Texas Bureaucratic Power Traps Suburban Mom

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   GA Andersonposted 2 years ago

   In 2021 Texas passed a law referred to as The Reasonable Childhood Independence Law. In 2022 A suburban mom in Waco was charged with child neglect for making her 8-year-old son walk about half of a mile, (about 2640 feet), through their 'safe' home neighborhood. The neighborhood was described by the arresting officer as "safe."  Those 2600 feet were on sidewalks and the neighborhood is described as having very little traffic.
   
   The mom lost her job, her home, and any future employment in her degreed field: Education. She was a teacher and a child sleep behaviors counselor—until she was arrested.
   
   This disaster rose from the actions of a nosey neighbor, a Waco police officer and a Waco Social Services worker. It took a night in jail, two weeks of supervised home living, and the new Texas law to get the charges dropped—but the arrest is still on her record and bars her from her career field.
   
   The story: Suburban Mom Handcuffed, Jailed for Making 8-Year-Old Son Walk Half a Mile Home
   
   I would find out what 'that neighbor', (the one that called the cops), dislikes the most and give her a free gift of it for a year. Sorta like those ' fruits of the month' clubs, except on a weekly basis.
   
   Here's a thought: Get an 'accomplice' kid to help. Put a gps-enabled phone in his pocket so he can be 'tracked' for safety, park within eyesight of 'that' neighbor's sidewalk, and have the 'bait' kid walk up and down the street in front of her house. Maybe the cops would 'counsel' her about her nosiness.
   
   Idiots, idiots, we are riddled with idiots.
   
   GA

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      Sharlee01posted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Welcome to the New America.

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      tsmogposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      My first thought was 'This happened in Texas'?? I thought that was where it was the home of the brave and all that. What caught my attention was; "Unfortunately, HB567 amended only family law, not criminal law. This meant the cops were still free to punish Wallace." with emphasis on Punish.
      
      And, to me, it seemed because of giving the wrong answer to the cop's question; "The officer then asked Wallace whether she would let her son walk home again, now that she knew about the sex trafficking", which her answer was "I don't know". Then she was abruptly arrested. Seems to me it was based on that and not the event itself.
      
      Then I dissected the story and poked about while thinking of when I was in the third grade. At that time I walked two neighborhood blocks, crossed a four-lane main street, and one city block to the Boys Club. On the way home during winter it was setting into dark with the goal of getting home close to five o'clock dinner time. Sometimes it was with a friend. BTW . . . it wasn't the bad side of town, yet close to it. What a contrast.
      
      Finally, ponder that area is where the Boys Club was located where lots of kids came to. Surely, most had a journey the same as mine. And, it is still there today, but with the name changed to Boys and Girls Club.
      
      That leads me to wonder is it a suburbia thing? Is there a difference in mindset regarding kids' safety between urban, suburbia, and rural? Is one more paranoid than the other as I think about the phenomena of soccer moms'?
      
      I dun'no . . . just wandering about . . .

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         DrMark1961posted 2 years agoin reply to this

         I had the same reaction to reading that. This was in Texas? I could understand if the story was on the left coast but Texas?

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            Fayetteville Fayeposted 2 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, Texas. A state government that clearly wants  complete control over it's citizens.

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               GA Andersonposted 2 years agoin reply to this

               Was that sarcasm? The article referenced that the new Texas law might have been why the charges were dropped. I have the impression that it was the two local government agencies that were the instigators.
               
               As tsmog noted, the charges seemed to be the officer's decision based on a reply from the mom. I question the social worker's qualifications if the 'obviousness' of the situation didn't influence their decision also.
               
               GA

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                  Fayetteville Fayeposted 2 years agoin reply to this

                  "Unfortunately, HB567 amended only family law, not criminal law. This meant the cops were still free to punish Wallace."
                  
                  In my view, much of legislation in Texas is designed to curb freedom.

