this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2024
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Summary

Brittany Patterson, 41, was shocked to face a criminal charge for alleged reckless conduct when her unsupervised 10-year-old son walked less than a mile from their home.

Although authorities offered to drop the charge if she agreed to always supervise her children, Patterson refuses to sign, insisting she did nothing wrong and will fight the charge, which could lead to up to a year in jail.

Her lawyer argues that parents should have discretion over their children’s whereabouts, questioning if constant GPS tracking is now expected. Patterson was released on $500 bail.

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[–] dugmeup@lemmy.world 153 points 1 week ago (2 children)

A mile is nothing ... what the actual fuck? I used to be gone for hours god knows where.

[–] Jambone@lemmy.world 41 points 1 week ago (2 children)

When I grew up, we were "free range kids".

[–] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Or, as they were called then, kids. This modern stranger danger and always track your kids is insane, everyone be living like the sky is falling every ten seconds.

[–] smeenz@lemmy.nz 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Keeping a population in a state of perpetual fear is by design. It's the first and an essential step to being able to manipulate people into voting against their own interests

[–] ApathyTree@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 week ago

It also serves to keep people isolated, and prevents kids from forming lasting relationships that can later be used to discuss and compare issues and organize.

[–] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My family had a healthy idea of limits, closer to the "free range" philosophy, before such a term was required.

Our neighbors across the street, however, were the prototype for helicopter parents.

While my sibling and I gained confidence and navigational skills by biking around our confusing neighborhood before the days of GPS, the neighbor's kids weren't allowed to go down the street unsupervised. My siblings and I stood alone on the corner bus stop, but the neighbor's mom sat in her car and only released her kids when the bus had arrived.

At the time, my parents made fun of theirs for holding such a tight leash. We also pitied the kids because they panicked about being "lost" when my siblings brought them on a walk around the block.

But now I see kids sitting in cars at bus stops as the norm. And of course, stories like the above article go to show that the helicopter style has won (for the time being.) The people who were raised to fear everything outside their front yard are now parents themselves.

[–] 257m@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

My mom has done the sit in car while waiting for the bus to come thing before and its super annoying. Mind you the bus stop was like 60m away from the house. It actually took longer to drive because of the time it took to take the car out of the garage and get in but my mother insisted. For the past three years I have just stopped listening to my parents and just leave the house without saying anything. Its to ask for forgiveness than permission. I have been biking to neigboring cities and they don't even realize I left. I have also been able to force them to let me bike to school because I have work right after my morning classes and biking is the fastest way to get to work.

[–] Stupidmanager@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

I had a bike. I can assure you, I went MILES away. At 10, I was probably riding 1-5 miles to friends houses or to neighborhoods for selling whatever nonsense my scouts program was selling.

Just be home when the street lights come on!

[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 135 points 1 week ago (2 children)

How we have lost perspective. When I was that age I was forced to walk to school, a distance of about 1.5 miles.

Forced, mind you, because if you were considered "too close" to the school you were not eligible to ride the bus. Other than the land directly adjoining the school grounds, the roads I had to use also did not have sidewalks. The number of children killed, maimed, or injured by this during the years I attended that school were, to my knowledge... zero.

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 22 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Shit dude I remember walking further than that, at that age...crossing a busy 4-lane (state) highway (without a crosswalk or a sidewalk)...to buy pogs and rent video games.

That was only...30 years ago. Holy shit that was 30 years ago.

[–] Big_Boss_77@lemmynsfw.com 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Can I offer you a cane in these trying times?

laughs in lower back pain

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Nah man, I'm good, I can walk just as far now to the nearest dispensary. And there's sidewalks and crosswalks. And some cars that'll stop themselves if they're about to hit a pedestrian.

[–] RebekahWSD@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I too had to walk to school, but with sidewalks! I do feel if there's a house, it should have a sidewalk.

Love sidewalks.

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[–] Lojcs@lemm.ee 102 points 1 week ago (6 children)

They asked me to put my hands behind my back and all that stuff, and I realized what was going on.

Because she was too dangerous to be cuffed normally, or not cuffed at all?

Als I hate this doubly for the kid. Your mom getting arrested for your slightest sign of independence will fuck you up.

[–] papalonian@lemmy.world 48 points 1 week ago

That poor kid. I already was upset thinking about them having to see Mom get arrested. I didn't even consider the fact that the youngest is probably blaming himself.

[–] killingspark@feddit.org 10 points 1 week ago

Als I hate this doubly for the kid. Your mom getting arrested for your slightest sign of independence will fuck you up.

This so much. So much bullshit is being done to "protect children" and it actually hurts them.

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[–] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 87 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The elementary school closest to us is about a mile away. Kids in my neighborhood walk to school.

What the hell is wrong with letting a kid walk a mile away??

[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

Probably somebody got elected on a "protect the children" and did this to prove it. It's not like it effects the jackass responsible for it. It's performance child protection and it's pretty common.

[–] ThePyroPython@lemmy.world 79 points 1 week ago (2 children)

America: where young people are coddled until they're 18 then it's either sell your body, sell your soul, or both multiple times over just to survive.

