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Most parks are supervised. I hope the person who reported her gets flogged. I think she was doing what was best for her child in an imperfect world. Maybe they would prefer that she stay at home and live off welfare. Busybodies are a pain. Some 9 year olds are evidently more mature than some grownup posters on this thread.
Most parks are supervised. I hope the person who reported her gets flogged. I think she was doing what was best for her child in an imperfect world. Maybe they would prefer that she stay at home and live off welfare. Busybodies are a pain. Some 9 year olds are evidently more mature than some grownup posters on this thread.
I don't know where you live but where I live none of the parks are supervised.
Perhaps there may be a city park employee mowing the grass, trimming bushes or cutting down tree branches a few hours a week but they certainly aren't supervising children (except to make sure that they don't accidently hurt them with the lawn mower or other equipment).
A few parks (far less than 5%) may have a summer recreation program for a few hours a day for a few weeks but that is only open to the children registered to attend it. They do not supervise, or even interact with, random children who happen to wander over to them.
There was possibly someone at the park that was required to report. I'm guessing there is more to the story coming after the initial investigation and CPS isn't going to give that information to the reporters.
Except the kids are in day care or another facility with responsible adults who take care of the kids. . except for that, no difference.
No they aren't. They're at home unsupervised.
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a 9 year old is not old enough to hang out in a public place by themselves unsupervised for a 8 hour shift. There is a reason why this is illegal/ you need guardians.
It's not illegal in my state. The suggested age to stay at home alone is 10, but 9 is not illegal.
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This is what I don't buy. Being at home and letting kid play at park for 45 minutes with a checkin is different than having a kid hang out a park all day.
Yes, it is, which is why I'd be inclined to help them mom. I don't think this is criminal.
At least, in my state it's not criminal. I can count right now, in my head, about 10 kids who are aged 9 - 10 who stay home alone while their parents work during the summer.
But then, we have all kinds of human laws in my state, such as statutory rape depends on age difference and not absolute age of the victim, pot and beer fall under the same regulatory category, and all kinds of stuff that does not criminalize behavior which is pretty normal.
Most parks are supervised. I hope the person who reported her gets flogged. I think she was doing what was best for her child in an imperfect world. Maybe they would prefer that she stay at home and live off welfare. Busybodies are a pain. Some 9 year olds are evidently more mature than some grownup posters on this thread.
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Originally Posted by germaine2626
I don't know where you live but where I live none of the parks are supervised.
Perhaps there may be a city park employee mowing the grass, trimming bushes or cutting down tree branches a few hours a week but they certainly aren't supervising children (except to make sure that they don't accidently hurt them with the lawn mower or other equipment).
A few parks (far less than 5%) may have a summer recreation program for a few hours a day for a few weeks but that is only open to the children registered to attend it. They do not supervise, or even interact with, random children who happen to wander over to them.
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Originally Posted by Hopes
None of our parks are supervised either
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Originally Posted by Katiana
The parks aren't supervised here either. If the park where this child was left was supervised I don't think there would be any concern.
I wonder if one of the reasons that the responses varied so much was that some readers were picturing a park where there was some type of supervision. Perhaps a magical place where a sweet grandmotherly type person is leading children in group games, kissing "boo-boos", making sure that everyone takes turns on the swings and a 9 year would be perfectly safe for hours on end.
Whereas some of us were picturing parks where there are teenagers smoking crack in one area, bums sleeping off their drunken binge in another area, pedophiles are ogling children from behind the bushes, and bullies are making children cry unless their parent is right there to protect them.
Probably neither "picture" of the park is accurate.
I think the thread title is part of the problem with so much misunderstanding. I don't think there's anyone on this thread who has an issue with kids playing outside. I didn't let mine go to the local park unsupervised until age 10, but I'll not quibble about a year. But yes I do have concerns about leaving a 9 year old off at the park for an entire work shift.
If you just look at the title and write a response based on it, you'll have a far different response than if you read the link.
Where are there parks that are "supervised" and even if they exist, what makes you think you can drop you kid off like it's free babysitting?
I worked at a kids museum for a summer in college. A mom dropped her kids off at 9 and didn't come back until 5. The museum was "supervised" in that there were people like me to help kids at the exhibits. That does not = free babysitting. The security guard kept an eye on them all day and gave the mom an earful when she came back.
I hope someone helps this mom sign up for subsidized child care.
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