Fezmid Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 So the kid misbehaved so badly that he was suspended from using the bus five times. The mom decides to teach him a lesson and make him walk 4.5 miles to school. And she gets arrested because little Jimmy "could have been abducted!" http://www.kait8.com/story/16945922/mom-charged-after-forcing-10-year-old-to-walk-45-miles-to-school http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/mom-faces-jail-making-son-walk-school-232106412--abc-news.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fong Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 This exact scenario happened to me when I was a kid. Minus the nosy security guard and the criminal charges against my Mom. I had no idea my parents were criminals all these years. Being punished like this was totally effective in my case. I never had another discipline problem in school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Mom will be under review of child services forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 4.5 miles is a long walk for a kid that age and i get the potential for something terrible to happen....if it were me, i would have been following the kid from a safe distance. fwiw, i agree with her method of punishment in making him feel the pain of walking...just not sure i would have let my 10 year old do it without my eyes on him every second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDS Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 What she did was absurd. 4.5 miles for a 10 year old is an incredible distance to walk, especially if he had a backpack to carry. Making him do that unsupervised is unconscionable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) What she did was absurd. 4.5 miles for a 10 year old is an incredible distance to walk, especially if he had a backpack to carry. Maiming him do that unsupervised is unconscionable. Oh boy...here we go LOl. 4.5 miles is a long way..but only making him do it 5 times...i am okay with that. However, your point on the backpack is well taken, both my kids have so much homework their packs are barely manageable. Unsupervised..i am not so sure about it being unconscionable. I used to walk to/from swim practice about 1.5 miles each way starting at 9. Also took the Niagara Falls city bus three days a week to the Y from LaSalle to Downtown NF, about an 8 mile,45 minute trip, with me and brother starting when I was 8 and he was ten. And statistically, the world, in particular the US, is a much safer place than it was in the 70's. BTW, i am a guy who lets his boy go down to the woods for hours on a time to go fishing, build forts, shoot airguns etc..so I may be on the extreme on one side of the fence. Love this blog BTW..comes pretty close to how i parent http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/about-2/'>http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/about-2/ http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/ Edited February 17, 2012 by plenzmd1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazed and Amuzed Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Um yeah walking to school was a requirement for me, not a punishment and 4 miles is nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 that was probably a different time when you did it...no way in hell would i make my kids do that in today's society unsupervised...the walk, while very long isn't gonna 'kill' anyone...but no frigging way unsupervised......i may drive 2 miles an hour 100 yards back, but no goddam way do i allow it unsupervised.... Oh boy...here we go LOl. 4.5 miles is a long way..but only making him do it 5 times...i am okay with that. However, your point on the backpack is well taken, both my kids have so much homework their packs are barely manageable. Unsupervised..i am not so sure about it being unconscionable. I used to walk to/from swim practice about 1.5 miles each way starting at 9. Also took the Niagara Falls city bus three days a week to the Y from LaSalle to Downtown NF, about an 8 mile,45 minute trip, with me and brother starting when I was 8 and he was ten. And statistically, the world, in particular the US, is a much safer place than it was in the 70's. BTW, i am a guy who lets his boy go down to the woods for hours on a time to go fishing, build forts, shoot airguns etc..so I may be on the extreme on one side of the fence. Love this blog BTW..comes pretty close to how i parent http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/about-2/'>http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/about-2/ http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/ bull....even at an even, and fairly quick 4 MPH pace its an hour....it's not gonna do damage, but it's definitely not 'nothing' to a 10 year old... Um yeah walking to school was a requirement for me, not a punishment and 4 miles is nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazed and Amuzed Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 bull....even at an even, and fairly quick 4 MPH pace its an hour....it's not gonna do damage, but it's definitely not 'nothing' to a 10 year old... I lived 3 miles away from my elementary school and I walked every day to and from school, took me about a half hour each way. Not saying that it's not a big deal for a kid to do that but for a parent to be arrested for it is totally absurd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 3 miles in 1/2 hour???? people run 5k's at a 6MPH pace...you were walking at that