A chance for reasonable childhood independence in Georgia 

Multiple unpleasant encounters with concerned law enforcement officials have some Georgian parents calling for improved laws around child neglect. A new bill is exactly what Peach State parents need to promote independence in their children without the fear of government intervention. 

In October, Georgia mom Brittany Patterson was arrested because her 10-year-old son walked to town (Mineral Bluff, pop. 370) without her knowledge while she took her other son to a doctor’s appointment. A passerby saw the boy and called the authorities. Police hurried over, questioned the boy, and called his mother.  

Patterson was surprised to hear her son had left the house but was confident he could handle the walk safely. Law enforcement did not share this belief. Officers came to Patterson’s home, handcuffed her in front of her kids, and threw her in jail for reckless conduct. (Reason was the first outlet to report this story).  

What followed has become an ongoing battle with Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), which interviewed the family and requested Patterson agree to a “safety plan.” One provision? She would have to download an app in front of the caseworker and promise to use it to track her child’s location. Instead of caving to the pressure of government oversight of her parenting, Patterson decided to fight back with legal counsel. Patterson’s story gained national attention, particularly among parents concerned with growing social and legal pressures to manage the minutiae of their children’s lives. 

During this session of the Georgia legislature, lawmakers will have an opportunity to address this issue directly. Senate Bill 110 (also known as the “Reasonable Childhood Independence” bill) eliminates subjective language and refines the definition of neglect and abuse in Georgia’s existing laws. The bill will establish clear allowances for specific activities, such as children traveling to and from school or the store, playing outdoors, and staying at home alone for reasonable periods while still prohibiting clearly harmful neglect or endangerment. 

The bill would allow Georgia parents to make the right decisions for their children without worrying about widely varying interpretations of what is and isn’t appropriate. It would give them the space to cultivate independence confidently during a crucial developmental period.   

A culture of overprotection hurts kids and families alike. A 2023 study in The Journal of Pediatrics found that as children’s independence has been going down over the decades, their anxiety and depression have been going up—and that this is a causal relationship, not just a mere correlation.  

Patterson’s case is not an anomaly. Another Georgia mother was arrested in 2020—and dragged through a three-year legal battle—for letting her 14-year-old babysit her other children, something that is clearly allowed in state law but was still reported to police and pursued by law enforcement.  

Before that, another Georgia family was subjected to multiple investigations because their 7-year-old son stopped at the grocery for a free cookie on his bike ride home from swim practice.   

Similar stories arise every year all over the country, and concerned parents notice. 

The problem at the core is that the laws defining child neglect are vague and subjective, leaving much of the interpretation up to the judgment of police and social workers. Indeed, in the cookie story, officers and caseworkers disagreed with each other! One praised the mother for her excellent parenting, but another threatened her with arrest if she allowed her son to be unsupervised again.  

While there is no doubt that government safety workers are likely operating with what they perceive to be in the best interests of the child, in the vast majority of cases, there is no better judge of what is appropriate than a child’s own parent. However, parents who want to give their kids more independence struggle when it is unclear if a call from a concerned neighbor could lead to a years-long clash with government agencies. 

If Georgia adopts SB 110 into law, it will be the ninth state to implement such protections. The non-profit Let Grow, whose president, Lenore Skenazy, writes for Reason (the magazine published by Reason Foundation), has been working since 2018 to enact similar changes to state neglect and endangerment laws. Those interested in promoting sensible childhood independence can contact Let Grow to see how they can help in their own state.  

Georgia policymakers must promote an environment where parents are free to grant children the independence they need to develop their resilience and sense of individualism. This is a noble cause that both parents and Georgia lawmakers should embrace. 

The post A chance for reasonable childhood independence in Georgia  appeared first on Reason Foundation.

Source: https://reason.org/commentary/a-chance-for-reasonable-childhood-independence-in-georgia/