Mom jailed for letting 10-year-old walk alone to town
reason.com
It was dinnertime on October 30, 2024, when police handcuffed Brittany Patterson in front of three of her four children and drove her to the station in

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21954268

Mom Jailed for Letting 10-Year-Old Walk Alone to Town

“I was not panicking as I know the roads and know he is mature enough to walk there without incident,” says Brittany Patterson.

  • 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    853·
    1 month ago

    MoViNg tO tHe sUbUrB/cOuNtRySiDe fOr tHe kIdS

    A woman who saw him walking alongside the road—speed limit: 25 in some places, 35 in others—asked him if he was OK. He said yes.

    Nevertheless, she called the police.

    Traitor.

    The plan (from child protective services) would also require Patterson to download an app onto her son’s phone allowing for his location to be monitored.

    If I were the child, I’d forget my phone at home very often. A town like that probably has a no-phone school anyways.

    People don’t care about children apparently. Spatial appropriation is an important aspect of childrens’ development. Children cannot lobby for themselves in the same way most adult social groups can do.

    • GladiusB@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      1 month ago

      You aren’t allowed to have a phone in school and my son is 10. The teachers will take it away.

          • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
            31·
            1 month ago

            No I mean even if you’re not supposed to bring a phone, how is the school going to know if it stays in a closed backpack, turned off.

            The spirit of the rule is that kids shouldn’t use the phone at school or let it distract others, but that is nebulous to interpret and enforce whereas “don’t bring it” is easier to enforce.

            • GladiusB@lemmy.worldEnglish
              2·
              1 month ago

              My kid used to bring his Pokemon cards to school until someone stole a kids collection and then they were returned but they put out a notice saying no Pokemon cards.

              Now can they check every backpack? No. Do kids talk? Very much yes. So if some kid brought it to school everyone would know.

              I heard his teacher say “phones are not allowed at school and it’s very serious.” I am guessing it’s theft related and they cannot be held liable if some kid loses their phone worth hundreds of dollars if it’s stolen.

              • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
                1·
                1 month ago

                Yes, exactly. They don’t want you to bring a phone for those reasons, but if the parent/kid understand the reason behind the rule, as well as the risks and responsibilities entailed in going against it, it’s not going to hurt anyone to bring one and not use it or talk about it. But the school could never say this is allowed because they don’t want to undermine the rule for all those reasons.

                • GladiusB@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  1·
                  1 month ago

                  I think they can make rules like that. Where else would a child learn that they have to adhere to authority? Do I want my kid losing his phone because some other kid has a problem understanding that it’s not theirs? No I don’t. I hear what you are saying but I do agree with the rules.

                  • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
                    1·
                    1 month ago

                    Sounds reasonable. You’d have to weigh the pros of having a phone at school (not many) against the cons (many)

                    But at some age it’s good to learn that authority isn’t absolute

                  • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
                    1·
                    1 month ago

                    You lost me. I’m talking about how schools can’t/shouldn’t tell you you can’t bring a phone to school when what they really care about is that you aren’t seen with one and don’t use it. (And if someone steals it that’s obviously on you).