Cops Ticket British Mom for Letting Son, 14, Babysit His Pre-K Brother

[HuckleB]

http://www.parentdish.com/2011/02/15/mom-punished-for-letting-teen-son-babysit-3-year-old-brother/

"Lovely. A mom in England was ticketed for "cruelty" for leaving her 14-year-old son in charge of his 3-year-old brother for half an hour while she went out shopping.

Well, they don't call it a "ticket" in England, they call it a "caution" -- but forget semantics. The fact is, by allowing her teen to babysit for less than an hour, the mom lost her job as a health care assistant, because now her record shows her "committing an act of cruelty on a child or young person."

...

What, exactly, is so cruel about letting your teenage son act responsibly? What is so cruel about showing him that you believe in him, and that you like the young man he's becoming?

And what is so cruel about letting your younger son be cared for by his older brother? Is anyone in the English establishment aware that many of today's parents were themselves babysitters at age 11 or 12?

..."


-----------------------------


What a strange new world we have created.

:mad: :puke: :crazy: :grr: :banghead:

[tallahasseedem]

1. Huh?

I was babysitting by the age of 12. This is ridiculous!

[HuckleB]

3. Yup. It's bizarre. The culture of fear is becoming "official."

[eShirl]

4. same here. $1/hr!

[Jazzgirl]

10. So was I!

This is way too weird.

[Mojorabbit]

23. So was I. I had a girl scout babysitting badge too. LOL. nt

[Xenotime]

30. No it isn't. Please... How is a 14 year old to defend themselves..

if somebody decides to attack them. This is a different world and we can't afford to take the same risks anymore. To do so is reckless.

[hobbit709]

34. Oh Good Grief.

Anyone THAT paranoid shouldn't have kids.

[HuckleB]

36. Yeah, it's a safer world (at least in the US) than it was 25 years ago.

Crime is down all over. So, what's your point?

[damntexdem]

39. How is the mom to defend herself if someone decides to attack her?

Like the cop did by giving her that caution!

[reggie the dog]

40. what? it is england the kid and the mom would

both have to call the cops to defend themselves because people cant have guns at home in england.... in the usa a 14 year old could pull a gun on the intruder...and i am serious

[WolverineDG]

2. Thanks, helicopter parents!

In Texas, you can't leave any child under 15 alone at all. The cops are always busting some mom or dad for "abandoning a child" by making a quick trip to the store, but fail to mention that the "child" is 12 or 13, old enough to know not to play with matches & to call 911 if the need arises.

dg

[SoCalDem]

5. and the state will try that 12 yr old as an "adult" if he does something bad

:shrug:

[WolverineDG]

15. Yup

There was an interesting article about how we view teenagers as "children to be protected" or as "adults responsible for their own behavior." All boiled down to whether in that particular instance they were "victims" or "criminals."

http://www.newsweek.com/2008/06/07/when-age-is-just-a-number.html



dg

[hobbit709]

37. there was a classic line from an exasperated teacher once

"Children, you are teenagers now so please try to act like adults"

[seabeyond]

13. oooops, didnt know that. i started babysitting at 11. maybe that is why there are

helicopter parents. we have to cover our ass with everything, even the unreasonable.

i really thought it was 12 here in texas

[WolverineDG]

17. Nope, 15

they just made a big deal about busting some mom for "abandonment" when she made a run to HEB & left her poor 14 year old home alone. :eyes:

I haven't seen a case prosecuted, though.

oh yeah, & I was babysitting a 5 year old when I was 13. Go figure.

dg

[ctaylors6]

20. Is that a Texas state law re 15 years old to be left alone?

Or is it a local law? I'm in Dallas and have never heard of such a law. I know 14 year olds who babysit a lot.

Edited to add: I just found this under Texas Dept Family and Protective services:

Although, there is no Texas law that defines a specific age at which a child may be left home alone, there are several factors that should be taken into consideration when deciding how closely to supervise a child,

https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Protection/About_Child_Protective_Services/faqchildalone.asp

[HuckleB]

24. According to this, it must be a local law.

http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchkey-kids-age-limits.htm

[WolverineDG]

45. Nope

Texas Penal Code 22.041

yes, it's stupid that they arrest people for leaving their teenagers home alone, but they do.

dg

[WolverineDG]

44. Texas Penal Code 22.041

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/PE/5/22/22.041

dg

[Carni]

25. WHAT!?! My 14 Year old had a JOB

In Texas you can't leave an under 15 year old alone?!? That's crazy!

My 14 year old had a job last summer...leading tourists through a cavern as a tour guide no less (she still works there on weekends but now she's 15)

It's all legal she has a working permit and she loves her job and loves having some extra spending $$$

I think I babysat when I was 12! Granted that was back in the stone ages lol

[HuckleB]

27. Kids used to be out and about in the very early morning delivering papers...

I was ten when I started delivering papers... and I bet the age was younger for my ancestors.