pace??? pretty sure i get your screen name if you have that kind of time/distance recognition difficulty.... :-) I lived 3 miles away from my elementary school and I walked every day to and from school, took me about a half hour each way. Not saying that it's not a big deal for a kid to do that but for a parent to be arrested for it is totally absurd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 that was probably a different time when you did it...no way in hell would i make my kids do that in today's society unsupervised...the walk, while very long isn't gonna 'kill' anyone...but no frigging way unsupervised......i may drive 2 miles an hour 100 yards back, but no goddam way do i allow it unsupervised.... ... Pooj..why do you think that? I would argue safer for kids now than it was when i was growing up, and I am 48. Now granted, we did not have the 24 hr news cycle back then, did not know when some little kid in Omaha was abducted like we do now..but we also did not have cell phones, we did not teach our kids how to react if someone tried to apprehend them etc, we trusted kids even at 8 that they were not idiots, and that they can learn and we can trust them to make the right decisions. Stats bear that crime is certainly down from the mid 70's-90's levels...as well as the fact that well over 90% of child abductions and sexual molestations are done by someone the parents/children know..teaching them about that is just as important to me I know i will take chit for this, but i do not teach my kids to not speak to strangers..crimminy that is half the fun in this world ... meeting new people and learning..but we can teach them to be smart. I expect my kids to ask people for directions if they are lost, expect them to treat adults with respect, expect that they can go and ask for help if they need it..and that not every adult is a predator just waiting to be unleashed... Now they are still chuckleheads , but they are independent chuckleheads at least! Really take a read on that blog..cool stuff in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I used to have to do that, in the rain, just because mom and dad were at work and I missed the bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 i guess in simple terms...reality is perception...we didn't hear about it back in the 70's when we were at this age...you and i are the same age....with the knowledge of these predators out there today, no way in hell would i allow my kids to go that distance at that age, unsupervised...good god...i worry when my 21 year old is in Center City on his own and he doesn't respond to my text within a couple minutes.... Pooj..why do you think that? I would argue safer for kids now than it was when i was growing up, and I am 48. Now granted, we did not have the 24 hr news cycle back then, did not know when some little kid in Omaha was abducted like we do now..but we also did not have cell phones, we did not teach our kids how to react if someone tried to apprehend them etc, we trusted kids even at 8 that they were not idiots, and that they can learn and we can trust them to make the right decisions. Stats bear that crime is certainly down from the mid 70's-90's levels...as well as the fact that well over 90% of child abductions and sexual molestations are done by someone the parents/children know..teaching them about that is just as important to me I know i will take chit for this, but i do not teach my kids to not speak to strangers..crimminy that is half the fun in this world ... meeting new people and learning..but we can teach them to be smart. I expect my kids to ask people for directions if they are lost, expect them to treat adults with respect, expect that they can go and ask for help if they need it..and that not every adult is a predator just waiting to be unleashed... Now they are still chuckleheads , but they are independent chuckleheads at least! Really take a read on that blog..cool stuff in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 i guess in simple terms...reality is perception...we didn't hear about it back in the 70's when we were at this age...you and i are the same age....with the knowledge of these predators out there today, no way in hell would i allow my kids to go that distance at that age, unsupervised...good god...i worry when my 21 year old is in Center City on his own and he doesn't respond to my text within a couple minutes.... I know dude...but let ask you this..would you let your kids stay overnight at a relatives house when they were young??? Cause statistically, way more likely for something untoward to happen there then on an unsupervised walk to school..but we don't like to think that way. As a for instance, music teacher of mine did inappropriate things to me as a 10 year old(nothing really really bad) but no way did i speak up cause he was an adult. Now, my kids #1 would also think inappropriate and resond..i hope #2 i think would tell me cause we have taught them. I really, 100% believe it is way safer for kids to do stuff on their own today then when we grew up. Hear people whine all the time bout their boys only want to play video games indoors..but then never let them be boys and ride bikes to the James to fish(a whole 2 miles from my house), or go the library on their own on bikes, or walk to the Bruusters to get Ice Cream on a summer day(a whole 3/4 miles from the house)...and as you mentioned all the while have a cell phone that he can text and receive texts. It is crazy what Law and Order and Nancy Grace and the today show has done to