DEBORAH SIMMONS: Maryland free-range parents deserve a break

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Here’s what happens when nebby noses poke where they don’t belong.

A mom and dad in one of America’s wealthiest counties are being overscrutinized and threatened with legal action for allowing their children to do what parents have been allowing, indeed encouraging, children to do for generations.

The parents, Danielle and Alexander Meitiv, allow their kids — Rafi, 10, and Dvora, 6 — to walk to the park, the store and the library alone. They also allow them to walk home from their school bus stop.

For doing so, the Meitivs this winter were found guilty of “unsubstantiated child neglect” — a highly dubious allegation for a first “offense.”

Officials in Montgomery County think it’s a bad idea to let children move about their neighborhood without a leash.

Cats and dogs can roam free range. Chickens and cattle can venture outside a coop and a barn. Children, no.

In fact, government regulations say a child under 8 must be accompanied by a teenager when out and about. That teenager might be molesting the younger child, but at least their coupling looks proper.

And therein lies rub No. 1: There are no guarantees in life.

There simply is no way to ensure children’s safety outside or inside the home. Good people are good people until they are caught doing bad, remember?

Which brings us to rub No. 2: The bad guys are the people who complained to law enforcement and the law enforcers didn’t use good judgment. I mean, the Meitiv children had ID and tags saying they were not lost, and they explained themselves and their parents to authorities.

But the bureaucratic numbskulls didn’t get it. The parents were subsequently cited with “unsubstantiated child neglect.” For God’s sake, the kids are far more articulate than the senseless bureaucratic red tape.

Which brings us to rub No. 3: The nebby noses are in a time warp, treating the Meitivs like villains in “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” Sure, nuts and predators are out there (which is why I refuse to name the park the children frequent).

Which brings us to rub No. 4: The Meitivs are not villains, though they are tempting fate.

Human trafficking. Sexual predators. Kidnappers. Men, women and teenagers who see a crime of opportunity quicker than you can say “Where in the World are my Children?” That is a message that came through loud and clear this Sunday, when a “concerned neighbor” called 911 to report the Meitiv kids walking unaccompanied in a park about a half-mile from their home in Silver Spring, just outside Washington, D.C.

Police were Johnny on the spot, and they told the kids to get in the police car. Officers turned them over to Children’s Protective Services (CPS).

The kids were told to be home by 6:30 p.m., and when they were not, the Meitivs rightly became concerned. CPS got around to calling the parents around 8 p.m., after sunset, and they weren’t allowed to see their children until 10:30. They also had to sign a waiver saying they wouldn’t leave the kids unattended.

Unsettling, isn’t it?

Well, we live in unsettling times and, frankly, always have.

For generation after generation, Americans walked to school — if they went to school.

For generations, Americans have been biking and riding buses to school.

For generations, American have been riding the subway to school.

World War II led to the “latchkey” generation, children home alone because dad was off to war and mom was off to work.

Today, we have another cultural term “free-range parenting,” parents who, as I pointed out earlier, allow their children to do what parents have been allowing, indeed encouraging, children to do for generations.

Go outdoors without a leash.

States and counties have their own rules and laws regarding unaccompanied children in the home and in public.

CARE, or Call Reassurance, has some general rules of thumb, too, and has a state-by-state listing on its website www.latchkey-kids.com. It suggests kids under age 10 “aren’t generally ready to self-supervise for an extended period” and that kids 12 or 13 should be “judged on a case-by-case basis.”

Reasonable enough, but parents should be allowed to employ the best rhyme and reason for raising children.

The bottom line is the “unsubstantiated” means there is no there there, and the Meitivs deserve a break.

Montgomery County and the state of Maryland bureaucracies need to be put on a leash. Age appropriateness regarding children visiting a park or library is government over-reach at its worst.

• Deborah Simmons can be reached at dsimmons@washingtontimes.com.