10-year-old walks alone a mile away from Georgia home, leading to his mother's arrest (14 Viewers)

[DJ1BigTymer]

Really interested in seeing how the public responds to this story. Keep in mind that this did not happen in some metro or urban town, this happened in a rural Ga town with a population less than 100 people.

A Georgia woman was arrested and accused of allegedly endangering her son — all because the unsupervised 10-year-old walked less than a mile away from home, officials said.

Brittany Patterson, 41, had taken another son to a doctor on Oct. 30, and she became mildly annoyed — but not at all worried — when the Fannin County Sheriff's Department called to say her son Soren had wandered from their rural home in Mineral Bluff and into town.

"It's not a super dangerous or even dangerous-at-all stretch of road," Patterson told NBC News in an interview that aired Wednesday. "I wasn't terrified for him or scared for his safety."

Deputies drove Soren, now 11, home and that was that, or so Patterson thought.

But then hours later, the sheriff's department went back to the family's home near the North Carolina border, where Patterson was handcuffed, arrested, booked on suspicion of reckless conduct and forced to post $500 bail.

10-year-old walks alone a mile away from Georgia home, leading to his mother's arrest

Brittany Patterson, 41, said she was shocked that her son's stroll could lead to a criminal charge.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[superchuck500]

When I was about six, I rode my bike at least that far and across a highway to a friend’s. His mom immediately called my mom and she was horrified. She came to get me and I was grounded.

Would they arrest my mother these days? She wasn’t negligent in any way, she was a normal, attentive, nurturing mother. Kids sometimes get minded to go off on an adventure. It’s actually part of their natural development.

But I’m sure these things are case by case.

 

[Sailorsaint]

Almost every parent from the pre-80s would be arrested. I used to explore miles from home for the whole day when I was that age.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Parents in Japan regularly send their kids out into the world at a very young age. A popular television show called Hajimete no Otsukai, or My First Errand, features children as young as two or three being sent out to do a task for their family. As they tentatively make their way to the greengrocer or bakery, their progress is secretly filmed by a camera crew. The show has been running for more than 25 years.

 

[yardbird]

I think what makes this kind of story seem weird or horrifying in the United States is the complete lack of pedestrian and public transportation infrastructure throughout most of the country. A kid walking a short distance from home should be unremarkable.

 

[tenordas]

I need a "ridiculous" emoji.

This is decidedly overbearing government intrusion. I'd like to fine the entirety of those who made this decision.

My mother would spent a lot of time in jail between my brother and I if this sort of big brother garbage had been going on when we were kids. I was out riding my skateboard a couple of miles downhill from my house countless times when we lived in San Antonio. I also walked over to the Stop N' Go to buy comic books at least once a week. That was about a mile walk from my house and back. We moved from SA when I was 11, so I'd been doing both those things since age 6 or 7 at least. I also walked home from school every day starting in 1st grade. That was a good 1/2 mile walk, and I walked with a lot friends who lived on the streets near us. Heck, my older brother rode his bike all over our part of town.

This is nonsense, and if there's any way to do so, she and the entire town should sue the local government over it, just to stop it.

 

[superchuck500]

Parents in Japan regularly send their kids out into the world at a very young age. A popular television show called Hajimete no Otsukai, or My First Errand, features children as young as two or three being sent out to do a task for their family. As they tentatively make their way to the greengrocer or bakery, their progress is secretly filmed by a camera crew. The show has been running for more than 25 years.

Don’t they wear a certain color beanie hat that lets the community know to look out for them? Japan is on such a cooler wavelength.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Don’t they wear a certain color beanie hat that lets the community know to look out for them? Japan is on such a cooler wavelength.

Hadn’t heard about beanies, but the community definitely gets their antenna up when they see the kids

 

[antipop]

Parents in Japan regularly send their kids out into the world at a very young age. A popular television show called Hajimete no Otsukai, or My First Errand, features children as young as two or three being sent out to do a task for their family. As they tentatively make their way to the greengrocer or bakery, their progress is secretly filmed by a camera crew. The show has been running for more than 25 years.

When we were in Japan, we saw kids as young as 8-10 going about their days as if they were adults…usually in groups…taking the subway, getting snacks at the 7/11, just being kids


I didn’t see any toddlers but the older kids seemed like they were doing ok without helicopter parents

 

[Madmarsha]

That's growing up.

 

[SystemShock]

Don’t they wear a certain color beanie hat that lets the community know to look out for them? Japan is on such a cooler wavelength.

They pin/give them small banners on the kids that say something (don't what, it's in Japanese). Plus there's a group of people walking around them with hidden cameras and walkie talkies.

If anyone wants to watch it, the show is on Netflix and is named Old Enough!

As for the OP, my mom would've gotten life without the possibility of parole.

 

[superchuck500]

They pin/give them small banners on the kids that say something (don't what, it's in Japanese). Plus there's a group of people walking around them with hidden cameras and walkie talkies.

If anyone wants to watch it, the show is on Netflix and is named Old Enough!

As for the OP, my mom would've gotten life without the possibility of parole.

Yeah I haven’t seen the show but I was referring more generally to what they do in the cities - the children wear yellow hats and it lets law enforcement, public transit operators, etc know to look out for them.

Do you know why little children in Japan wear yellow hats?

Do you know why little children in Japan wear yellow hats?In Japan, there is an interesting but simple practice to teach children independence

www.voxnews.al

 

[SharonT]

>>>unsupervised 10-year-old

My mom would send me to Schwegmann's to buy cigarettes for her when I was much younger than that. I was walking over there anyway to buy candy. Why make two trips?

>>>she became mildly annoyed

I'm guessing there's more to this story and it had nothing to do with the son. Leaving it out means we all clicked on the link, though.

 

[bigdaddysaints]

when i was in Kindergarten, i wanna say 78 or 79, it wasn't mandatory so it was only half day and parents had to pick you up and drop you off.
it was Valentine's Day, i remember i had my bag of cards..
when school was over, we lined up outside and sat against the wall to wait for our parents to pick us up. well, my parents were obviously running late and i was the last one. the teacher went inside to do whatever , so i decided that i was walking home. so i grab my bag of cards and started walking. i got about a half mile down the highway before my parents showed up to pick me up, and i wasn't there. the teacher assumed they already picked me up when she saw i was gone.. needless to say she freaked out.
i was easy to find since i was only about 1/2 mile away. but needless to say they had new pickup rules after that..
crazy that's the earliest memory i have..