A group in Maryland that supports "free range" parenting is urging families to show their belief in independent outdoor play by accompanying their children to a park and then allowing them to walk home on their own.
The meet-up event, which is scheduled to happen on May 9 at the Ellsworth Park in downtown Silver Spring, also looks to show solidarity with Alexander and Danielle Meitiv, parents that are living in Montgomery Country that have been under investigations by Child Protective Services (CPS) for allowing their children to walk unsupervised.
The Meitivs agreed to a "safety plan" on April 12, stating that they will not leave their children unattended after the siblings were kept in custody by authorities for over five hours. As such, it is not clear whether the Meitivs will be able to participate in the Ellsworth Park meet-up on May 9 with other free range parents.
The Meitivs had a meeting with CPS representatives on April 22, the details of which were kept under wraps by the attorney of the gamily, Matthew Dowd. The meeting involved two CPS staff members, two county lawyers and a detective, which could mean that the parents could still be prosecuted for allowing their children to walk unattended.
Dowd revealed that the Meitivs are planning to sue the CPS over the incident, with the experience stirring a national debate on parenting styles, the safety of children, and the role of the government in the enforcement of laws that are in place to safeguard children.
The Meitivs were investigated in December of last year for allowing their two children, 10-year-old Rafi and 6-year-old Dvora, to walk home by themselves from Silver Spring's Woodside Park. The children were once again picked by authorities on April 12 while walking home by themselves from Ellsworth Park.
The May 9 event intends to show that children being allowed to play and walk by themselves outdoors "should be the norm, not the exception," said Empower Kids Maryland founder Russell Max Simon.
Empower Kids Maryland is questioning why two children walking home on their own from the park warrants a call to 911 and an investigation by the CPS.
The movement drew inspiration from "free range" founder Lenore Skenazy, who has been urging parents to take part in the annual "Take Our Children to the Park... And Leave Them There Day," now on its fifth year.
Skenazy believes that the idea of allowing children to walk home alone is not crazy or negligent, but simply an old-fashioned idea that should be how children spend their weekends.
