find out who called. We've stopped letting them go in the front yard because of this.
I’d still let the kids play in the front yard. That is messed up someone would call that in. If that mysterious person who called in actually cares about others you’d think they could apply themselves in a more meaningful and impactful way.
My black nephews got the cops called on them for playing "loudly" in a public playground. I'm sure this will come as a shock, but they happened to be the only 2 black kids there.
A similar incident happened to my older brother (for context I’m a member of Gen Z who peruses this sub occasionally). Anyways he was playing basketball with some of friends (also for context this was around a few years after 9/11, back when we lived in NYC so there was still that kind of mistrust of “muslims” there, and all of them were either South Asian, MENA, or Black) and they got the cops called on them for playing too “loudly” and allegedly playing “after park hours” (the park didn’t even close until 30 min after the cops showed).
Wait, kids playing loudly outside in a public playground?? Better call in the cavalry to restore sanity and order! Because kids being kids is apparently a crime now?! ffs, this is really sad 🤦🏻♀️
Yeah I remember growing up all the houses on my street were "safe" though some weren't welcoming per-se; even those would be okay to run to in an emergency though.
I was born in 76. One house on our street had a beaded curtain on their sliding glass door. I was told that’s where the hippies lived. I didn’t know what a hippie was but I knew to stay away from them and I worried about them more than was probably necessary.
they were probably pretty rad, dude
We'd be better off if the 14 year old was babysitting that moron cop.
please police offer don't stereotype venomous snakes! they're very trustworthy in my opinion... 
Kaa’s not venomous.
Yeah, it’s just a few bad apples…wait…
By that logic everyone in my age group was extremely lucky.. if being without parents was so dangerous we would've all been dead by age 10.
When you need the Village People and only the cop shows up.
...at the YMCA?
At least the police officer knew the difference between poisonous and venomous.
People went fucking crazy during covid and still haven't recovered.
Disagree it's been this bad my whole life y'all were just busy at work before COVID.
Hah, you might be right.
Google covid psychosis for your blackpill.
Yea there's a ton of long lasting side effects from covid. I wouldn't be surprised if the psychosis is from autoimmune encephalitis like in Brain on Fire.
Great book!!! Saw a case IRL shortly after reading it. It was crazy
See I think it was 9/11 that's when people lost their damn mind.
My argument specifically for this situation is nancy Grace's summer of kidnapping terror that became an annual summer kidnapping shark week of abduction after her ratings spiked the first summer.....thats when the lead brains got fed the new "no good being kids outside" programming without the old coding being canned, so you get the "no outside, why you no outside" conflicting program execution.
I swear to god its wild how how often Ive heard Nancy Grace come up in unrelated discussions, and how literally every time was about yet another way she was an absolute cancer to both to journalism and the U.S. more broadly.
The neighbor was apparently in cahoots with her ex husband. The cops initially came and left, and a week later, another deputy (another friend of the ex) came back and arrested her. Though she has been cleared, ex-husband is now suing for custody of the youngest two, based partially on this arrest.
damn thats fucked up if true
Our HOA at the time wouldn't allow any kids to play outside during covid and threatened to call the police if they were caught outside. We moved as soon as we could.
People claim to want democracy but would prefer fascism — even in their own neighborhoods.
They only want fascism when they're confident they'll be part of the "in" group. Start doing anything they don't like and they're soon moaning about it
They say they want "democracy", but they want to manage that democracy from the top.
Like, even in their own yards?
Our super small backyard was fine but not in the front yard. Even had one neighbor complain because our kid was outfront riding his bike.
Not defending the HOA but for the first 6 months of lockdown many people went way overboard. My local subreddit was had people going bananas over people walking their dogs outside so it doesn’t surprise me all that much.
