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Unattended Children Not Necessarily Neglected

In a sociology class in college, we were instructed to write a controversial letter to our hometown newspaper editor - the following letter got published to the Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://www.richmond.com/opinion/your-opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article_db0fa4db-cff8-5b08-8efa-8c31fbb87840.html#.VPzUos0JU7c.facebook)

There comes a point where law enforcement crosses the line. The fact that policemen were able to intrude on a Maryland family’s personal parenting styles this past December is unbelievable. Just because the parents allow their children to walk to and from a neighborhood park doesn’t mean that they are neglecting them.

As a kid, I would venture around the neighborhood at all hours of the day, whether it was walking to a friend’s house or going to the local playground. Nobody would call 911 in suspicion of child neglect, I wouldn’t get taken home in a police car and I wouldn’t have to witness my parents getting arrested for something they didn’t do.

This whole ordeal caused more trouble than it was worth as it left the children traumatized and the public distressed. It’s foolish to think that our society has gotten to the point of questioning people for the most innocent actions while there are so many other important issues to worry about. Once someone hears about one bad story of unsupervised children, they automatically think that it’s inappropriate in all situations. Countless non-issues are being created as society has become so easily affected by all of the bad news gaining publication. However, if we look at the facts, child abduction and abuse rates are actually higher for parents than they are for strangers. Technically, these children are more at risk while at home than they are while out in the streets.

So instead of jumping to conclusions and calling the cops when suspicious of child neglect, maybe ask the children themselves if they’re lost or need any help to prevent any impending troubles like the trauma that was caused for the Meitiv family.

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