Kay Eskridge is a Kentucky mom, former child protective services worker, and fan of the Free-Range Kids movement. Over the years, she’s written to me several times about our shared passion for fostering kids’ independence. This includes a note she sent in 2021 saying that a 7-year-old riding her bike in their quiet Louisville neighborhood had been stopped by cops who wanted to know where her mother was.<\/p>\n

But earlier this summer, it happened to Eskridge’s own kid.<\/p>\n

“The police were called because my 8-year-old was riding her bike on our street,” says Eskridge.<\/p>\n

Her note arrived in my inbox recently. Subsequently, we connected over a Zoom call. She set the scene: Her daughter, Julia, had just finished second grade. Thanks to a weird schedule, Julia arrives home two hours before her friends. That leaves her bored and eager for fun by late afternoon. On May 18, when at last a friend had made it home, Julia hopped on her bike to ride eight houses over to his place.<\/p>\n

“She was three houses away,” says Eskridge, “and the police stopped her.”<\/p>\n

The policeman was actually someone the family knew. (Eskridge’s husband is in local politics.) He told the girl that “this isn’t a good time to be outside,” according to Eskridge. Julia assured the officer that she was used to traffic and knew how to ride her bike, and continued on her way.<\/p>\n

The officer left her alone but decided to pay a visit to the Eskridge house.<\/p>\n

Her husband answered the door, but when Eskridge heard what was going on, she took matters into her own hands.<\/p>\n

“I was not about to let him handle this,” she says. “So I come bursting through and say, ‘Can a child not ride her bike on the street in this neighborhood anymore? Is that what we’re saying?'”<\/p>\n

The policeman assured her no, it wasn’t that. Rather, a woman had called the police because she was “upset that a child was outside.”<\/p>\n

Eskridge informed the cop that it was not illegal for children to be outside. He agreed but implied that Eskridge needed to take that up with the woman.<\/p>\n

She soon got her chance. When Julia returned home, she told her mom that a woman had come running over to her. Eskridge realized that must have been the neighbor who called the cops: an older lady who lived down the block. Eskridge went to talk to her and explained that kids need some independence.<\/p>\n

“I explained how she’s not on screens when she comes home,” says Eskridge. The woman, a former teacher, eventually agreed that this parenting decision was sound, and the matter was finished.<\/p>\n

Now Eskridge would like the rest of the world’s Good Samaritans to take a minute and think before reflexively calling the cops whenever there is a child outdoors.<\/p>\n

The post Cops Called on 8-Year-Old Child for Being Outside<\/a> appeared first on Reason.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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