Helicopter Parenting Gets Grounded in Georgia

Just a few months after Georgia mom Brittany Patterson was arrested for the crime of not knowing that her then-10-year-old son had walked to the store on his own, her state has passed a Reasonable Childhood Independence law, making it the ninth state to do so. It now goes to the governor for signing.

The bill clarifies that "neglect" is only when you put your child in serious, obvious danger — not anytime you take your eyes off them. This protects against the modern-day helicopter parenting norms that have made passersby — and, sometimes, cops and bureaucrats — insist that children of almost any age need constant adult supervision.

When Patterson was arrested, bodycam footage shows, she asked the law enforcement agents, "What am I under arrest for?"

"For reckless endangerment," one deputy said.

"And how was I recklessly endangering my child?"

Replied the second deputy, "Turn around. We're not — we're not talking about it."

At which point Patterson told her son — who'd witnessed the arrest, as had two of his three siblings — to go tell their grandma, "They're taking me to jail because you decided to walk down the street."

When Georgia lobbyist Jesse Weathington heard this story — which ricocheted around an outraged world — he contacted Let Grow, the nonprofit I helm, to volunteer his services. Let Grow's mission is to make childhood independence easy, normal and legal — which is why we promote this law. As Weathington says, it lets "kids today have the freedom and independence we enjoyed growing up."

David DeLugas, executive director of the National Association of Parents, is the lawyer representing Patterson. He said, "Let's hope that, from now on, law enforcement and (child and family services) take no action unless a child appears to be hurt or in distress or in imminent danger from an identifiable source."

Said Patterson herself, "Some people think that this is not one of those things that's super important — until you're affected by it."

Georgia state Sens. Jason Anavitarte, Randy Robertson, Kay Kirkpatrick, Jason Esteves and Eddie Lumsden sponsored the bill, which garnered bipartisan support, as it has in every state. That's because no matter what your politics, nobody wants their everyday parenting decisions second-guessed by the state.

Previously, two Georgia cases besides Patterson's had made headlines:

In one, mom of five Melissa Henderson was arrested after she had her daughter, 14, babysit the four younger siblings. This was early in the pandemic when Henderson needed to work but COVID-19 had suddenly shuttered the day care center and schools. Her 4-year-old wandered outside to play with a neighbor, and the neighbor's mom called the cops. Henderson was handcuffed and thrown in jail. The cops said that the child, outside for a couple of minutes, could have been bitten by a "venomous snake."

Henderson, too, was represented by DeLugas. Three years later, the court ruled in her favor.

Meanwhile, in 2018, mom of four Beth Widner was visited by the cops and child protective services after her 7-year-old, riding his bike home from swimming practice, stopped at the local grocery for a free cookie. Someone saw him unsupervised and called 911.

He actually stopped for cookies another time, the little recidivist. The first caseworker sent to investigate the Widners told them she wished her own kids were that independent. But the second one told the Widners that they had "a problem with child supervision." When the parents asked what specific law they had broken, the caseworker said she didn't have it written down.

Well, now the law IS written down: Georgia S.B. 110 says it is NOT neglect to trust your child with some reasonable childhood independence.

Once signed by the governor, the new law will "protect families from misunderstanding what is and isn't neglect," says Let Grow's legal consultant, Diane Redleaf.

It will also let child protective services concentrate on REAL abuse and neglect. In the meantime, kids: Celebrate by going outside RIGHT NOW! And stay out till the streetlights come on!