Donna St. George reports via the Washington Post
* * * * *
It was a one-mile walk home from a Silver Spring park on
Georgia Avenue on a Saturday afternoon. But what the parents saw as a moment of
independence for their 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, they say
authorities viewed much differently.
* "AUTHORITIES...???"
Danielle and Alexander Meitiv say they are being
investigated for neglect for the Dec. 20 trek — in a case they say reflects a
clash of ideas about how safe the world is and whether parents are free to make
their own choices about raising their children.
* SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THIS ISN'T SO MUCH A "CLASH"
AS IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF NANNY-STATE OVER-REACH.
* SATURDAY... AFTERNOON... RIGHT? (A*F*T*E*R*N*O*O*N...!)
“We wouldn’t have let them do it if we didn’t think they
were ready for it,” Danielle said.
She said her son and daughter have previously paired up
for walks around the block, to a nearby 7-Eleven and to a library about
three-quarters of a mile away. “They have proven they are responsible,” she
said. “They’ve developed these skills.”
* THIS IS INSANE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT KIDS PLAYING...
P*L*A*Y*I*N*G... R*O*A*M*I*N*G... AROUND THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD ON A SATURDAY
AFTERNOON! THIS IS NOT A "SKILL." THIS IS WHAT LIFE IS SUPPOSED TO
BE!
The Meitivs say they believe in “free-range” parenting, a
movement that has been a counterpoint to the hyper-vigilance of “helicopter” parenting,
with the idea that children learn self-reliance by being allowed to
progressively test limits, make choices and venture out in the world.
* LET'S JUST CALL IT... umm... SANE PARENTING. (HOW'S
THAT?!)
“The world is actually even safer than when I was a
child, and I just want to give them the same freedom and independence that I
had — basically an old-fashioned childhood,” she said. “I think it’s absolutely
critical for their development — to learn responsibility, to experience the
world, to gain confidence and competency.”
* AND FRIGGIN' AMEN...!!!
On Dec. 20, Alexander agreed to let the children, Rafi
and Dvora, walk from Woodside Park to their home, a mile south, in an area the
family says the children know well.
The children made it about halfway.
Police picked up the children near the Discovery
building, the family said, after someone reported seeing them.
* DID THE POLICE ATTEMPT TO CONTACT THE PARENTS BY PHONE?
DID THE OFFICERS ASK THE CHILDREN WHERE THEY LIVED AND THEN VERIFY THE ADDRESS?
I CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA THROW THE COPS UNDER THE BUS, BUT... WHILE I'M NOT
POSITIVE THEY DID THE WRONG THING, NEITHER AM I POSITIVE THEY DID THE RIGHT
THING.
Police on Wednesday did not immediately have information
on the case. But a spokeswoman said that when concerns are reported, “we have a
responsibility as part of our duty to check on people’s welfare.”
* ABSOLUTELY! (THAT'S WHY I - WHILE KEEPING AN OPEN MIND -
QUESTION THE STEPS TAKEN.)
The Meitivs say their son told police that he and his
sister were not doing anything illegal and are allowed to walk. Usually, their
mother said, the children carry a laminated card with parent contact
information that says: “I am not lost. I am a free-range kid.” The kids didn’t
have the card that day.
* THOUGH THEORETICALLY THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO GO TO SUCH
LENGTHS, IT'S NOT A BAD IDEA. INDEED, IT'S A SMART IDEA IN THE CONTEXT OF
"THE GOOD GUYS" HAVING ACCESS TO SUCH INFORMATION.
Danielle said she and her husband give parenting a lot of
thought.
“Parenthood is an exercise in risk management,” she said.
“Every day, we decide: Are we going to let our kids play football? Are we going
to let them do a sleepover? Are we going to let them climb a tree? We’re not
saying parents should abandon all caution. We’re saying parents should pay
attention to risks that are dangerous and likely to happen.”
* AS IF ANY OF US "ASKED OUR PARENTS" BEFORE
CLIMBING A TREE... OR BEFORE DOING MOST OF THE DUMB STUFF WE DID AS KIDS!
(*CHUCKLING*)
She added: “Abductions are extremely rare. Car accidents
are not. The number one cause of death for children of their age is a car
accident.”
Danielle is a climate-science consultant, and Alexander
is a physicist at the National Institutes of Health.
Alexander said he had a tense time with police on Dec. 20
when officers returned his children, asked for his identification and told him
about the dangers of the world.
* NO PARENT LIKES TO BE LECTURED. THAT SAID, IF ANYONE
KNOWS THE DANGERS OF THE WORLD... IT'S A COP.
The more lasting issue has been with Montgomery County Child
Protective Services, he said, which showed up a couple of hours after the
police left.
* SEE... THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BREAKS DOWN. I'M SURE THE
POLICE WERE FOLLOWING THEIR REGS... BUT IF THIS IS GONNA BE THE OUTCOME THE
REGS NEED TO BE CHANGED.
Mary Anderson, a spokeswoman for CPS, said she could not
comment on cases but that neglect investigations typically focus on questions
of whether there has been a failure to provide proper care and supervision.
* GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT...
In such investigations, she said, CPS may look for
guidance to a state law about leaving children unattended, which says children
younger than 8 must be left with a reliable person who is at least 13 years old.
The law covers dwellings, enclosures and vehicles.
* THAT'S A CRAZY LAW. I CAN SEE HOW AND WHY IT WAS PASSED
IN THE FIRST PLACE. THIRTEEN JUST "SOUNDS GOOD." BUT IF WE AS A
SOCIETY WAIT TILL A CHILD IS 13 BEFORE ALLOWING THAT CHILD TO EXPERIENCE
CHILDHOOD...
(*SHRUG*)
* LET KIDS BE KIDS!
The Meitivs say that on Dec. 20, a CPS worker required
Alexander to sign a safety plan pledging he would not leave his children
unsupervised until the following Monday, when CPS would follow up. At first he
refused, saying he needed to talk to a lawyer, his wife said, but changed his
mind when he was told his children would be removed if he did not comply.
* IS THIS YOUR AMERICA, FOLKS... THE AMERICA YOU WANNA
RAISE YOUR CHILDREN IN? THE AMERICA YOU WANT YOUR CHILDREN TO RAISE THEIR
CHILDREN IN?
Following the holidays, the family said, CPS called
again, saying the agency needed to inquire further and visit the family’s home.
Danielle said she resisted.
“It seemed such a huge violation of privacy to examine my
house because my kids were walking home,” she said.
* IT IS!
This week, a CPS social worker showed up at her door, she
said. She did not let him in. She said she was stunned to later learn from the
principal that her children were interviewed at school.
* FOLKS... GOVERNMENT IS OUT OF CONTROL.
The family has a meeting set for next week at CPS offices
in Rockville.
“I think what CPS considered neglect, we felt was an
essential part of growing up and maturing,” Alexander said. “We feel we’re
being bullied into a point of view about child-rearing that we strongly
disagree with.”
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