Mother Is Arrested For Leaving Her 8- And 9-Year-Olds Completely Home Alone

[Swordsmyth]

At what age can kids be left home alone, if at all? One mom thought her kids would be fine, but probably now regrets her choice.
While on vacation in Rehoboth Beach, DE, Susan Terrillion, 55, of Maryland left her 8- and 9-year-old kids in their getaway rental when she went to pick up food 5 miles away. The action resulted in her arrest, USA Today reports. She was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of her children.

A stranger discovered her children were home alone when the family dogs ran in front of his car and he got out to help the kids secure the pets. The witness called the police to report the incident, stating that the kids had been left alone for 45 minutes. Neither the children or dogs were injured, and the mother was later released on $500 bail.

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/moth...182400419.html

[Anti Federalist]

At what age can kids be left home alone, if at all?

At whatever age the state and its armed enforcers arbitrarily decide at any given moment.

[Anti Federalist]

With a cringe, I decided to read the comments, only to be pleasantly surprised.

One of the ones that jumped out at me.

Tierra y Libertad2 days ago

"While on vacation in Rehoboth Beach, DE, Susan Terrillion, 55, of Maryland left her 8- and 9-year-old kids in their getaway rental when she went to pick up food 5 miles away. " " She was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of her children."

Yet no one wants to charge the parents of those two migrant kids that died after dragging them across more than 2000 miles and forgetting to hydrate them or pay attention to their illness.

[Schifference]

At whatever age the state and its armed enforcers arbitrarily decide at any given moment.

I think in most places the powers that ultimately control the population has not identified any particular age that a child could be left alone.

I had an issue with that in my town when kids were going to elementary school. They were deemed walkers because they lived less than 1 mile from school. If the school can classify a first grade student as a walk to school student and deny bus service then can they be left home alone? I would think a child safer at home inside than on the street. But that gets convoluted because the school just does not want to transport children less than one mile to the school. So then they would expect that somehow a parent would transport the child to and fro. Why would a school be able to tell a taxpayer that this child is not eligible for a bus ride and that one is? My stance would be eliminate all school buses or offer transportation to all.

The days of grade school kids riding bicycles to school or anywhere for that matter must be long over. Kids cannot even play in their fenced backyard when the parent is home.

When I was less than 5 I would spend the day playing and exploring as far as I could go. We climbed huge 300 year old maple trees. Went exploring in woods. This is before kindergarten. My mother or the mother of my friends, all very good mothers, knew not where their children be at any given moment. All they knew was they would be home at a specified time and perform specified chores to mothers specifications.

[angelatc]

With a cringe, I decided to read the comments, only to be pleasantly surprised.

Yahoo News is weird like that. They're just a news aggregator, so the stories are largely liberal but the commenters seem right leaning. I see that and I see a path to profitability for Yahoo.

[specsaregood]

I'm convinced that every parent from the 80's, grand/great parents nowadays would be in jail if they were parenting in this millenia.

[CCTelander]

I'm convinced that every parent from the 80's, grand/great parents nowadays would be in jail if they were parenting in this millenia.

I think you're right. What used to be viewed as healthy, even necessary (at times) character-building experiences are now seen as criminal negligence. No wonder we have so many helpless, entitled snowflakes walking around. A bunch of infants in adult bodies.

[specsaregood]

I think you're right. What used to be viewed as healthy, even necessary (at times) character-building experiences are now seen as criminal negligence. No wonder we have so many helpless, entitled snowflakes walking around. A bunch of infants in adult bodies.

Is this the result of the latchkey generation growing up and not wanting their kids to grow up the same way?

[Origanalist]

I'm convinced that every parent from the 80's, grand/great parents nowadays would be in jail if they were parenting in this millenia.

I was a parent late 70's on and I agree. I had a hard enough time not running afoul of these types even back then, my patience level for such crap was never very high.

[Origanalist]

Is this the result of the latchkey generation growing up and not wanting their kids to grow up the same way?

This is a great question. While I myself could have been somewhat labeled as such my own kids seem to be a bit more 'protective' of their kids than I ever was so I'm thinking there's more at play here also. I allowed them to gain a few more of the bumps and bruises the world can dish out though.