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This whole thing smells like some sort of neighbor dispute. Like others... I'm sure there is something more to this story.
That said, unless the kid exhibited obvious signs of immediate distress or appeared to be in great danger for some other reason, I would simply ignore it. A normal kid can certainly survive for an hour and a half without food, outside, in a decent climate. Sometimes crap goes wrong and parents can't be there every single minute. Do schools now stuff kids with food every hour and a half?
And why doesn't this person have a house key? We had one stashed outside in case there was a problem. Most people probably did. Today, electronic locks make this even more easily avoided. It just seems odd that an 11 year old would be truly locked out. But maybe the parents felt that this could never happen.
Yeah, but who doesn't have an outside faucet? Some shade. And in an emergency situation, well the cop tinkled outside. I don't think 1 1/2 hrs. exposure to the out of doors in suburbia is going to kill anyone.
I guess they would have just strung me up if people had those attitudes back when mine were young. When my boys were that age they went outside for hours, over the bluff, down into the gorge and played in the woods, same places I use to play. Good Lord we use to drink water that came right out from an underground spring in the caves and pee right on the ground. Grandma would say, now you children stay away from those bobcat dens. She was more concerned that we washed our hands so we wouldn't get worms.
If Mom was (heaven forbid) in an accident on the way home or otherwise severely delayed, the boy would need to get into the house eventually. I think he should have a way to get in if needed and someone to call for help. It sounds to me like Mom was simply unprepared for that possibility. I have no problem with a boy that age being trusted outside on his own for a a few hours after school, but I agree that he needs to be able to get into the house.
If Mom was (heaven forbid) in an accident on the way home or otherwise severely delayed, the boy would need to get into the house eventually. I think he should have a way to get in if needed and someone to call for help. It sounds to me like Mom was simply unprepared for that possibility. I have no problem with a boy that age being trusted outside on his own for a a few hours after school, but I agree that he needs to be able to get into the house.
I agree. Could have been a fluke though, lost his key, lost the "hidden" key. When my boys were that age they would just jimmy the window if they needed in that bad. I just don't lock my doors.
I would think people would have a plan for such situations, like a neighbor to go to or someone to call. Most kids have a cell phone.
One time I had five extras sets of keys made for our indoor and outdoor locks . They all disappeared!
I got so mad at my wife always losing her key and taking mine, I went and had a dozen keys made (literally 12 keys to make a point) and put them in a drawer for her. She'd keep a spare in her car, when she lost one, she'd replace it from the drawer. Problem solved, right? No, about two years later we were out. So I got a electronic touchpad lock for the back door.
When I was younger than 11 I could be out all day until dark. This was the same for most everyone. When my dad was 11 he was working.
Probably in the future kids won't be allowed to be in a room alone. I complain about this but I was part of the problem with my kids. Too overprotective.
Neighbor is an idiot and so is the local agency who put this family through this nonsense.
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