[WolverineDG]

47. Well, you *can* but then it's up to you to argue it in court

that any other reasonable adult would have felt safe doing the same. And this, of course, is after your picture has been plastered all over the media as someone who "abandoned" their child.

Like I said, I haven't seen one of these cases cross my desk, but my first reaction will probably be (presuming the poor abandoned child was a teen & not a baby) "Are you fucking kidding me?"

dg

[virgogal]

29. My brother and I were left alone all day at age 6 and 8. Of

course this was in the 40's and my widowed mother had to work.

We survived.

[reggie the dog]

41. parents should just say that the kid was out playing with friends.

[Jokinomx]

6. Dang... they would have to write up half this country with that

policy.

Sad...that they are wasting their time on something so small with so many kids out there that are in need of help.

[FLPanhandle]

7. Shit like this is why Libertarian ranks expand.

Government involvement in peoples lives without common sense.

Somewhere some group of politicians stopped thinking.

[The2ndWheel]

11. Or thought too much

It does take extra effort to come up with rules like this.

[LynneSin]

8. You have GOT to be fricking kidding me

My friend does that all the time although the youngest is 9 not 3. But still, a 14 year old should be able to watch a 3 year old for a few hours without issue provided the 14 year old has shown some responsiblity and at least one parent has a cell-phone where they can be reached.

[distantearlywarning]

12. And when you read books like the Little House on the Prarie series

It's so obvious what a bunch of overprotective, helicoptering wimps we've become. Laura Ingalls Wilder went away to teach when she was 15 years old, handled a dozen kids of all ages in a classroom by herself, and she boarded out at a home with strangers! She was basically an adult, in a much stricter, more protective time (especially with regard to girl children). Yet somehow today's teenagers are assumed to not be able to handle their three-year old siblings for an hour or two while mom goes to the store??? Ridiculous.

[WolverineDG]

19. She even slept on the sofa in their bedroom

& one night the wife got a knife & threatened to kill her husband.

But if you really want to send the helicopter parents into hysterics, have them read "Farmer Boy."

on edit: & how old was she when Ma & Pa took Mary off to college & left her *ON THE HOMESTEAD* alone with Carrie & Baby Grace? Not just for a few hours, but at least a week!!! :wow:

dg

[distantearlywarning]

9. Really???

I was babysitting for a few hours at a time when I was 13. Also, I was a latch-key kid from the time I was about 9 or so, alone for several hours in the house after school. Nothing bad ever happened. It taught me independence.

This seems completely stupid to me. No wonder 18 year olds get to college and can't figure out how to find their ass with a map and compass. :crazy:

[Angry Dragon]

14. She lost her job

Now it will cost the government more as she gets assistance.

[lumberjack_jeff]

16. Much as I agree with the reaction...

... I strongly suspect there's more to the story.

[HuckleB]

26. So did I, but I can't find anything that indicates that there is more to the story.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/227553

http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/outrage-of-the-week-mom-ticketed-for-letting-son-14-watch-brother-3-for-30-mins/

[Mark Baker]

31. It's in the Daily Express

The Express is a bit like the Mail, but more openly racist.

I wouldn't believe a word in it.

[HuckleB]

That may be true, but why wouldn't they pump up something if they could?

If there's more, then there's more juicy stuff, yet it's not in the piece.

[HuckleB]

32. Burp. Dupe.

[HuckleB]

33. BBC...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12380329

[truebrit71]

42. Good thing the Fuzz in England have got all of the other crime under control...can't let a teen...

...watch his little bro' for half an hour...

Fuck you very much Tony Blair for your Nanny-State bollocks...you have made the Conservatives look like the true liberals..

[Codeine]

18. That's insanity. 12-year-olds are more than capable

of spending a few hours keeping little brother out of the fireplace and away from the knife drawer. Culture's gone goofy all over the place.

[no limit]

21. As a 11 year old I used to watch my 9 year old sister and 3 year old brother all the time

this is nuts.

[HuckleB]

22. Indeed.

I watched my younger brother. Heck, many of the kids on our street just came home, made our own snacks and went out to play. The parents were at work, and the ages ranged from 7 to 12 or so...

[kiranon]

46. Same here. This is nonsense. Fourteen is old enough. n/t

[Arkansas Granny]

28. It used to be that babysitting was one of the few ways a 14 yo could make a little money.

I started babysitting when I was 12. By the time my older kids were 14 they were watching their younger siblings after school until I got home from work. It was not unusual at all.

[HuckleB]

48. It still is, I believe.

But, that might be changing, I guess.

[SidDithers]

35. Is there more to this story?...

Fourteen is more than old enough to be babysitting, unless the laws are significantly different in England.

Here, our kids are encouraged to take a Stay Home Alone course at 10, and the Babysitting Course at 11, though it's not suggested they start sitting until 12.

Sid

[HuckleB]

38. I can't find anything more...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12380329

[WinkyDink]

43. The UK is royally screwed up, in terms of its laws and punishments.