Every year we hear stories about parents getting in trouble for leaving their children in places unsupervised, whether it’s at home, in a store, or in a car. In most incidents the parents were nowhere near where they had left their children, but for a recent story coming out of Houston, Texas, that was simply not the case.

Single Mom Laura Browder Arrested After Leaving Kids at Food Court While Interviewing for… http://t.co/ez0DkFUboy pic.twitter.com/NUNj4FYFm4

— Hinterland Gazette (@hinterlandg) July 19, 2015

Laura Browder, single mother of a 6-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy, was arrested and charged with “abandoning” her children who were no more than 30 yards away from her. She went to Houston’s Memorial City Mall for a job interview but because it was last minute, Browder did not have enough time to find a babysitter. She brought her kids in the mall with her and sat them down in the food court near a McDonalds then went to her interview. According to Browder the interview was not for a job in the mall, but the food court was a meeting ground for the company’s employer and herself. Shortly after being offered the job and returning to her children, she was handcuffed. Browder claims the children were always in her line of sight, but the police officer on the scene arrested her. She is unsure of how this arrest will affect the new position.

Browder stated,

This was very unfortunate this happened. I had a interview with a very great company with lots of career growth. I am a college student and mother of two. I would never put my name, background or children in harms way intentionally. I have a promising future ahead of me regardless of what the media tries to portray me as. A judge released my children to me knowing that I was a good mother who just made a not so smart decision. My children weren’t even 30 yards away from me, I fed them and sat there with them until it was time to meet with my interviewer. This too will pass and I am not concerned with outsiders have to say or what they think.

Child Protective Services officials say they are still in the early stages of the investigation, but have stated that they can offer services to help Browder find suitable childcare. It’s hard to understand the argument for charging her. Although she purposely left her kids there, she was unaware that it would be considered abandonment even with them in her sight, and she appeared to have been doing the best she could.

This is bullshit ! I guess it would’ve been better had she left them in the hot car like most scum bag parents smh http://t.co/QHZ4bA9ZQl

— Marnica (@TeammakeMoney) July 19, 2015

Many people have commented via Twitter or other forms of social media that she should not be punished because the children were in her eyesight and not in a car or somewhere that she could not easily get to them. Browder is trying to do the best that she can with her circumstances. She is a single mother and her kids need her in the picture. Accepting the childcare help that child protective services can offer could make things a lot easier for her. But most pressingly, it’s important to make sure laws are applied in common sense ways to best help mothers who are struggling to seek care for their children.

Taelor Bentley

Taelor is a member of the Hampton University Class of 2017 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Taelor at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Texas Mother Charged with “Abandoning” Her Kids Who Were 30 Yards Away appeared first on Law Street.

A Maryland couple, who was found “responsible for unsubstantiated child neglect” in March after allowing their two children to walk around their neighborhood unsupervised, have found themselves in trouble with Child Protective Services (CPS) yet again for their “free-range” style of parenting.

TODAYshow: ‘Free-range’ parents being investigated by Child Protective Services again http://t.co/0Ulo0dYbGZ pic.twitter.com/pTNZSI6SIe

— NBC fan (@NbcWashFan) April 13, 2015

Danielle and Alexander Meitiv drove their two children–Rafi, 10, and Dvora, 6–to the park to play about two blocks away from their house at around 4pm Sunday and told them to be home by 6pm. When 6:30pm rolled around and the kids still weren’t home the parents got worried and began to search for them. It wasn’t until after 8pm that the frightened parents were finally notified by social workers that their children were safe and with CPS 10 miles away in Rockville, Maryland.

A concerned citizen reportedly called 911 after seeing the kids playing alone at the park.  According to CBS News, ten-year-old Rafi stated that officers picked him and his sister up telling them they would drop them off at home. Instead, the two kids were brought to a CPS facility and held for hours. The parents were finally able to take their children home around 10:30pm, but not before first being forced to sign a safety plan stating that they will not leave their children unattended until CPS is able to follow up with the family.

The real question is whether the Meitivs’ parenting really warranted another call from Child Protective Services? If you go back a few generations the answer is most likely no.

According to Scott D. Sampson, author of “How to Raise a Wild Child,” “the average North American child currently spends about seven hours a day staring at screens, and mere minutes engaged in unstructured play outdoors.” That’s a dramatic difference from the “be home before the street lights come on” mantra of previous generations. Back then it wasn’t uncommon for kids to walk miles to school or go into town by themselves–now it’s unheard of.

A looming threat of “stranger danger” is one of the biggest culprits for this behavioral shift that has led to helicopter parenting. Lenore Skenazy, the founder of Free-Range Kids, who famously allowed her nine-year-old son to ride the New York Subway alone, perfectly describes the the new hovering norm stating:

A mom in an upscale Atlanta suburb won’t let her daughter walk out to the mailbox: ‘There’s just too much that could happen.’ Another mom was actually on the lawn with her kids, reading as they played, when a passerby yelled, ‘Put down that book! Your kids could be snatched at any time!’ And on a visit to Ikea, a grandmother waved at a cute four-year-old holding her daddy’s hand. ‘That lady SMILED at me!’ shrieked the girl. ‘Is she going to kidnap me?’

While some states do have laws in place designating acceptable ages for children to be left at home alone or in a car, some do not. This ambiguity leaves room for parents to decide what level of freedom is appropriate for their own children, with both age and maturity being the biggest considerations. While the Meitivs’ decision to allow their children to play two blocks from their home unattended did end in another bout with CPS, it hardly constitutes neglect or abuse, but rather shows trust. Promoting self-reliance in children, within reason of course, shouldn’t be a crime.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Free-Range Maryland Parents in Trouble for Leaving Kids Alone…Again appeared first on Law Street.