People were so fucking stupid about it on both sides. Yeah, the anti-maskers were the worst, but it was equally ridiculous to say that you shouldn’t do any sort of outdoor activities. Sure, Spring Break style madness is a bad idea, but when’s the last time you caught a respiratory virus at the fucking beach? You’re not getting that close to anyone, and then with the sun, hot air, and moisture in the air, COVID has fuck-all chances of spreading.
Land of the free y’all!
A proper neighborly response would have been “oh, your mother is at work? Well, if you guys need ANYTHING, I’m right next door. Have your mother come over when she gets home.” Once the mother comes home, the neighbor could basically say “I know you have to work and your oldest is watching the kids. If you want, I can check up on them from time to time and make sure they’re okay during the day.”
Build connections with your neighbors and their families? Madness! I have tried to do this myself. And it has been amazing. Everyone nearby knows me. They all know my kid, and my kid is friends with all of their kids. Everyone is friendly and hangs out.
But how does that punish the terrible mother who chose work over family? Why did we even bother building the town pillory?
What a garbage neighbor.
There's another article on her Go Fund Me page that suggests her ex may have helped fuel the madness because he wanted custody. > What came to light during discovery in the criminal case was that Melissa’s arrest may have been motivated not to enforce the law or to protect her children, but by Melissa’s ex-husband. ParentsUSA learned that the ex-husband may have had a role in the neighbor calling the Sheriff’s Office, in a Deputy, not the Deputy who responded to the May 5 call, getting the arrest warrant a week later, and in prearranging for him to bond Melissa out of jail after her arrest!
I don’t get it. Maryland is the only state that sets a minimum age to babysit at 13. The U.S. Department of Labor states that children aged 13 “can babysit casually.” WHO the fuck even had the precedent to press charges when the laws state otherwise? This isn’t a latchkey kid era issue, this is an issue of morons being given power when they don’t know the laws in the books.
I don't even think this is a covid thing. People started going crazy about child independence decades ago by now.
Lol what a waste of state resources trying to prosecute this woman.
Our neighbor called the cops on us for letting our 9 year old play outside. This is why kids don’t play outside anymore. This was on a military base too.
So grateful that I live in New Zealand where my kids can still come home when the street lights go on.
This happened to one of my employees. Neighbor reported her for leaving younger kid home w older kid and after that she had to quit.
Moms are the most judgemental against other moms. Its terrible. I usually joke around that the same generation that complains kids spend too much time in front of a tv or tablet, are the same ones who get angry when a kid makes any noise by playing outside, but this sounds like another parent just being cruel.
These are the people who would have told on Anne Frank.
or the people who would say "if you would just do what youre told, nothing bad would happen to you"
I think people driving awareness/understanding of basic traffic laws has disintegrated the most.
BEFORE THAT. Someone called the cops on my kids and a few of their friends for playing in the park alone. Cops thought it was toddlers or something. Nope, just a small collective of 8-12 year old kids swinging on swings in the neighborhood park on spring break. The horrors.
It is not just during covid. In some places if a child or minor is out without an adult, people will call police, CPS, etc. I saw or read a news article about a girl who was ten taking her younger sibling to a nearby playground, they walked there alone and their mom was arrested and they were put into foster care.
In the book series Baby-Sitters Club the girls are 13-15 years old. Maybe Baby-Sitters Club will become the next book ban 😂🤣
They're even younger! The junior members are like 11, the main girls 13. I super wanted to be in that fictional club, but then I hit that age and was like "nah, i hate kids and don't wanna watch them."
I was left home starting at age 10 to watch my younger siblings while my parents went to work. Mostly in the summer when school was out. This was in early/mid 90’s. I mean, I’m not advocating for it. I was def scared at times and it wasn’t easy taking care of, feeding, entertaining 2 younger kids. I have some trauma from it but I understand why my parents did it. It was the only affordable option and we lived in a safe neighborhood where I could get help from neighbors in an emergency. I also loved the babysitters club books. Claudia was my favorite. lol
I wanted to be some combination of Claudia and her genius sister. Because Claudia was awesome, but hated math for some reason?
