For context, she had a babysitter coming in the mornings to check in, make lunches, get them off to school, and prep dinner for them. All the 14 year old had to do was help them get inside after school. Microwave dinner. Get kids in bed and text mom updates. This was a work trip and they threatened to fire her if she did not go. The father has abuse charges and the police handed him their kids on top of arresting her.
Why exactly should women have kids in a world that despises them for it and yet demands they make kids anyway? What is the point?
Where did the extra info come from? The article was very short and did not mention a husband at all or her threat of being fired.
The kids were 9, 11, 12 and 14. It all depends on the kids but, in general, kids this old should be able to take care of themselves for a couple of days without issues. Putting someone in jail for basic parenting is insane.
Maybe. I was taking care of myself (latchkey kid) a lot, but this was five days. I asked my wife who is a bit of an expert and she felt that was too long too. Obviously, there was a problem since 911 was called. It would be different, I think, if the babysitter had stayed over night.
I’m not sure it rises to the level of arrest but in America there is arrest and then just shooting people.
991 was called because one kid got hit in the head but it’s not that weird for kids to get injured, even under supervision. Everyone knows it’s enough to leave a kid alone for 5 minutes for something bad to happen. This is just typical over criminalization. It was possible to charge her so they did.
Could be. Probably making an example of her.
However, if they were my kids, I would not have left them for five days under those circumstances.
Imagine how many parents would have been arrested in the 70s through the 90s.
I would argue it’s even necessary and/or a good thing. How else are they supposed to become independent human beings if they don’t get some responsibility and freedom from time to time?
I think the worst thing parents can do is completely shield their kids from the “adult world” until they are almost or even beyond 18. Then they move out at some point and are suddenly completely helpless and have zero habits necessary to manage life on their own.
It is insane cause they are preventing her from feeding her children
Age of consent in Florida is 16, which is only 2 years older than the oldest kid who wasn’t legally responsible enough to care for her siblings. You can get pregnant at 16 and you’re on your own, but at 14, even with a baby sitter checking in daily, your mom goes to jail. What a world to be alive in.
I get your point and agree. But the thing is that this 14 year old still was completely responsible for his 3 younger siblings the times the babysitter wasn’t there. Which is a lot. I know it was and still is normalized for elder siblings to take responsibility for their siblings but this really can be harmful.
I guess this one time not too much but it shouldn’t be the norm.
How old do you think most babysitters even were, like 30 or so years ago? My babysitter was around12 when I was a kid. Saying 14 isn’t old enough while you have cell phones is insane.
I was babysitting in the early 2000… shit…. nvm that is almost 30 years ago… 😩
Well the list of harmful things which were completely normal in the past is veeeery long.
Beating your child comes to mind for example.
Something tells me Trump was never beaten as a child.
Basing your opinion off of what is or was the norm rather than scientific studies where available and applicable is problematic. Not even saying you’re necessarily wrong, just worth looking into the research, particularly when it comes to the well being of children imo.
Yeah, I’ma disagree with you. The country has gotten too “safety first” and “for the children”. It’s shit form to dictate everything allowed just based on safety.
…you disagree that looking at research is wise when considering what is best? That’s. Unfortunate.
Yeah, research shows that you don’t know how kids turn out until after they’re adults and raising their own kids, and by then there’s an impossible amount of variables to account for and only a few snapshots of what was working in the modern age, at best.
Now aside from all that spiel, you’re trying to change what the point is. It’s stupid to just always go with “the safest thing”. What’s your master plan? Eliminate all risk at the cost of freedom and fun until the odds of tragically dying reach an equilibrium with people killing themselves from being depressed?
You do realize I never even shared my own stance of what I think might be best, correct?
Sounds to me like you have some resistance to looking at research, which again, is unfortunate. Your own stance might be backed by it.
My master plan here is to encourage science literacy. That’s it.
In some counties you can be a babysitter at 12. I don’t see the problem.
This was a work trip and they threatened to fire her if she did not go.
In a just world the ones threatening her would be the ones being jailed.
Yeah this sounds like a pretty large lawsuit about to happen.
Putting this woman in jail is insane. The situation is shitty and far from good but these kids aren’t toddlers and they had check in and older children.
