VOA慢速英語: 老式的教育模式在美國引發(fā)爭論

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Old Style Parenting Starts Debate in the US

Child abuse and child neglect are serious crimes.Some U.S. laws are designed to protect children fromtheir very own parents.

Recently, two parents who live in the state of Maryland,near Washington, D.C., were found guilty of “unsubstantiated neglect.”

What was their crime? The parents let their two children walk home together unsupervised from a neighborhood park.

The children are a 10-year old boy named Rafi and his6-year old sister Dvora.

The two siblings like to play at their neighborhood park.After playing, they walk home – by themselves.

And that is a problem says Maryland’s child protectiveservices agency.

This incident has restarted a debate in the U.S. aboutthe amount of independence parents should give theirchildren.

Some people object to courts telling parents how toraise their children. They also think children benefit fromexploring the outside world without a lot of supervision.

Opponents say this so called “free-range parenting”can put children in danger.

Rafi and Dvora’s parents, Danielle and Alexander Meitiv, are both trainedscientists. They defend "free-range parenting."

Free-range is usually a term used to describe farm animals that live uncaged.With parents, it means loosening control over your children. Danielle Meitivexplains.

"The idea of free-range parenting is really that your children need the freedomto explore. They need to be alone, without parents. They learn to take risks.They learn to be independent.”

Rafi and Dvora Meitiv like to play at playground near their home -- without their parents. February 2015 (FILE/Julie Taboh)

But opponents say children may not be able to safely navigate the world alone.They may not be able to cross the street safely. They may get lost. They couldget hurt or, a parent’s worst nightmare, kidnapped.

Supporters of free-range parenting argue that many more children die in caraccidents than are kidnapped. But, they say, parents still put children in carsall the time.

The Meitiv parents say they slowly let their two children take walks bythemselves. They first made sure Rafi and Dvora knew the area well.

But on December 20, 2014, the two young Meitivs wentfarther than usual. They walked home from a park that is a little more than a kilometer away.

Police officers stopped the children as they walkedalong a busy street. They drove the children home.

What happened next came as a shock, says AlexanderMeitiv, their father.

"When they brought them home I thought they wouldrelease the kids -- it's my house, my kids -- butapparently they had some procedure to go throughwhich required me to give them my ID.”

Mr. Meitiv says the police would not let him go to hischildren. They physically blocked him. Rafi, the olderchild, called his mother who was out of town. He saidhe felt afraid, or scared, that the police were going toarrest his father.

"At first I was just a bit annoyed because we know that they're not allowed todo this and what we're doing is allowed. And then I started to kinda (kind of)get scared because I thought that maybe they would like my arrest my dad orsomething."

The police did not arrest Mr. Meitiv. However, a few hours later, an investigatorfrom Child Protective Services, or CPS, showed up at their house.

Mr. Meitiv says the CPS investigator came with, what she called, a “safetyplan.” This “safety plan” called for Mr. Meitiv to have his children undersupervision at all times. Mr. Meitiv refused to sign the paper. The CPSinvestigator threatened to take his children from him and call the police if hedid not sign the “safety plan.”

How is neglect defined?

U.S. federal law defines neglect as “failure of a parent or other person withresponsibility for the child to provide needed food, clothing, shelter, medicalcare, or supervision to the degree that the child’s health, safety, and well-being are threatened with harm.”

Rafi Meitiv, a free-range child, plays at a playground near his house. (FILE/Julie Taboh)

Many U.S. states do not have laws that say at what age a child can be leftalone. Maryland does. Child Protective Services opened the Meitivinvestigation based on a Maryland law that makes it illegal to leave a childyounger than eight with anyone under the age of 13.

Danielle Meitiv says she and her husband did not violate this law.

"It says children may not be left unattended while confined or locked in abuilding, dwelling, enclosure or vehicle. They were not locked or confinedanywhere. They were outdoors playing in a playground or walking home."

“Free-range parent” is just another name for “old school”

This is not the first time the U.S. has debated free-range parenting.

In 2008, a journalist in New York City named Lenore Skenazy let her 9-year oldson ride the subway alone. Then Ms. Skenazy wrote about it, calling it “free-range parenting.” The name stuck.

Some called Ms. Skenazy the “World’s Worst Mother” for putting her child indanger. She now has a television show called “World’s Worst Mother” whereshe helps parents who are too protective.

Free-range parents such as Danielle Meitiv say that letting your children be out in the world alone is how most American children played just a generationago. This is the way children still do play in many parts of the world.

She remembers her own childhood when she was permitted to go almosteverywhere alone.

"Up until this generation, it was perfectly normal for children to go to the parkby themselves or down the block or run errands for their parents or walk homefrom school. It's only very recently that this has become unusual."

For now, the Meitivs say they feel as if they are living under a cloud ofuncertainty. Child Protective Services will keep the case against the coupleopen for at least five years. The Meitivs still do not know what will happen iftheir children walk or play outside by themselves in the future.

I’m Anna Matteo.

Do you think the Meitivs pushed the limits of free-range parenting? Or do youthink the courts have over stepped their bounds? At what age do children playunsupervised where you live? Thanks for sharing your viewpoints in thecomments section.

Julie Taboh reported this story from Washington, D.C. for VOA news. AnnaMatteo wrote it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Words in This Story

unsubstantiated – adj. having no basis in reason or fact

sibling – n. a brother or sister

scared – adj. afraid of something; nervous or frightened

free-range – adj. allowed to move around freely; not kept in cages

constant – adj. happening all the time or very often over a period of time

uncertainty – adj. something that is doubtful or unknown