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'Free Range' Kids Picked Up Again By Police In Maryland; 'Beyond Ridiculous,' Mother Declares
San Jose Mercury News ^ | 04/13/2015 12:27:33 PM

Posted on 04/14/2015 11:22:57 AM PDT by drewh

Two suburban Washington, D.C., parents are under scrutiny again for letting their 6- and 10-year-old children play in a park and walk home alone in a case that has stirred debate about "free-range" parenting and government powers.

For the second time in four months, police picked up the children of Danielle and Alexander Meitiv on Sunday as they were walking home alone from a park that's nearly a mile from their house. This time, instead of bringing the children home, police took them directly to Child Protective Services.

"It's beyond ridiculous," Danielle Meitiv said Monday. "The world is safer today, and yet we imprison our children inside and wonder why they're obese and have no focus."

The Meitivs, who live 6 miles from Washington in Silver Spring, Maryland, believe in "free-range" parenting, which includes allowing their children to play and walk alone in the neighborhood to teach them self-reliance and responsibility.

Danielle Meitiv said she and her husband began worrying when the kids weren't home by 6:30, but that Child Protective Services didn't call them until 8 p.m. to say the children were in their custody.

Police had picked them up on the walk home after another concerned citizen called.

The Meitivs were able to take their children home around 10:30 p.m.

"This morning my daughter wanted to go play in the yard and I couldn't let her out because I was making breakfast," Danielle Meitiv said. "Are they prisoners? She's 6 and she's not allowed to play in the yard?"

The case has drawn international media coverage, and Danielle Meitiv said the couple has heard from people all over the world. The majority have been supportive, Meitiv said, but some have expressed outrage at the couple's parenting style.

(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: alexandermeitiv; cps; daniellemeitiv; freerangechildren; freerangekids; homeschool; maryland; meitevfamily
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1 posted on 04/14/2015 11:22:57 AM PDT by drewh
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To: drewh

My parents would have faced a firing squad....


2 posted on 04/14/2015 11:24:31 AM PDT by stephenjohnbanker (My Batting Average( 1,000) (GOPe is that easy to read))
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To: drewh

Time to sue the govt for not providing a safe village in which to raise The Children.


3 posted on 04/14/2015 11:26:24 AM PDT by Paladin2 (Ive given up on aphostrophys and spell chek on my current device...)
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To: drewh

I wandered all over the neighborhood when I was a kid. My folks had absolutely no idea where I was; as long as I was home by dark and didn’t bring the cops with me they didn’t care.


4 posted on 04/14/2015 11:26:32 AM PDT by Not A Snowbird (Win or Lose, Still a "12"!)
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To: drewh
So, when did normal behavior when I was a child become "free range parenting?"

When I was about 8, I used to walk to school every day. It was at least a mile away.

What has become of America?

5 posted on 04/14/2015 11:27:08 AM PDT by Cowboy Bob (Isn't it funny that Socialists never want to share their own money?)
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To: drewh
Sounds like the government has overstepped.

/johnny

6 posted on 04/14/2015 11:27:32 AM PDT by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: drewh

Nazis everywhere.

I actually don’t believe that there are more crimes against kids than in the past. I think internet pornography gives the appearance that these crimes are somehow more frequent. Folks are just more aware of it.

I think the tyranny of making us “safe” is more damaging than the damage of crime itself on the whole. I.e. you may never fall victim to a crime, but you’re likely to run into gov nazis several times throughout your life.


7 posted on 04/14/2015 11:28:08 AM PDT by fruser1
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To: Paladin2

Can’t. The “village” is not responsible for the safety on anyone. The police are only there to investigate a crime and to make arrests after the fact.


8 posted on 04/14/2015 11:28:52 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (True followers of Christ emulate Christ. True followers of Mohammed emulate Mohammed.)
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To: drewh

Are there laws against this? If so, they need to be abolished.


9 posted on 04/14/2015 11:28:57 AM PDT by Politicalkiddo ("The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time." Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Cowboy Bob

Seriously. My mom used to kick me out the door on a Saturday afternoon and tell me not to come back until dinner. (I was prone to staying indoors and reading all the time.)


10 posted on 04/14/2015 11:29:12 AM PDT by Buggman (returnofbenjamin.com)
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To: drewh

They could collect 99% of the kids near any housing project in the US under such a pretense.


11 posted on 04/14/2015 11:31:31 AM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama lied .. the economy died.)
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To: drewh

What is the approved distance for kids to play at a park on their own, and what do they do about kids on bikes, surely they get more than a few thousand feet from home sometimes.


12 posted on 04/14/2015 11:31:52 AM PDT by ansel12
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To: drewh

They need to get out of Silver Spring.

Obviously that town and the deranged control freaks who run it have a thing for this family.

Move out West but not California. Should be able to find safe and free towns. Maybe not the same payscale, but you gotta figure out what life is for.


13 posted on 04/14/2015 11:32:05 AM PDT by Regulator
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To: drewh

well there are some neighborhoods I wouldn’t do this...
but normal kids in normal communities should be able to go to their local park and back, just like they are able to go to their local school and back

i am unfamiliar with the town where this is happening so can’t comment further. Maybe it is an especially dangerous place? As the Obama Great Recession grinds on and on... and as his Open Borders policy continues — (and with him actively recruiting and paying for young men to enter USA from every IslamonNazi terrorist hellhole Krapistan on earth)......
we are getting more dangerous neighhborhoods now...all over America...


14 posted on 04/14/2015 11:32:21 AM PDT by faithhopecharity (A brilliantly intelligent comment sent thru an amazingly stupid spell checker)
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To: drewh

If these kids had crossed the US/Mexico border they would have been hailed as “Brave” and given Amnesty..tell that to a liberal every time they bring up this story


15 posted on 04/14/2015 11:32:45 AM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
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To: Politicalkiddo

“Are there laws against this?”

Not specifically. They could try to charge the parents with neglect or endangerment or something like that, but it would probably be a tough case to prove in court, since there was no actual harm that befell the children.


16 posted on 04/14/2015 11:32:46 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: drewh

I had to come home when the street lights came on.


17 posted on 04/14/2015 11:33:19 AM PDT by Veggie Todd (The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. TJ)
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To: drewh

Thanks to leftists the world isn’t safer now.

With all the perves out on society it is stupid to have children unsupervised these days.


18 posted on 04/14/2015 11:33:46 AM PDT by RginTN
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To: drewh

I remember packing some food in a bag, leaving in the morning and not coming back till almost dark. Amazing how far you can go on a bike.


19 posted on 04/14/2015 11:33:57 AM PDT by rfreedom4u (Chris Stevens won't be running for president.)
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To: Cowboy Bob

What has become of America?


America is no longer America, not since the progressive commie loons have come out from underneath their rocks able to roam free..remember in the eyes of a commie, its NOT OK to let your kids walk alone but its A OK to abort them


20 posted on 04/14/2015 11:34:27 AM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
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