[–] Crackhappy@lemmy.world 42 points 1 week ago

Or get sold into sexual slavery, and if you get pregnant by your rapist, fuck you, you're having his baby.

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[–] TheMightyCanuck@sh.itjust.works 68 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Happened in the woke liberal capital of.. * checks notes *

... Georgia?

[–] grue@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week ago (3 children)

~~Small town~~ rural Georgia, no less!

I crossed out "small town" because Mineral Bluff is too small to even count as incorporated. Literally all that's there, in terms of businesses, is a gas station, a Dollar General, and whatever the Hell this is.

[–] Pilferjinx@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (2 children)

This is the size of village where everyone knows everyone. It makes no sense other than a squabble.

[–] gtg859r@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

That used to be true in the area. My family has lived there for generations. It has seen a lot of change and now it’s full of tourists and cabin rentals. It used to be very remote and disconnected from Atlanta but a governor from the area built a nice highway to get people to the mountains and it isn’t all locals now. A lot of people retire there and begin demanding changes to laws. You may be right about a squabble though, mountain towns have family fights that go on for decades.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They don't have villages in the US for some reason. Only small towns, towns and cities.

[–] HATEFISH@midwest.social 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Unless you are using a specific definition I'm not familiar with this isn't true. There are definitely places officially reffered to as village rather than city or town.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It certainly isn't common.

Most of the "small towns" would be villages everywhere else, but it feels like it's shameful in the US. Maybe some places decided to roll with it.

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[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago

That's what happens when you have a general store and a Dollar general comes in next door. They sell anything you can't get at the Dollar general store and then advertising space.

[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

👯‍♀️

[–] tipicaldik@lemmy.world 68 points 1 week ago

I'm confused... shouldn't this be happening in one of those liberal nanny states where big government is supposed to be all up in your business?

Oh, right... those people need to tell you how to raise YOUR kids, but don't you dare tell them how to raise theirs...

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 30 points 1 week ago

Stay classy, Georgia

[–] Melody@lemmy.one 28 points 1 week ago

Yikes.

In 1997; I was walking about 2 miles to and from school. Unsupervised. I had a house key on my neck and was a latchkey kid in third grade. I obediently walked to and from school directly from home; meeting the crossing guard a half mile from school twice a day; as I had to cross a major 4 lane divided highway.

[–] FinishingDutch@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago (6 children)

This really feels insane, even for this day and age. Which makes me think we’re probably not getting the entire story.

If true, it’s downright silly. Back in the 80’s, we were out of the house unsupervised for hours. Parents just about encouraged you take candy from friendly strangers or to hitch a ride in their cool white van with ‘Free Puppies’ written on it. As long as you made it home without broken bones, they didn’t care. Ask anyone from my generation.

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[–] wazzupdog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Pfft when i was that little i would wind up in a different city/state unbeknownst to my parents.

[–] GetOffMyLan@programming.dev 18 points 1 week ago (2 children)

That's actually really not good lol

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 29 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They could have lived in a city that straddles a state boundary. Crossing to a different city/state could be done measured a matter of meters/yards.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

At the Four Corners, they could be in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, or Utah in a single step.

More realistically, if you were in NYC, you could hop a train and be in CT, NJ, or PA for a day trip. Or even further, if you started early enough.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (5 children)

I was thinking something like this where you can be TOTALLY INSIDE ONE SMALL BUILDING and be in two different cities/states.

The left side of gas station (QuickTrip) is Kansas City, Kansas. The right side of the gas station is Kansas City, Missouri. So cross state lines going from the chip aisle to the soda refrigerators.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Google Maps boundaries aren't the most accurate. You can look up property records for KCMO and see it's almost entirely inside KCMO (though it does span multiple parcels).

What's more interesting is that while the building is in KCMO, the address of the gas pump canopy is in KCK. I'm sure they all just use the address of the entire business in KCMO for all legal purposes.

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[–] magnolia_mayhem@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

I hope she wins. This is pathetic

[–] CompassRed@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 1 week ago

When I was a kid, I literally walked 43 miles from my home one day. Took 15 hours. I just had my parents pick me up when I got to the pizza place - no big deal.

[–] raptore39@lemm.ee 7 points 1 week ago

When the authorities make a misstep, they often keep going for fear of looking weak and leaving space for future exploitation

[–] zod000@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The initial reports of this made it sound much worse, now it seems so tame this charge borders on ludicrous. I walked about 2 miles to my bus stop as a kid with no side walk and it was ABSOLUTELY unsafe, but we didn't have a choice as the roads were no outlet and too narrow for a bus to get into my neighborhood. I never saw a kid get hit, but I knew of multiple adults that were hit by a car with a few fatalities. I still think this Georgia story sounds dumb, so either we're being deprived of details or the police are being ridiculous.

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[–] Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I uaed to walk 4 miles to school and even further back (because i walked with a friend to their house and then to kine on the way home) instead of taking the bus. I would keep my bus money and use it to buy drinks and stuff. This was only 20 years ago. Much has changed.

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

When I was a kid in ft worth I used to ride my bike across town and all over downtown and nobody batted an eye

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