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6 Year old drives to school

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7816511.stm

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YyLqBNO-O2g

Question is .. was it right to take their kids off of them and charge the parent's with child endangerment?

From what's I've read the parents were asleep and I think it's amazing any kid loves school that much .. :) so I don't see what benefit there is to charging the parents.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Was this the same one where they have tried to blame grand theft auto for this? Where the kid said he learnt to drive cars from GTA4. Dont get me wrong but how does using a controller on a game console teach kids to do that!
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    MrG wrote: »
    Was this the same one where they have tried to blame grand theft auto for this? Where the kid said he learnt to drive cars from GTA4. Dont get me wrong but how does using a controller on a game console teach kids to do that!

    Well most cars in the US are automatic, so the actual control is rather easy. Once in drive you have an accelerator, a steering wheel and a brake.

    And no i don't believe the kids shoul have been put in protective custody.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well I reckon Maclaren better sign him up for when they need a replacement for Hamilton.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think taking them into care was a bit harsh, the parent's shouldn't have been asleep at that time but how were they to ever guess their 6 year old would TWOC their car?
    Maybe a court ordered parenting course followed by some monitoring for a few months would have been more appropriate
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Seeing that youngsters already seem to already smoke, drink and have sex at that age, driving is just the next step! :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    thats really shit that he had responsibility to get himself to school at 6 on his own while his parents slept
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I do think taking the kids into protective custody is a bit of an overkill.

    Still, not as serious as the 4 year old kid who fetched his father's shotgun after his his babysitter accidentally stepped on his foot, and shot her

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4142910/Four-year-old-shoots-babysitter-who-stood-on-his-foot.html

    Now, that might be a more appropriate case for taking the child into custody...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think they were right to take him into care as the parents obviously neglect the child. The social workers will be able to investigate the extent of neglect and then go from there - either returning him to his parents or otherwise.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lipsy wrote: »
    I think they were right to take him into care as the parents obviously neglect the child. The social workers will be able to investigate the extent of neglect and then go from there - either returning him to his parents or otherwise.

    Hows it obviously neglect? I mean it could be but seems a bit presumptious to say it's obviously neglect when the only information we know is his mum was asleep and he took the keys and drove off.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    DG wrote: »
    Question is... was it right to take their kids off of them and charge the parent's with child endangerment?
    Abso-bloody-lutely yes.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote: »
    Abso-bloody-lutely yes.

    So if one of my kids randomly decides one day to do the same thing at 3am in the morning (when you expect me to be asleep) and i dont find out till i get a knock on the door, then I should have my kids taken from me?
  • BunnieBunnie Posts: 6,099 Master Poster
    Although on the face of the facts, it seems ludicrous to be holding the parents responsible, I do wonder why it only mentions the mother was asleep...where was the father?

    Stating the child had missed the bus, makes me think he should have been on his way to school...how can a mother expect a 6 year old to get up on his own and get himself ready (which again leads me back to the above question).

    As bizarre as the US frequently is, I am sure they had their reasons for the charge.

    Although I suppose up front it looks quite cute, 'ahhh look a the little lad wanting to go to school' can you imagine being a driver on the same road as him, and the fear you would have felt as he came flying passed?

    Or, how he easily could have killed himself?

    Now I do in a sense agree with Mr G, and if the circumstances had been different, then possibly it should have been a different outcome but it wasn't. The child should have been on his way to school, and a 6 year old should not be getting himself ready and on a bus on his way.
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    I used to get up, get ready and walk to school when I was 8. My mum wasn't asleep but she'd stay in bed.

    It's not as though the mother wasn't there for him. He just decided not wake here and tell her there was a problem
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    MrG wrote: »
    So if one of my kids randomly decides one day to do the same thing at 3am in the morning (when you expect me to be asleep) and i dont find out till i get a knock on the door, then I should have my kids taken from me?
    Yes.
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    stargalaxy wrote: »
    Yes.

    Don't be an idiot.

    What you going to do, lock them up at night?
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote: »
    Yes.

    You really are daft some times. If this had happened here then I expect the parents would have been arrested and made to attend parenting classes, something that whilst it's distressing in the short term, will in the long run improve things in the family.

    The child wasn't hurt, neither was anyone else, it was an accident. What good is going to come out of putting it in a vastly under-developed care system? Bugger all and I expect it'll make things worse.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    andy12345 wrote: »
    OMG, they need to evaluate that kid.
    He wants to go to school arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........

    agreed.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    THere is so much that isnt' stated. Perhaps the mothers alarm did not go off? Perhaps she was sick and thus really out of it? I'm sure an oops I slept in has happened to most people. It doesn't state that she was some dead beat mother saying fuck the world, fuck my kid and my responsibilities. I dont know, if the kid had the sense to know that he should be at school, I'd say the mother has done a little good thus far.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    :)
    andy12345 wrote: »
    OMG, they need to evaluate that kid.
    He wants to go to school arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........
    :D

    More serious than deciding to drive a car, some would say
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think the folks should have been investigated (especially the dad...it says mum was asleep, but dad wasn't) but to be honest, anyone who brings their kids up to be that keen on school can't be all bad....

    I don't know all the facts, so I can't really judge, but I don't think the kids should have been taken away on those grounds alone.
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