Mom Lets Her Kids Walk to the Bakery Down the Block. CPS Chastises Her

The definition of "Neglect" it uses:

>285 (35) (a) "Neglect" means action or inaction causing:

>286 (i) abandonment of a child, except as provided in Title 62A, Chapter 4a, Part 8, Safe

>287 Relinquishment of a Newborn Child;

>288 (ii) lack of proper parental care of a child by reason of the fault or habits of the parent,

>289 guardian, or custodian;

>290 (iii) failure or refusal of a parent, guardian, or custodian to provide proper or necessary

>291 subsistence, education, or medical care, or any other care necessary for the child's health,

>292 safety, morals, or well-being;

>293 (iv) a child to be at risk of being neglected or abused because another child in the same

>294 home is neglected or abused; or

>295 (v) abandonment of a child through an unregulated custody transfer.

>296 (b) The aspect of neglect relating to education, described in Subsection (35)(a)(iii),

>297 means that, after receiving a notice of compulsory education violation under Section

>298 53A-11-101.5, the parent or guardian fails to make a good faith effort to ensure that the child

>299 receives an appropriate education.

>...

>309 (c) "Neglect" does not include:

>310 (i) a parent or guardian legitimately practicing religious beliefs and who, for that

>311 reason, does not provide specified medical treatment for a child;

>312 (ii) a health care decision made for a child by the child's parent or guardian, unless the

>313 state or other party to a proceeding shows, by clear and convincing evidence, that the health

>314 care decision is not reasonable and informed;

>315 (iii) a parent or guardian exercising the right described in Section 78A-6-301.5; or

>316 (iv) permitting a child, whose basic needs are met and who is of sufficient age and

>317 maturity to avoid harm or unreasonable risk of harm, to engage in independent activities,

>318 including:

>319 (A) traveling to and from school, including by walking, running, or bicycling;

>320 (B) traveling to and from nearby commercial or recreational facilities;

>321 (C) engaging in outdoor play;

>322 (D) remaining in a vehicle unattended, except under the conditions described in

>323 Subsection 76-10-2202(2);

>324 (E) remaining at home unattended; or

>325 (F) engaging in a similar independent activity.

Where you grew up, when you grew up, what was the population size and density vs. today?

I'm a bit older, and had a similarly free-range childhood. The town I grew up in was on the fringes of farmland, on the edge of suburban sprawl. There wasn't even enough people yet for rush hour traffic to be congested.

Nowadays that same town is overwhelmed with people. The streets I used to bicycle down carelessly are parking lots at rush hour. I still have family in the area, but it's a very different situation. There's more crime in absolute terms, there always will be with a larger population.

Sure the media skews the population's perception of risks, making them even less able to think rationally about the probabilities. But it's not entirely to blame. There's very real change that happens when populations grow, the context becomes entirely different.

Even if you keep crime rates constant during population growth, the absolute amount of crime happening has increased, it's visible.

By the time I moved out in my early 20s, what used to be farms we'd bicycle to and eat raw ears of sweet corn from, had all become dense suburban housing developments interrupted only by busy streets and strip malls.

I believe it's still possible to find suburban/rural fringes to raise a family, in the classical free-range fashion. But it seems like these days much of those opportunities are so economically depressed that it's prone to drugs/crime of a different sort. We don't seem to have many functioning healthy small town economies anymore, not from what I've seen anyways. It's usually a dying town with meth problems and a wal-mart somewhere on the horizon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLWFHlPF_g8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EpRFqWlVl4