4Real Forums: Is it true?

Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

Active Topics || Favorites || Member List || Search || About Us || Help || Register || Login

Mothering and Family Life
4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life

Topic: Is it true?

Author

Message

<< Prev Topic | Next Topic >>

mom3aut1not
Forum All-Star

Joined: May 21 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 757

Posted: Nov 18 2008 at 11:31am \| IP Logged

I was always very careful about this; I lived next door to a policeman on one side and a lady hostile to hsing on the other in our previous house. IIRC the law in MD is that any child under 8 has to be under the direct supervision of someone 13 or older at all times. So I couldn't send a child outside to play unless I could be outside as well. (With my little guy, he still needs supervision even if he is 8.) The age from 8 to 12 is sort of a gray area so I tended to err on the side of caution.

Not everyone knows this. One lady I know tried to get my then 10 yo dd to watch her young sons in the car when she went on errands. It took me quite a while to communicate to her that she could lose her kids for that. She kept saying, "It'd only be a minute!" Doesn't matter. And the age of the sitter does matter; a hser in our state got in trouble for leaving her 6 yo in the care of a 12 yo a few years ago.

I must admit having adult children who can watch my little guy is a blessing. Aaaaaah. So nice. However, I paid my dues when the girls were small.

It pays to know the law for your state (they vary) and to be careful. As annoying as it is, it's safer to comply with the law. (I know one of my daughters was more responsible at 10 than her older sister was at 16; from a safety viewpoint, a child would have been safer with the 10 yo even if the law doesn't think so.)

In Christ,
Deborah

JodieLyn
Forum Moderator

Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234

Posted: Nov 18 2008 at 11:44am \| IP Logged

And just because your state doesn't have a law (OR doesn't have one listed on that site for instance) it doesn't stop CPS from getting involved. I know it happened here in our town.

I teach my kids to go into the post office and get the mail from the post office box just for this reason. I can send in a child (I can see the door and there's no hiding space available inside) to get our mail that I couldn't leave in the car. And that's how I deal with that stop. And I use the pay at the pump, matter of fact when I was still in CA and only had 2 children I would pay a few cents more for gas in order to go to a station with pay at the pump.

But anyway, just because there's not a law doesn't mean that you're "safe".

__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4

All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott

If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login
If you are not already registered you must first register

<< Prev Page of 2
[Add this topic to My Favorites]

Printable version

Forum Jump

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

Hosting and Support provided by theNetSmith.com