Kids this age are more than capable of taking care of themselves for a limited period.
Florida.txt. Flood the entire state.
Florida.txt. Flood the entire state.
“I’m working on it!” - Global Warming
This message is illegal in Florida.
If this case landed in my lap during the time I was a cop, I was trained and instructed to look for a handful of things:
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Are they safe?
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Do they have access to food and water?
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Do they know how to reach help in an emergency? (Access to phone and knowledge of 911 or a close neighbor at home 24/7)
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Are they getting to school, if they’re old enough?
Seems like the answers are Yes, Yes, (probably) Yes, and Yes, so… there’s no case here, the way I see it.
Obviously Nevada’s laws aren’t the same as Florida’s, but this seems ridiculous.
This all happened in Florida. That’s where she lived and that’s where she was arrested getting off the plane. There was no mention of how her trip was.
Oh that’s even more strange. If my supervisors were right, I imagine this will fall apart in court, but obviously the arrest alone is its own issue.
Imagine having your standards critiqued by Florida.
Florida gets a bad rap on the internet mostly for its open arrest records making for easy click-bait journalism.
It’s got its own problems unrelated to that, but it’s a Chicken and Egg scenario where party people come here to party, things go poorly, and that attracts more party people.
And we have the third largest population, so of course the odds will favor crazy shit happening here.
Crazy shit is happening across the USA. Florida has a unique transparency law for criminal charges.
It’s also got poor southerners literally living next to rich transplants. There are huge clashes between the rich and poor, and it feels like when you leave South Florida and population centers, you’re transported to a 3rd world country. Being poor isn’t a character flaw, but the poor people in Florida tend to be quite racist and exclusionary. Look at the voting record of counties with less than 200K residents; it’s really not that far off from Alabama/Mississippi/Arkensas.
Hence the "mostly;’ there are definitely other factors at play - I just didn’t feel like writing a novel about them.
Oklahoma kids are allowed to be home alone at the age of 10. Long as they can use a microwave and can cook mac and cheese. (Told to me by CPS when my kids mother had issues due to her depression and kids couldn’t stay with her for some time.)
But speaking of Florida didn’t I read a fucking story of mom getting arrested when kids were playing alone in their own yard? So don’t think that state has room to talk.
Can’t say I would agree with 10 year olds being allowed to be home alone for multiple days. But this women had a babysitter checking in the mornings and afternoons so they weren’t totally alone which is good enough in my opinion, Babysitter shouldn’t need to be there 24/7.
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Welcome to the US.
Where we support no one except rich fucks and corporate interests.
What a fucking disgrace.
Is there a case against the employer for essentially forcing her into this position?
That would require capital to Be held accountable for the impact their operation causes on their employees. I would be shocked.
And unless there are system wide radical changes, any consequences for the company would simply mean she becomes a liability they need to get rid of.
Yeah what the fuck, I hate stuff like this. Surely the kids had the babysitter’s phone number. I remember having to work while the kids were on summer break and think 11 is the age you are allowed to leave them unsupervised in FL. My kids did babysitting at 14! Overnight with literal babies, sometimes. And the 14 year old in question acted appropriately, obviously they aren’t irresponsible.
My parents left me at home, if I didn’t want to go on a trip, from 10 or so years and it was fine. Even before cell phones, and back when crime rates were exponentially higher here. It was so nice for me, to have time alone, I remember how nice it felt.
It’s a bigger example of the laundromat problem. I drive to the laundromat with a baby in a car seat and the laundry in baskets. Do I leave the baby in the car and take the laundry in, or take the baby in and go back out to get the laundry? I can’t carry all of them at once, it’s an impossible situation.
Hopefully the charges are thrown out and the kids stay with her. Abusive dad seems a much worse choice.
11 is the age you are allowed to leave them unsupervised in FL
There is no such statute in Florida; It’s all vibes-based, and apparently this agency’s vibes are radically different from mine.
Yet another reason to avoid children. What other option did she have?
Not go, then take the company to court for unfair dismissal.