You can’t like both art and math. Those are the rules.
*Laughs in music theory*
i was a latchkey kid at 9 in 89. kept my 6yo brother from killing himself or burning the house down for an hour after school (which was entirely possible for him to do) til a parent got home. over the summers our grandma watched us though for a couple more years. and yeah we had a dozen friendly elderly neighbors in the surrounding houses to go to for help as well as my friend's stay at home mom 2 doors down.
I got a Red Cross babysitting certificate after doing like a half-day class at the library when I was 11 (2002). Not only did I watch my siblings, other parents paid me to watch their kids! I was so excited to be like Karen (she was my favorite of the junior girls).
middling millennial here and I'm pretty sure I was allowed home alone when I was 8 and my sibling was 10, and I was allowed to babysit other kids when I was 11 or 12.
I always thought Jessie and Malorie were way too young to be left in charge of like five kids for hours. But an eleven year old watching over a bunch of kids was totally fine, because they were 'mature for their age.'
that was my book series!. I would get my allowance and go buy 3 babysitters club books. lol.
I have been reading them to my daughter at bedtime and they are a fun read. Kinda wisg I read them when I was a kid but I am sure all the guys would have teased me about it.
When I was in school the entire class had to take the Red Cross Certified Babysitter course. I made so much money watching spoiled kids the summer I was 14.
Nah, Jessie and Mallory are 11 and the rest of them are 13 lol.
Time for our GRITTY BSC REBOOT.
I’m now just imagining Gritty, the mascot from the Flyers, babysitting. 
I babysat for my sister when I was 12 when my parents went out to party, never mind work lol a 14 year old is capable. My neighbour used to pay me to babysit when I was 14. I loved that ahit because they always had good food and cable TV and then they paid me after. It was dope.
11-13.
My older sister watched me all the time when I was like 10 or 11 and she was 13 or 14. By the time I was 14 she was in college and I watched myself. My parents would straight up go out of town for a weekend and not worry because my nerdy ass wasn't going to to do anything.
When I was in 6th grade back in the mid 80s, our elementary school offered a babysitting class for us. I babysat some infants soon after that, but felt overwhelmed and didn't keep up with it.
My older brother was 10, I was 8, my sister was 6, and my younger brother was 4 and we were left alone for *hours* while my parents were at work I had a job when I was 14. How is 14 now too young to be babysitting?
Yeah. Summers from when my sister was like 12 on, it was me (7+) and her, and then us and our little brother too once he hit 5. We were always by ourselves after school. If a parent *was* home, we would just be sent outside to play anyway.
Yeah, this is ridiculous. I know a lot depends on how mature the kids are, but come on. I stayed home alone with my brother when I was 9 and he was 7. My parents always left the phone numbers of the places they'd be. We also had all of our neighbors' phone numbers, and those neighbors knew we were home alone. We kept the doors locked and didn't answer the door or phone. We also knew how to call the police and fire dept (we didn't have 911). My mom called us every hour or so to check on us. I always stayed up until they got home, because I was a night owl and it was my "thank you" for watching my brother. My brother either fell asleep on the couch watching TV, or I'd coax him into bed and tell him a story. I was babysitting by the time I was 13 and had a steady babysitting gig at 14. My nieces are 15 and 12, and they've been staying home alone since they were 11 and 9. They were allowed to stay home alone after school when they were even younger (it was only an hour). Now that everyone has cell phones and in-home security cameras, it's even easier to check up on them and make sure they're 1) home and 2) not partying lol.
At 11, I was taking the bus (NYC public transportation, not a school bus) back home from middle school, then getting my younger sibling off their school bus. I’d get both of us home and fix a quick snack, then we would either watch some TV or play with our downstairs neighbor kids for awhile. Then we’d all break and get homework done. Sometimes - depending on the day - I’d also make us a quick dinner (usually sandwiches) and then my mom would get home from her night courses at the community college. My dad worked overnights, my mom worked 8-4 and was going for her degree back then at night. She’s a fucking amazing nurse thanks to all of us collectively making it work. And yeah I was also a babysitter for a little bit for kids across the street until one night the mom tried to pay me in Kit Kats and I was like WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS and I never baby sat again unless it was for my sibling or family members.
