Mom Kicks Kids out of car

[Rapunzel]

This brings up mixed emotions, I know. But, when I read what this woman did my heart just went into my stomach. While the thought of doing something like this might cross my mind - I'd think of a better solution instead.

What strikes me about this situation is the girl's age - she's TEN. I have two ten year old girls right now. NEITHER of them could find their way home from two miles away and we're all over town much of the time. Two miles for a ten year old is too much.

It seems like really poor judgement on the mother's part. And, quite frankly, I don't buy the story that she just drove around the block looking for the ten year old. If this were my child I'd stop for the twelve year old and park the car - even if it meant in the middle lane of a six lane highway - and walk back to find my ten year old.

And, I hope that woman had the scare of her life when some stranger took her child. She is lucky (as is her daughter) that this stranger was a good, kind person. There are a lot of people in this world that would not be so good nor kind. Heck, I live in an upscale, terribly safe looking neighborhood that IS safe most of the time. However, we have a lot of transient day laborers come through here working on houses and yards. And, a few months back a total stranger in a car tried to get a neighborhood girl into his car while she was in front of her house. That was in MY "safe", suburban neighborhood!

Bottom line: Very, very poor judgement. I can see why she was arrested. It was essentially child abandonment. And, while we all have days where we'd like to drop-kick our children out the door - we don't. At the very least CPS needed to get involved. I can totally see how a completely ticked off police officer would just slap cuffs on such an irresponsible woman.

[MrsK]

I'd heard that the 12 year old had found her way home on her own and did not catch up with mom.

Also, I forgot something when I mentioned that my mom had left me off and drove around the block when I was about 10-12. . . When she came back for me, I hid from her. I was mad and thought I'd teach her a lesson. I just hid it out while she drove around the block repeatedly calling me. Then I went home on my own. And I was a good kid!

[Meenah]

As a parent who has been through the trenches a few times with kids/teenagers, I find it difficult to judge another parent in a case like this. Fortunately, no harm was done, so I find it much easier to let her off the hook. We don't know what led up to it, or what kind of kids they are. For all we know this could be a really troubled kid who has put her family through hell for years and this was a breaking point. We just don't know. Of course, if the girl had been harmed, I would probably not be typing this. Being a parent under the best circumstances possible is really hard. Throw in life happening, and it gets harder. I can't throw stones at another parent from my glass house.

[houseelf]

Cautiously stepping in her, but I think that the comment that most resonates with my feelings on this issue is Luanne's:

As a parent who has been through the trenches a few times with kids/teenagers, I find it difficult to judge another parent in a case like this. Fortunately, no harm was done, so I find it much easier to let her off the hook. We don't know what led up to it, or what kind of kids they are. For all we know this could be a really troubled kid who has put her family through hell for years and this was a breaking point. We just don't know. Of course, if the girl had been harmed, I would probably not be typing this. Being a parent under the best circumstances possible is really hard. Throw in life happening, and it gets harder. I can't throw stones at another parent from my glass house.

We've all been somewhere on that continuum. It is no secret that I fall on the more liberal/ "natural consequences"/ "free range parenting" end of the spectrum so my comfort zone is a bit larger than that of my friends.

Bowing out.

Kelly