Posted on 03/21/2012 7:39:08 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement
Child endangerment charges have been filed against an Uptown couple accused of flying to Las Vegas and leave their two children, 12 and 9, home alone for nearly two days, police said.
The couple took the trip last month, but the charges were not filed until this week, according to police. Shanpreta Howard, 34, and Antowain Johnson, 36, of the 4800 block of North Winthrop Avenue, are both charged with two misdemeanor counts of endangering the health and life of a child.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Did anything bad happen to the children?
A 9 and 12 year old are fine alone during the day but two days is a bit much in today’s world.
12 years old is old enough to baby sit. I don’t see what the issue is here.
It wasn’t that long ago that people married at 12 and 13
My parents left me home for 8 hours as a 12 year old and boy what a mess I made of the house.....never let me stay home alone again. lol. I just wanted to cook and made a big mess of the kitchen.
Shanpreta and Antowain... clearly traumatized by the names given to them by their own parents.
I disagree. For a few hours or an afternoon, sure, depending on the children, but overnight? No way.
-PJ
>> Shanpreta Howard, 34, and Antowain Johnson, 36,
Funny... I didn’t think the Amish were *into* gambling!
I was babysitting for money at 12.
Pretty sure 12 year old is legal to babysit in most states... 2 days might be a bit of a stretch in terms of time unless you have a relative of neighbor close by/checking in on them, but I don’t know if I’d make a federal case out of it.
I don’t know if I’d personally do it, but a 12 yo and a 9 yo should be able to survive okay for a couple of days.
I agree, my son could handle such things at that age without any issues.
It’s right on the line for me. If it was just a 12 year old, still not thrilled, but I could see it depending on the maturity of the 12 year old.
If it were a 14 year old and a 9 year old, two days is about the limit with frequent phone calls.
But I sure wouldn’t suggest a 12 and a 9 year old alone for 2 days.
Does it rise to the level of “child endangerment”? I think that is an overreach by the government.
My parents went somewhere for several days when my brother and I were that age. We went to school during the days, and a neighbor’s teenager, 16 or so, came over in the evenings to help us fix supper, and spent the night. Kids that age can be reasonably responsible, but for that length of time, I think sensible parents would have arranged someone to check on them and be available in an emergency.
Guess that race ...
more on the story (with plenty of pictures)
With both parents working, my sisters and I were home alone pretty much every day.
Having once been a Pit Boss at a casino, I can tell you that they are definitely *into* gambling. They also like to blame dealers for "taking" their rent money, light bill payments, children's shoes, etc. I often spoke up to point out that the dealer didn't "take" anything, it was willingly put on the table and lost.
I was babysitting for money at 12 as well...
For two days - that’s a bit much. Don’t think that neglect comes into play here though.
The chicago tribune doesn’t care one bit about these kids. The story is meant to show how bad parents are and confirm the rightness of abortion. This is a disguised abortion story.
My Mom and Dad would leave for days.
But I kept finding them.
Hey - it’s not like they sent the kids to Mexico with 12 of their friends.
>> Having once been a Pit Boss at a casino, I can tell you that they are definitely *into* gambling.
I defer to your real-world experience, but help me understand: are you talking about genuine buggy-riding Amish, or “Free Republic Quote-Unquote Amish”? :-)
Thx and FRegards
>> Those silly Amish and their Biblical names.
Refresh my memory, what book do those characters show up in? Is it I Yohomie, or II Whassup?
>> Flying to Vegas to gamble is NOT an emergency.
Not even if the brotha has, like, a REALLY bad gambling Jones?
The answer to that had been already provided:
They also like to blame dealers for "taking" their rent money, light bill payments,
Besides, I'm sure some of the true Amish might say that gambling is a sin.
I agree, and said as much:
“2 days might be a bit of a stretch in terms of time unless you have a relative of neighbor close by/checking in on them”
If they were completely on their own with no one checking on them at all for 2 days, that is definitely getting into a grey area.
However if they arranged for someone (neighbor, relative) to pop in and check in on them, I don’t think 2 days is something that is worthy of anything. I don’t think I’d personally do that, but I don’t think its endangerment.
We have a winner!
I would imagine a couple of kids 9 and 12 would love to have mom and dad go off to Vegas for a weekend here and there.
I know I did.
And if there had been a medical emergency NO ONE would have been there to authorize care... and that’s the least of it. Baby sitting is for a few hours. The folks left for several days. And pardon me it is a loooong time ago that people married when they were 12 or 13 ( certainly not in the modern era and less so even in the 1800s)
>> The answer to that had been already provided... *light bill payments*
(smacking forehead) Ah! Duh! You made the lights come on! Thanks!
Ha ha ha...well I guess if it’s REALLY bad.
I was just agreeing and giving an example ;-).
It seemed from the article that no provision was made for any supervision of the children until the boy told a teacher they’d been left alone. At that point, a relative was contacted to watch over them.
lol
“And if there had been a medical emergency NO ONE would have been there to authorize care”
In a medical emergency authorization is not needed.
“A 9 and 12 year old are fine alone during the day “
Obviously, you’ve never been to Uptown before. Even as a grown man, in the middle of the day, I try to stick to the main thoroughfares and get out as fast as possible. It’s like the Mos Eisley spaceport from Star Wars... wretched hive of scum and villainy.
“Not even if the brotha has, like, a REALLY bad gambling Jones?”
Not when they built a Casino in Rosemont that is like 20 minutes away by car.
Not always true. Life threatening and medical emergemcy are not the same. Minor children have no ability to approve medical treatment. Guardians and parents or courts do and sometimes docs have to get court permission unless it is life threatening....
“Guardians and parents or courts do and sometimes docs have to get court permission unless it is life threatening....”
Right, “life threatening” being the important phrase.
If my child has a broken leg ( as opposed to an appendicitis attack) I still want that treated sooner rather than later. It is not considered life threatening but I want it handled today.
These parents were self centered in the extreme. They wanted to go so they did. Not good parenting by any measure
I do believe a child with a broken leg would be treated even if no adult was around to give permission. A broken leg is indeed life threatening.
However, I’d never leave my twelve year old with no adult supervision for two days.
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