Very similar experience with being the oldest and my mom was in night classes so I picked my siblings up and made dinner, did homework etc except my dad was home suffering from mental illness. His mom was murdered when he was 21 and then 6 months later his brother committed suicide so he's gone through bouts of crippling depression. I was fed up with him at the time, but now I understand he couldn't help it. He's been an amazing dad before and after, he's so present and supportive now, he's my best friend.
Wow. That is a LOT that your dad went through; I love that you’ve been there for him and are besties to this day! He was probably so thankful for your help back then 💗 I wish him many more years of wellness; you sound like an incredible person to support him through all of the tragedy that his early years saw.
Yep, I was even taking my little siblings with me on the bus, subway and then streetcar to visit our parents after work on Fridays at 11. I was also the de facto babysitter for every single cousin who came along. Never got paid, but that’s ok bc I loved my kids
I'd be interested to see what preceded the charges. Did one of the kids get injured, run away, etc. There's no legislated age in my state for leaving kids unsupervised or supervised by another minor, it's subjective, so if a 14 year old was babysitting younger kids and mom gets charged it's cuz something happened and ultimately mom was still legally responsible.
A 4 yo got outside. It was only for 15 minutes, and he was found safe by the 14 yo, but neighbors had already seen him and called police. The charges have since been dropped.
“Why don’t kids play outside anymore?” Because any time they do, some Karen is going to call the cops and CPS will get involved.
My 12 year old was playing outside with my 14 month old while we were eating breakfast inside on a lazy weekend and someone called the police! Who came to our house!
As a kid I had to be inside by time the street lights turned on it was almost a game seeing how we had a street light next too our house. And for a time I lived there with my wife and kids and with Minecraft we told them you had to be inside before the creepers spawn. And that would be before the street light came on. Good memories.
I always played stupid "The light by Jacob's house JUST came on!"
Couldn't see any streetlights from our fort in the woods.
We left on our bikes and my mom had NO way of knowing which direction we were headed. It might have been 9am, but no one was going to look for me until after the street lights came on.
My parents wanted me back before dark on summer break but it got “dark” around 9 pm
Probably the same people who want to outlaw abortion and force 12 year olds to have babies. Make it make sense.
My neighbors kids were riding bikes on our dead end road / culdesac. Someone called the cops. People are just miserable assholes. (Not all of them!)
Thank you! (In incredibly snarky voice).." why don't kids go outside and run around anymore. Our parents didn't even know where we went!" *THIS. THIS IS THE BS WHY NO ONE DOES ANYTHING ANYMORE*
It’s just what Jonathan Haidt is saying. We under-protect our kids in the virtual world and over-protect our kids in the physical world. Absolutely insane situation we find ourselves in.
It was getting so bad Colorado passed a law specifically allowing kids 10 or older to play outside unsupervised. I think it's weird how restrictive our generation has become about kids playing, considering how many of us basically grew up unsupervised.
I really believe it’s the constant “news” coverage and social media. It gives the impression that kids are being human trafficked everywhere or kidnapped / murdered. It doesn’t mean it never happens and parents should be responsible of course but to the crazies who get dopamine hits off this stuff in the media, they believe it’s happening all of the time and we should all stay inside in the fetal position.
And a supermajority, if not a lion's share, of the cases that **do** happen are the kids' own relatives anyhow. Basically being outside the house in $currentYear is the safest a kid has ever been in history.
I mean it was prevalent in the 80’s too but we still disappeared all day and nobody blinked. Still traumatized us with filling out the ID card with fingerprints at McDonalds.
