wow scary moment where I live

I agree, I see little kids outside all of the time with no adult in sight.

Some people shouldn't have children. or pets

agreed

Such a shame.Maybe that will be a wake up call.

I am also like this - but I think back to when I was kid, I was allowed to run around my neighborhood. Difference is back then everyone in the neighborhood knew each other. If you did something you weren't supposed to, you could know a parent would see and call your mother.

I've started letting my 4 almost 5 year old play outside by herself. Now I am in the kitchen with the windows and doors open and we have a dog that will bark if anyone, (even is she knows them) comes up to the yard or walks by for that matter. We do have a mostly fenced in yard and I feel safe allowing her to do so. She knows she is not allowed to leave the backyard and Nala adds an extra of layer of safety. She has a big mean bark to her.

By I am like this - I meant I am out when the kids are.

i wuz free as a bird - i could've packed up my stuff & taken 2 the hills! lol! actually my parents were pretty strict - but somehow me & my siblings always seemed 2 wind up out of their direct supervision

Parents or anyone for that matter, find it very difficult to practice and/or give to their children and others, that instruction and love which they've not been been given by their own parents..

that is y self-education is so important - ignorance is not an excuse

I agree.. it blows my mind when i see little kids wandering the streets in our neighborhood. I don't even let me 6 and 7 year olds do that. I'm glad they found her ok.. some parents tick me off

I think parents like that assume that everyone else will watch the kids for them.

I was like you, I wouldn't let my kids out front unless we were out there too watching them. I even had a sidewalk/walkway put in that runs the perimeter of the backyard connecting to the patio so they they could ride their "big wheels" and trikes etc. back there. It came out really cool really, as part of a landscaping project.
I guess I was always the better safe than sorry type, LOL.

laziness is the reason. pure & simple.

at times yes - but often ignorance - sometimes kids r left home alone while the parent/s r at work - which is sad/dangerous

Ok, I hover...maybe a little too much.... but as I always said to my children "I don't have time to go to the hospital today" meaning... be safe, becareful. Even though I live in a cul de sac in a very sleepy town. I was always outside with my children.

My oldest son is renting a duplex house and the single girl next door let's her 4 year old out by himself. she is inside watching tv. this is on a busy street, with weekend renters ( you don't know whose coming and going), and next door with teen boys and their friends (partying, I'm sure.) what is she thinking?

maybe for that family... that first heartattack feeling will help them keep a closer eye on her.

i agree with you parents should always be watching there kids. If they want to watch TV they should make sure there kid is inside with them and not outside to wonder off.

That is scary & hopefully a wake up call to the parents

That's crazy! Kids wander away so fast! I would NEVER let my kids outside alone. I hope they learned their lesson.

yep, it's a strict rule with us that the grandkids may not be outside without an adult or Jasmine who is old enough to be out with them

That's scary. We have a 5 ft high fence around our backyard and the gates are all three generally locked. I still would never even consider leaving Elliott out there alone. The ONLY time I've done it is when the dogs were out with them (they are super protective of him and bark at the people across the street if Elliott is outside with them!), and I just ran in to grab my sunglasses. I still made Elliott come up onto the deck and talk to me so I could hear him the entire tiem.

my grandson is outside all the time yet in the yard only and he is now 7 or will be in 14 days,,
the granddaughter is not out alone,,even with brother in tow

i wouldn't let them out of my sight either - im nervous even drivin & their buckled into their seats

I love all the accusations in this post. It just seems so cruel. We are all so quick to judge. Oh, how stupid they are! Some people shouldn't be allowed to have kids! How could they be so dumb!

Honestly- if I let my small child out onto the deck at my house & s/he would have to CLIMB something to get off the deck? I would honestly think it would be OK to leave him/her out there playing without checking every few seconds. When I was younger my parents gave us tons of freedom. We lived in a wooded area & we were allowed to run free all over the woods, the backyard, etc. My mom typically watched us out the window but there were certainly times when she didn't have her eye on us.

Instead of always being like "OMG shouldn't have children," etc., why don't we act a little nicer? Just say "Wow, that's really scary- they'll know better in the future," or give them the benefit of the doubt that this is something that happened suddenly, unexpectedly, or contrary to their past experiences. It's always easy to point out other peoples' stupidity and mistakes. Maybe the world could be a lot nicer place (for little kids to play in unsupervised for a few minutes!) if everyone stopped being so dang judgemental.

That is scary, I agree like Cara not all of us know the situation here. James plays out in the country on his grandma and grandpa's deck that is blocked off in the back yard. She sits in her living room and can see him from her chair. Sure here where I live I wouldn't even think about it. I as well wouldn't allow my child to play in the road or ride a bike unsupervised at this age. Now I ask would we though if lets say they was with a 10 year old?

We need to think for a minute here around our own home. We think because our children are inside they are safe. I know one situation in a flash the child went to what the parent's thought was in his bedroom. When they went to check on him he had fallen into a 5 gallon bucket head first and drowned. I am not exaggerating either.

The parents must have believed she was safe on the deck. Even checking on them every few minutes does not guarantee that a kid is not going to find a way to escape. Most of them are mini Houdini's. Depends a lot on the child too. I can allow my 5 yr old grandson to play alone in the yard but the three year old takes off even when I am with him.

Probably because their parents didn't watch them.