our collective psyche regarding risks and our kids..all in my humble opinion of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazed and Amuzed Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I know dude...but let ask you this..would you let your kids stay overnight at a relatives house when they were young??? Cause statistically, way more likely for something untoward to happen there then on an unsupervised walk to school..but we don't like to think that way. As a for instance, music teacher of mine did inappropriate things to me as a 10 year old(nothing really really bad) but no way did i speak up cause he was an adult. Now, my kids #1 would also think inappropriate and resond..i hope #2 i think would tell me cause we have taught them. I really, 100% believe it is way safer for kids to do stuff on their own today then when we grew up. Hear people whine all the time bout their boys only want to play video games indoors..but then never let them be boys and ride bikes to the James to fish(a whole 2 miles from my house), or go the library on their own on bikes, or walk to the Bruusters to get Ice Cream on a summer day(a whole 3/4 miles from the house)...and as you mentioned all the while have a cell phone that he can text and receive texts. It is crazy what Law and Order and Nancy Grace and the today show has done to our collective psyche regarding risks and our kids..all in my humble opinion of course I agree with this 100% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I used to have to do that, in the rain, just because mom and dad were at work and I missed the bus. The punishment for getting detention when we were 12-13 was walking home from school since the buses were gone. That was about 4 miles too; of course, I always hitchhiked and got a ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 i guess in simple terms...reality is perception...we didn't hear about it back in the 70's when we were at this age...you and i are the same age....with the knowledge of these predators out there today, no way in hell would i allow my kids to go that distance at that age, unsupervised...good god...i worry when my 21 year old is in Center City on his own and he doesn't respond to my text within a couple minutes.... As has been stated though, statistically crime is way down from back then. The only reason people are scared is because of the over dramatization of the media. Isn't the saying something like, "A single death is a tragedy, a hundred deaths is a statistic." Nobody fears statistics but everyone fears the single tragedy for whatever reason. We fear the things we shouldn't, and don't fear the things we should. The same thing with flying - many people are afraid to fly because the plane can crash, but statistically speaking you have a better chance of crashing on your way to the airport. Car crashes aren't reported, they're statistics. Airplane crashes are big news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I may agree with all this, but I will let you send your kids out in the scenario's I am discussing...i choose to not take that risk. As has been stated though, statistically crime is way down from back then. The only reason people are scared is because of the over dramatization of the media. Isn't the saying something like, "A single death is a tragedy, a hundred deaths is a statistic." Nobody fears statistics but everyone fears the single tragedy for whatever reason. We fear the things we shouldn't, and don't fear the things we should. The same thing with flying - many people are afraid to fly because the plane can crash, but statistically speaking you have a better chance of crashing on your way to the airport. Car crashes aren't reported, they're statistics. Airplane crashes are big news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 The punishment for getting detention when we were 12-13 was walking home from school since the buses were gone. That was about 4 miles too; of course, I always hitchhiked and got a ride. Now..that is the one thing i really don't want my kids doing that i did..but i was in college when i did that. Also, hopping cars prolly wasn't the smartest way to get around back in the winter... I may agree with all this, but I will let you send your kids out in the scenario's I am discussing...i choose to not take that risk. I get it..great country we live in..we can differ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 I may agree with all this, but I will let you send your kids out in the scenario's I am discussing...i choose to not take that risk. I like this quote, as it backs up the car vs plane thing. My wife and I went on our honeymoon to London in 2001 -- a month after 9/11 -- and had most of our relatives telling us we should cancel the trip. When we base our everyday decisions on exceedingly rare events, we are not making ourselves safer. In fact, as David Ropeik — Harvard instructor and author of “How Risky Is It, Really?” — points out, after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, many people canceled their plane reservations. They didn’t feel safe flying, even though the attacks were an extremely rare event. So instead, they drove where they were going. And according to separate studies at Cornell University and the University of Michigan, highway fatalities jumped by roughly 1,000 for the last quarter of 2001. People felt safer taking their cars. But they weren’t, because airplanes are safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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