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                     GA Andersonposted 2 years agoin reply to this

                     I don't have a 'view' on Texas, other than being surprised, (like others), that this happened there. I was simply reacting to the story.
                     
                     GA

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                     Sharlee01posted 2 years agoin reply to this

                     I must ask, what legislation has Texas passed that curbs freedoms?

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      Credence2posted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Texas is idiocy, by definition.
      
      I would think that the authorities response was a bit extreme under the circumstances. When I was 8 years old, I was more than capable of walking home a mere half mile in an otherwise safe neighborhood.

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         GA Andersonposted 2 years agoin reply to this

         I don't know about Texas' "idiocy," but I too think it was an idiotic local authorities' response.
         
         GA

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   abwilliamsposted 2 years ago

   God forbid kids get out and get their steps in, breathing in that good ole fresh outdoor air - no, let's keep them enclosed, their butts in a seat, with a mind-numbing device in their hands at all times instead, that's completely reasonable!
   Insanity!!

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      Fayetteville Fayeposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Definitely, government should keep its slimy reach out of family's lives.

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   Jodahposted 2 years ago

   It is getting beyond a joke. I'm not going to talk about the good old days when kids had some sense of freedom...but they were, and they did.

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      GA Andersonposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Yep, 'we', (us Baby Boomer dinosaurs), did have a sense of freedom as kids. We still had our share of 'those' nosey neighbors and our share of dangerous people to watch for, but we also had 'judgment' by common sense. (yes, that is an open door for a "common sense" argument)
      
      GA

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   Brenda Arledgeposted 2 years ago

   This world is in a sad state.
   
   As a child we walked alone alot.
   
   Sure, things have certainly changed, but this woman did nothing to endanger her child.
   
   What happened to neighbors...the woman could have just watched to make sure the boy was okay until the family arrived.

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      GA Andersonposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      I also have a lot of criticism for that nosey neighbor, but she isn't a new thing, we had them when I was a kid too. The difference, now, is the authorities' response to them.
      
      I would see a responding officer of 'our' time judging, (by the details of this story), that there was no issue to address and leaving things be. Personal judgment seems to be a relic of the past.
      
      GA

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         Brenda Arledgeposted 2 years agoin reply to this

         Our neighbors knew everything that happened in the neighborhood.
         
         Someone always had an eye on all of us kids.
         
         I'm glad I grew up in an area with nosey neighbors & we were safe to play outside.
         
         We never needed supervision & knew to be home when the street lights came on

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   CHRIS57posted 2 years ago

   Unbelievable.
   
   Firstly our whole family from my grandparents to my children would be in jail for neglecting our kids. All of us had long walks to school from age 6 on.
   
   Secondly, why is it possible that administrations, local authorities are allowed to react on complaints of nosy neighbours?
   
   Even the definition of a "safe neighbourhood" must be left to the parents. If they feel their kids live up to the task, then why not let them go.
   
   My 7 year old 2nd grader rides his bike every day to his school (1,5 km, roughly 1 mile, 2 traffic lights, 1 railroadXing, and lots of traffic in the morning). One week of training and the kids are ready to go - and they want to go by themselves, the first step to independence.
   
   Actually i thought that self determination and self responsibility and independence from authorities are buzz words in American society. Am i wrong?

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      GA Andersonposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Your thoughts, (which I would echo), put you firmly in the 'Baby Boomer Dinosaur' category. Our kind of thinking is now viewed as dangerous.
      
      I did a series of stories about the world of my childhood that you might find familiar to yours. It is shameless self-promotion, but Google "Pop Cliff stories" and see what self-determination and responsibility were 'back then.' Or, I recommend starting with "My first bear hunt" and its conclusion "My first bear hunt - Bear!"
      
      Those "buzzwords" are still the mindset of America's Conservatives but it seems holding on to them in modern society is a losing battle. We have become too soft and too dependent on our governments.
      
      GA

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