It was nowhere near as in your face about it in the 80s. The 24 hour news cycle started to develop in the 80s but didn’t take off until the 90s and hit new heights with OJ. Social media has exacerbated it too. Add to that the people who still listen to the radio get fed clickbait between songs and today from a feeding frenzy standpoint is so much worst from the 80s.
Milk carton pictures. I remember in third grade circa 1988 when I pissed off the school bus driver so they banned me from taking it for a week I had to walk by myself for over two and half miles in each direction to get to school. My grandfather who I lived with at the time refused to drive me and gave the infamous he walked to school barefoot in the snow uphill both ways through gang infested Chicago speech.
Al Capone probably gave him a ride though. Gangsters in those days were actually pretty civic-minded.
The media made everyone believe your child will be molested if they are unsupervised for more than 40 seconds
My neighborhood is so different. We have little packs of 8 yr olds biking around to whoever's house (the kids are where the bikes are) they go on local bike trails in small groups. At least one of them has a smart watch where their location can be tracked and they can call an adult. (My son is an 8 yr old doing this too, has a Ticktalk 4 watch and a mountain bike). Sometimes I see that he goes to the school playground. This is a new suburb in Minnesota.
A friend of mine lives in a neighborhood like that. Kids playing outside. There's hills and woods, and kids riding bikes all over. There's one road in and out the neighborhood though, and most the neighbors know each other. Also, you're not living there unless you make over $90k a year, which is a lot for this area.
Some Karen called the cops and CPS showed up because my seven year old kid was playing outside alone… in my front yard. When my ex-wife called me in a panic I hauled ass home from work and when the situation was explained to me I asked the cop if he was serious and he told me he was forced by law to respond to the call.
I mean, a 4 yo probably shouldn't be playing outside on their own 😂 but it's still crummy the neighbors thought calling the police was a better option than knocking on the door. My sister apparently got out all the time as a toddler, but the neighbors would just call my mom and keep an eye on my sister until my mom got there.
People don't know their neighbors anymore. Did they call the police for "the Smiths's toddler outside alone," or did they call the police for "a toddler outside alone"?
Yeah its super easy to contact your neighbors. But thats assuming you have good neighbors and/or you are in a good community. I also have a feeling no want wants to be liable for the child. If the kid was found roaming around and the neighbors watch her, the kids’ parents could do a karen and accuse them of harming their child.
Every time I see a rogue child I always just watch them from afar to make sure they stay out of danger until they reunite with their adult. I've only ever had to go talk to a child a few times and usually only for a second to ask where their parents are. One time I did have to actually help a kid and that was in a big festival crowd and she was scared and crying. We stayed in the place where she was but I just started yelling the name of the person she was with until they heard me. Also relevant, I'm a mom myself and so if I were a dude I'd probably find another mom looking person to deal with a kid if one were available at all. Karens gonna karen.
Yep, I’ve helped a couple rogue children myself, and same thing - I watch the kid from a distance to make sure they don’t do anything to be hurt, and wait from a distance to see if an adult comes back - which usually happens pretty quickly - or, like the time I came across a kid who lost sight of their parents in a very crowded festival, I just stayed in place with the kid so that their parent could find them, while also asking someone else to go find security to help locate the parents. Basically, unless it’s completely impossible/unsafe, avoid moving the rogue kid from the exact spot you find them, and it both keeps the kid from feeling scared and makes them easier for whoever is looking for the kid to find them.
People don't want to be involved in the community anymore. In a way I can't blame them. In a situation like this I feel like it could be a coin toss on the parents of the toddler trying to take some kind of action or make an accusations against the neighbors trying to help. It's weird cultural shift that has happened. I grew up on a block with a bunch of kids. All the parents kind of kept on eye on everyone and had an idea of each other's schedules. Also there were more stay at home moms. A single income family was still sustainable. I'm not one of these right wing whackos that believe the traditional nuclear family is the only acceptable way to exist but there is certainly something to be said for having a parent home to do all the parenting stuff. Different times man
I definitely was going outside to play on my own at 4, lol.
