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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis single mom was arrested for leaving her children 30 feet away from her.
She was interviewing for a job,she could actually see her kids from where she was sitting.
Laura Browder, a single mother who recently moved to Houston, was arrested after abandoning her children at a mall food court while she interviewed for a job 30 feet away from them. The interview wasnt for a job at the mall, but was a meeting point. Browder left her 6-year-old and 2-year-old at the McDonalds area and they were in her line of sight.
After Browder returned to her children, a police officer was on the scene and arrested her.
The arrest came moments after Browder had accepted a job. She said shes unsure how her arrest that day will affect her opportunity with that job.
CPS officials said theyre still in the early stages of their investigation, but added they could offer services to help Browder find suitable daycare.
http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2015/07/single-mom-arrested-for-leaving-children-in-food-court-while-she-interviewed-30-feet-away/
Bettie
(16,139 posts)Really, the kids were there, within her sight. People need to save their calls to the police for when kids are actually in danger, not when they might not be within arm's reach of a parent.
frankieallen
(583 posts)sufrommich
(22,871 posts)There's nothing "stupid" about it. A single mom out of work most likely can't afford a babysitter,lets punish her for that. How dare she!
ann---
(1,933 posts)She should have taken them with her. I'm sure the
interviewer would have understood why she needed
to have them with her.
But, I do NOT think she should have been arrested.
My gawd!
Bettie
(16,139 posts)When my kids were little, they were often more than 30 feet away from me.
Sometimes, I was even talking to another adult while they played or ate lunch.
There is nothing wrong with your kids being outside of your arm's reach. Nothing.
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)Bettie
(16,139 posts)But it is more than her being a single mom, it is that people are so hyper focused on always having their kids within reach, with kids never exploring or spending a single second without mommy hovering.
Drives me nuts. When my kids were little (but old enough to run and climb) I'd take them to the park. There were two sets of parents.
Set 1: like me, they'd sit on the bench or at a table and read or chat while the kids played.
Set 2: people who stood behind their children, followed them everywhere, never let them so much as climb a ladder on their own.
I don't get the second set of moms. At. All.
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)Helicopter parents suck.
Bettie
(16,139 posts)If they want to helicopter their own kids, fine, go for it. If your kid needs you to go to a job interview with him/her at 20, that's on you.
But, fer cryin' out loud, don't try to force me to helicopter my kids. My kids are extraordinarily independent and can be counted on to make good decisions most of the time and they very seldom make the same bad decision twice because they have been taught that the decisions are theirs and the consequences are also theirs.
Glad to hear there are some other non-hover moms out there!
gollygee
(22,336 posts)30 feet isn't that far.
Igel
(35,383 posts)That story explicitly pointed out she had short notice. It also included that the kids were crying, which rather makes the story different. Kids sitting, happily playing < 30 feet from Mom, fine. Kids sitting, crying < 30 feet from Mom, different story.
But as the story gets repeated, things that make Mom look like perhaps she didn't handle things perfectly are vanishing, and things that make the police to be real ogres increase.
lpbk2713
(42,770 posts)Last edited Mon Jul 20, 2015, 11:44 AM - Edit history (1)
It's much easier to make an arrest like this than to arrest the white collar criminal who is
stealing millions. So this is what they do to make it look like they have earned their keep.
theaocp
(4,247 posts)This could have been handled with an understanding and some helpful guidance. Instead, there's an arrest? Something smells like a quota.