NY Mom kicks kids out of car and drives off.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by paulam

Most of the responses questioning my use of "total failure" have been from males. Do you have children? Would you leave them alone on a commercial street?

Well, I didn't respond to your use of the phrase "total failure", but it definitely stood out to me as extreme. I'm a mom.

I walked to and from school every day when I was in middle school (I was 11 when I started 6th grade). My house was between 1.5 and 2 miles away from the school. I never felt like my parents were failing me.

Without knowing the area, I can't say for sure whether I would leave my 10 and 12 year old kids alone. But, it sounds like the area was safe, it was daylight, and they were within walking distance of home. Sounds acceptable to me. I have no reason, based on this one story alone, to accuse this poor woman of being a total failure as a parent.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by SydneyK

Well, I didn't respond to your use of the phrase "total failure", but it definitely stood out to me as extreme. I'm a mom.

I walked to and from school every day when I was in middle school (I was 11 when I started 6th grade). My house was between 1.5 and 2 miles away from the school. I never felt like my parents were failing me.

Without knowing the area, I can't say for sure whether I would leave my 10 and 12 year old kids alone. But, it sounds like the area was safe, it was daylight, and they were within walking distance of home. Sounds acceptable to me. I have no reason, based on this one story alone, to accuse this poor woman of being a total failure as a parent.

Killing your kids a la Susan Smith is total failure.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Killing your kids a la Susan Smith is total failure.

Yes, Susan Smith is a good example of total parenting failure.