Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Home alone kids

San Ramon California news:
OAKLAND, Calif. A husband and wife were arrested today at Oakland Airport after returning from their New Year's celebration in Las Vegas.

Police say Jacob Calero and his wife, Michelle de la Vega, left his two young sons home alone last Friday morning while the newlyweds headed out of town to ring in the new year alone.

Authorities say the children's grandmother called police when she began to suspect the couple had left without the kids after being unable to find a babysitter.

Calero and de la Vega were married last year. The children's mother died in 2003.
The boys were aged 10 and 5, and were doing just fine at home. They had supplies of food. The parents were charged with felony child endangerment. No one has said what the danger was.

I don't see how this justifies a felony charge. The kids might have been in greater danger if the parents took them to Las Vegas.

It is amazing to hear people comment on this case on a radio talk show. Apparently a lot of kids these ages get left alone at home, both in the USA and the rest of the world, without many problems.

Some callers describe their own parenting practices, and dogmatically declare that all parents should do the same. One caller even said that she refuses to leave her cats alone, and hires babysitters to watch her cats.

Some callers blame the grandmother, because she was a busybody who was scheming to get custody of the kids. She had refused to take the kids during the trip. She now has temporary custody of the kids.

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