Mother in Middleville ordered by DHS to stop watching friends' children as they wait for bus

The Grand Rapids Press ^ | 9/25/09 | Julie Makarewicz

[MichiganMan]

MIDDLEVILLE -- A Grand Rapids-area mother who helps neighbors in the morning by watching their children for a short time before the bus comes has been told she's breaking the law.

Lisa Snyder's house is at the corner bus stop on Thornbird Drive just outside Middleville. Two of her friends, who need to leave for work, bring their children to her home in the morning before the bus arrives to take them Thornapple Kellogg schools.

Snyder said she doesn't think she's doing anything wrong, but she was notified by the Michigan Department of Human Services that she has to stop watching the children because she is not a licensed day care facility....

[MichiganMan]

Believe it or not, most state workers are nothing like this. But the ones that are really make it hard for the rest. Most state workers right now are working under increased workload with reduced staff (or reduced staff to case ratio where staff isn't reduced) layoff days, reduced benefits, state shutdown, and more, all because of our wonderful failed actress of a Governor. Michigan's Dept. of Human Services has more than enough to do right now, the workers that made this call are idiots.

[wny]

I see Michigan has its priorities in order. Indoor plumbing and the Redwings are the only things keeping Detroit from being a 3rd world country.

[carolina71]

Some Michigan lawmaker has way too much time on their hands.

So, if the 2 mother’s leaves their children unattended at the bus stop, here comes DHR !

Way to many screws loose.

[knarf]

America is rapidly losing all walking around and chew gum sensabilty

[humblegunner]

"I'm not doing anything wrong, or anything a lot of other parents don't do all over the country,"

Everyone is doing it, must be fine then... right?

said Snyder, a stay-at-home mom.

Ah. She's unemployed and hanging around kids.
What if this were a man?

[HardStarboard]

The State will run EVERYTHING in your life if you let it.

Bout time to let them know we’ve had it with this BS.

[RadioCirca1970]

Makes total sense, easier for a dude like Garrido or Barney Frank to find a date without pesky moms lurking...

[OldDeckHand]

"neighbor had filed a complaint that she was operating an illegal day care out of her home."

Whomever this neighbor is, he/she should be beaten about the head and shoulders - repeatedly. What a miserable low-life.

[ExGeeEye]

bookmark

[Engineer_Soldier]

My wife and I bought an Adult Foster Care in the Eastern U.P. years ago. As soon as Gov. Granholm became governor, it became the worst licensing nightmare we ever went through. We had more fees, inspections, etc. than we ever had. We closed the facility, sent all of those poor adults packing, sold-out, laid-off the employees, and moved to Florida. Michigan is a bureaucratic nightmare and will never repair economically because of it.

BTW, back then it wasn't DHS, it was FIA (Family Independence Agency).

[driftdiver]

what the heck are you talking about. are you saying there is something wrong with a woman that stays home and cares for her children.

are you delusional?

[Red_Devil 232]

"...a neighbor had filed a complaint that she was operating an illegal day care out of her home..."

Damn the nosy neighbor! She/he sould be made to stand out in the weather for hours with these kids until the bus shows up!

[IrishPennant]

There must be more to this...she must be receiving pay or something. I cannot see anyway a woman letting a few neighborhood kids hang out at their house until the bus comes could be in violation of anything.

[humblegunner]

are you saying there is something wrong with a woman that stays home

I'd have to see where her money comes from first.

And hey, you missed a couple of capitalization opportunities there.

[Orange1998]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0JsqTdfXWc

[RadioCirca1970]

At least publicly identified..so that fellow citizens can dissuade them from future complaining...

[G Larry]

Dear witless in Michigan,
I don’t NEED your stinking license to do my neighbors a favor.
Do YOU have a license for using taxpayer stationary to issue your thoughtless edicts?

[bboop]

The law’s an ass. But, wait, don’t they work for US?? Then SHE’S FIRED.

[celestron71]

A stay at home mom isn't necessarily unemployed, they may choose not to work in order to take care of their children. As for not doing anything wrong when has it ever been illegal to watch someone's children for them. The article doesn't mention pay, if she is doing it for nothing just to help out her friends how the he** is this breaking the law?

As for "hanging" around children watching them for 15 to 20 minutes per day is "hanging" around them.

You are either very stupid or just a jackass, hard to tell which and most likely you are both.

[Engineer_Soldier]

Ah. She's unemployed and hanging around kids. What if this were a man?

Have you lost your mind? My wife, like ALL mothers should do, hasn't worked outside of the home in the ten years we've been married. Instead, she's been at home educating our children and making sure they aren't running with gangs or shooting up their schools. While other mothers are working, my wife is usually watching out for their children that are being neglected and left to teach themselves and watch themselves. Shame on you, the State of Michigan, and mothers that choose careers AND children instead of either-or.