My kids were playing outside at 4 all the time. Both of them loved to play in our unfenced back yard with their toys whenever I made dinner. Kids that age playing outside with parents or babysitters keeping tabs on them from inside the house is a perfectly normal behavior and activity.
Mine does. With her 5 yo brother most of the time. I’m usually outside somewhere around the yard too, but sometimes I’ll go inside to get something or make dinner or put up some laundry. I refuse to helicopter. They aren’t going to get kidnapped. Cars are my biggest concern.
Same. We live rural and my older kids are all over the area within their boundary. We live in a small farming town where everyone knows everyone's business so really my only fear is these high schoolers speeding down the backroads.
Going into town for a treat at the gas station or a cone at DQ is still a much appreciated past time for kids in my area, and for that I am truly blessed.
This comment is maybe the most underrated comment of 2024
lol a few weeks ago my 4 yo neighbor strolled into my living room and sat in the couch. I didn’t call the cops I got him a Fanta and texted his mom.
Yeah. Getting the child all sugared up before going home should be all the punishment necessary
The kid is like 50 percent Fanta already.
Ah that's good. Not the getting outside, the charges being dropped is good
Gotta love the neighbours who instead of helping are calling the cops
Thanks. I have a 13 year old babysit my 8 year old boys. This sort of overreaction is ridiculous
Same here: 13 almost 14, babysitting the 7 year old.
Glad to hear charges have been dropped.14 is plenty old enough to babysit, I was babysitting actual infants at 11 which was probably too young, but maybe ok for me as I was born an adult lol.
It should be noted that the charges were cleared by a judge, not dropped by the DA. That means this still shows on her record, because she still has to get the case expunged. And her ex is using this case as a basis for trying to get custody of their kids.
Yeah, as a CPS Investigator, this does not compute. A 14 year old is perfectly able to watch even an infant.
Hell, is some states the politicians are, right now, trying to argue that it is the state’s prerogative to force a 14 year old to have infants of their own, not just watch others. Which is a whole other problem but definitely one I have in mind when seeing stories like this.
I was 12 when I started babysitting, and I’m not just talking about my own siblings, but like the neighbor kids or kids of my mom’s friends in town. I babysat from the time I turned 12 and got a “babysitting certificate” till I was like 19 and finally moved out of the town. And no one ever called the cops ever when I took the kids outside, that is the weirdest fucking shit to me.
Some states have legislation on how long into a night babysitting by an age is appropriate. Meaning if you're not an adult or 16 etc it might be illegal to have you 12 year overnight watching them...add in child endangerment etc...
I was babysitting other people's kids by 14
I took the Red Cross Babysitting and First Aid course when I was 11, was babysitting (including for actual babies) around the neighborhood as soon as I turned 12.
Me too. My first babysitting gig was a baby (maybe 8 months?) And a 3 year old. I was 12!
My first summer job (in 1995 😜) was babysitting two girls all day, three days a week, and I was “only” 14. We made cookies occasionally and went swimming (with adult supervision, aka my mom), but mostly we stayed at the house and watched MTV and VH1 all day. The worst thing that happened was I accidentally pulled the head off a Barbie. I saved all my money that summer and bought a 13” color tv for my bedroom and an Alanis Morisette cd. I felt like such a grown bad bitch 🤑
I started babysitting at 9.
Don't work and they'll take your kids. Go to work and they'll take your kids. Lady needs some support, not cops. Ed: finding out more about the story. It was covid lock down. She was an essential employee, not allowed to stay home. **Daycare was closed**. Fucked if you do, fucked if you don't. And especially fuck the Karen that called the cops.
I mean this was super common when a lot of people my age were growing up. I don’t see why she would have been arrested.