Pay for a 24/7 sitting service then charge it back to the company. Take the company to court if they don’t pay.
take the company to court for unfair dismissal
Florida is the strongest at-will employment state in the US. Employers can fire you for whatever (legal) reason they please and there’s nothing you can do about it
I was forgetting how shit USA laws are supposed to be
Both plans require several assumptions. Unless she found a lawyer willing to do the work for free it’ll cost her too much. Most states are “right to work” states meaning both plans are DOA if there. Bill your employer… Ya they’ll send a pink slip in response.
Would her union pay the legal fees though?
lol, her union.
Part of the issue here is the whole overcompensating for systemic inadequacies in CPS. There are so many stories of CPS dropping the ball on the other side of the equation. Then a mom let’s their kids walk to school and gets arrested. Or a mom has her 14yo look after their siblings while she is away on business. How does arresting a parent help them care for their kids?
Worst, in this case, is that Dad didn’t have custody for a reason. And now the kids are with Dad.
That being said, 14 is not old enough for that level of responsibility. Watch their siblings while Mom and Dad go on a date? Sure. Be responsible for most of the family’s well-being while Mom is completely out of town? At 14? That’s too much. I doubt anything would have changed if there was a babysitter or guardian there. That doesn’t change the fact that 14 is too young to be fully responsible for kids over a span of days. Still doesn’t justify arresting her. That’s just grandstanding bullshit
I really feel for this woman, because she really is screwed either way. There’s no winning. Especially if she doesn’t have family to call on to help. But now, instead of losing her job, she has to fight charges, fight to get her kids back, and (knowing how these things go) likely have to find a new job. It’s a real kick in the ovaries.
Get me out of this timeline, please
Your points you’ve made show me that you either didn’t read the article; or are too inept to comprehend what you’ve read.
Nah I 100% didn’t read the article. I’m pretty inept too. Care to enlighten me on what I got wrong? Aside from thinking 14 year olds shouldn’t be responsible for taking care of three kids for 5 days and nights, that’s an opinion
On s upon a time a 13 year old was considered an adult, a young adult but still capable of making rational decisions (like babysitting children and self care). It’s funny that you’re saying she’s screwed either way because she wouldn’t be if people like you were rational. It’s not ideal to have to leave for work, but it’s not like she left toddlers alone, she hired professional adult supervision in addition to the supervision of the teens. Some of the adults in your life were latchkey children who walked themselves to school and handled their own affairs. You should speak to them and ask them about it. Some of those adults babysat family and friends children as young adults themselves far before they could drive.
Attitudes like yours destroy communities and the next generations independence. Fuck learned helplessness.
she wouldn’t be if people like you were rational
First off, you don’t know a god-damned thing about me. Second, its Florida, no rational person would live in America’s wang. Thirdly I don’t think prosecuting someone for making a parental judgement call is in any way okay. This ignorant country is so fixated on punitive measures that it creates more problems than it solves. If a parent screws up, educate them, don’t jail them. (Unless there is actual abuse or neglect, like CSA or starvation). Fourthish… I forgot, but it was salient and concise
To your broader point tho. It’s not so much learned helplessness, it’s knowledge gained over time. Yes we took care of ourselves as teens and preteens. Yes us latch key kids mostly were fine, and taking care of our siblings wasn’t a big dangerous thing, just annoying. (For the record, I was latch-key from the age of 12) We also know a whole hell of a lot more about when and how a brain matures, including how a developing frontal lobe isn’t capable of extrapolating the full consequences of an action the way a mature adult can. Saying we were fine so nothing should change is like saying cars were fine without airbags so we shouldn’t have them now. I think most kids would be fine, but some won’t. Are those kids being harmed ok, as long as the majority is fine?
Attitudes like yours destroy brain cells and the next generation of critical thinking. Doesn’t that broad sweeping statement sound silly? It’s not all or nothing. I came to the conclusion that 14 is too immature to care for children for multiple days without a safety net. That’s it. Everything else is a statement on societal issues, not how kids have to be hovered over to protect them.
What is the point?
There’s a logic to the Cathars reasons. But also… 🎼 In the circle, the circle of life…🎶
We all search for purpose. I guess you gotta be Neo and choose?
Sounds like a skill issue. Someone should have explained to her ~15 years ago how birth control works and then she wouldn’t be in this mess.