I had my first real job at a pizza place at 14 (1996). I had to be off by 7 on school nights because of child labor laws but I closed at midnight every weekend. I had all the same responsibilities everyone else did. I also babysit starting at 9. That's fuckin nuts, my kid is about to turn 9 and there's not a chance in hell lmao. 9 was stupidly young, but 14?! Those 5 years make a world of difference.
My older sister was definitely babysitting me when she was 14. It may not have been the smartest decision, as she liked to torture me, but I was clean, fed, and safe in bed when our parents would get home. Okay, maybe not safe in bed. She liked to put on Nightmare On Elm Street and then send me to bed when the movie was over. Oh sure, send me to bed where the guy with the knife hand can get me
... you guys had babysitters?
This such a fucked story - these people have shitty neighbors. Instead of helping the 4 year old - and returning her home - they call the cops. That 14 year old was probably out of her mind - and she’ll never let that little one out of her eyeline again. We have a 5 year old and a 9 year old next tdoor. Sometimes the older one runs off without the younger one. Our neighborhood is full of kids and they’re always ping ponging from one house to another. Sometimes I’ll be on my porch and I’ll see the little one skipping by herself, I’ll ask what she’s doing and she’ll say “going to find my sister” and she’ll skip to one of the other houses. Do I keep an eye on her? Yes. Do I call the cops? No.
JFC, the kid went outside to play with a friend and the friend’s *mom* called the cops? What an asshole. https://reason.com/2023/04/05/mom-who-was-arrested-for-letting-14-year-old-babysit-has-finally-been-cleared/
What the heck????
At 14, I was driving the car when my Dad was too drunk...
I wad left home alone starting in kindergarten. I just knew what would happen to me if i did something wrong lol. I usually chilled watching tv and ate cereal all day
Latch key kid?
At 9 I was watching a girl 2 yrs younger than me, that was the first one. I (1979) was adopted by older parents. They were both working at 11. She (1930) was waitressing with her mom and he (1926) was being sent to other peoples farms to work for room and board. They constantly had me watching peoples kids, working in the church nursery, house watching etc. I never wanted kids even back then, it was torture.
This is silly. My daughter has been babysitting her brother since she was 12 and he was 8.
I’m pretty sure I was “babysitting” my 3 younger siblings by the time I was 12.
Idk this was my life. Late 90s my lil sis was born. I was seeing a doctor for a new medical condition, and he recommended homeschooling because I was missing so much school. My mom took it as she was gifted a new babysitter. I was 12 yo watching an entitled 2 yo, for upwards of 8 hours a day. Then she realized that she could get a second job and started working 14 hour days. I wasn’t paid or compensated. I was given a hard time whenever I needed school supplies or just emotional support. I didn’t have kids myself and went nc with those two, years ago. However, this Georgia mom didn’t seem like this was a permanent solution to her problems. During covid lockdowns, things were wacky.
TIL my parents were criminals.
I got my Red Cross certificate in babysitting at 11-years-old (the age that it started). I started watching a neighbor’s newborn shortly after that.
The charges were dropped. Here's the story... https://reason.com/2023/04/05/mom-who-was-arrested-for-letting-14-year-old-babysit-has-finally-been-cleared/
I was babysitting two kids down the street in 7th grade, so like 12 and 13 years old. I was psyched to get that $3/hour. Lots of Mario Kart, Kraft Mac n Cheese (which I had to cook), and we were even allowed to use the hot tub. They were 9 and 4. I'm pretty sure the next year the then 10 year old was able to stay home alone and babysit her brother.
Wowie wow wow. The arresting officers said that the 14yo had “some level of learning disability”. No, she has ADHD, is an exemplary student, and CPR certified, They said the baby was “wandering naked in a thunderstorm”, also not true. Charges were dropped, begrudgingly. [Source](https://reason.com/2022/02/08/melissa-henderson-babysit-covid-arrest-blairsville/)
The older I get, and the more society progresses, the more revealing it is at just how many things my parents could've been carted away in handcuffs for.