CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — Melissa Henderson, who is a single mother of five, is facing a year in prison and a $1,000 fine after she left her children under the care of her oldest child, 14, while she went to work amid the pandemic.
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I was babysitting my little sister and brother when I was 9 and at 14, I was babysitting other people's kids for pocket money - 50 cents an hour and time and a half past midnight.
My oldest came home by herself after school starting at 13 and was responsible for meeting her sister, who was 4 years younger, at the bus stop an hour later and bringing her home. They made their own snacks and did homework. They stayed home that summer by themselves. They had chores and cooked their own lunches.
I came home by myself starting at 9. Called mom at work so she knew I was home. Stoked up the wood stove in the winter, made my own snack and was expected to have homework done when dad got home just after 5. If I got done with homework, I left a note and went out and played until dad would whistle to call me home for dinner.
The only requirement for baby sitting at age 12 was to know the phone number of the fire department, where the parents were, and the police, in that order....50 cents an hour, sometimes flat rate.....
Hell,I guess they would have strung my mom up. I'd get up, eat, and get the bicycle and go. Wouldn't get home till dark sometimes. I wasn't twelve years old,, The government takes itself Way too seriously.
I was blessed with a wonderful father who was a super provider! Blessed again because Dad made us work and let us have the money we earned. By 8, I had enough money to buy my first shotgun, by myself. None of this meant anything at the time because we thought this was normal. At 76 years old, and seeing how pathetic the young act today, concerns me for America.
I'm with you. I bought my first 10 speed at 13 years old with my own money after a year of delivering 250 papers 7 days a week, waking up at 4am to git 'er done.
But look at the bright side, ge. Hopefully we're not going to be around to watch the collapse and to see all the pathetic young people scratching their heads wondering what went wrong.
They're going to miss us when we're gone. They just won't realize why.
At fourteen I was spending most of my time on my Grandparents farm helping out. I got to do everything. Keeping the livestock fed in the winter months,and dealing with snow and cold . Driving tractors in the spring getting the crops in. Harvesting hay in the summer , fixing fence cutting firewood. I was lucky !
Her 14-year old should have been out on the streets randomly killing people. Bad mother, trying to raise her kids responsibly, and worse, HAVING A JOB.
They are sending a message that you can't be self reliant, that you HAVE to depend on some organization from the state to survive, they are making an example out of her to keep others from doing the same. Voltaire would love these guys
We have way too many rules and regulations generated by way to many mildly incompetent bureaucrats sitting in offices wasting time and taxpayer money. One of the major problems is these little Hitlers and Hitlerettes feel safe and invincible behind their desks, defended by "law enforcement" goons reveling in their power.(just following orders, don't you know)
At age 11, I was babysitting, mowing lawns, and washes all for .50 cents an hour. At about 14, I started hauling hay. Then got a job in a canning factory at 16. Quickly quit that and got a job pumping gas that I stayed at for the next two years, until after graduation, when I hired into the foundry job I stayed at for 35 plus years. I worked at a aluminum injection cast factory for maybe 6 months, 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week, with no days off. I just could no longer work that many days in a row, although I had done it in the past. I then worked for a trailer park for a couple of years, until I got disability for chronic migraines and a back that I had broken when I was 20 years old, that had simply worn out. So I figure that I worked around 50 years, before I could no longer do it anymore, due to chronic pain. The migraines are the worst. It is not "just a headache." It involves your whole body, and your emotions as well. I have had them since I have been an adult, and they have gotten worse every year. And in all of this time, doctors have come up with new and different theories as to what causes them. I don't think that they are correct yet, as to what causes them, since there so many different types of migraines.
I babysat my two nephews who were 2 and 4 for my sister when I was 14. Nothing bad happened. State needs to back off, it's not like she left them alone with no supervision.
My mother used to tell the story of how her parents would be off for a weekend to visit friends or relatives out of state and instruct my mother (age 8) to go stay with a local aunt or uncle. They didn't drop her off, they had her pack a small suitcase and walk. One time they did that they hadn't checked with the relative first. Mom got there and no one was home, neither were any other friends or relatives locally. So mom went home and took care of herself that weekend. Making herself sandwiches and cereal since she wasn't allowed to light the stove when no one else was home. She laughed at the memory. Can you imagine?
Times have changed. My mother, aged 5 would hitchhike to the next town with her older, 7 year old cousin. I'd take my younger siblings across town on the bus when I was 8. I tell this to people today and you can almost see them grow pale.
For some reason there was no link to the story available when I tried to access. I have seen this story from other sites, A great portion of the pictures of the MOM, show she is well above average. Funny how the son's friend's mother called the PO PO, could have just called the mom to let her know. Maybe the friend's mom is just a little too jealous or threatened! Hubby not so happy KAREN?
Shit, by the time I was 13, my folks would go away on business trips for dad’s insurance job and be fine with me staying home alone for 2-4 days, happened at least twice a year. They’d load me up with pizzas, tell me to have a friend stay over, and maybe call once or twice to make sure I didn’t burn the house down. It was always fine, except that one time my friend came over, hit dad’s liquor shelf, and told me it’d be fun to go muddin’ with the lawnmower in the backyard after a two day rainstorm. Which we did. Dad was not pleased with that one, he had a LOT of grass to patch when he got home.
2016: I'm being investigated by the SS b/c my ex is stealing my dying mother in law's oxy, passing out with kids when she has them, showing up at the house wasted & taking kids off in her car, I can't get a restraining order b/c I can't prove she's wasted when she does this. I tested clean when they drug tested me.
Me: So... what age can I leave a kid at home alone? The United States SS: 18 Me: ....
Technically it's not criminal to leave a kid at home but they can make it "neglect" and then it's criminal. Basically if you piss off the wrong SS officer you get a charge.
And we wonder why today twenty years old act like or are still children.
ReplyDeleteMuch the same except I wasn't smart enough to ask for time and a half.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the mom was arrested because she refused to pay that "oldest child" a 'living wage' of $15/hr?
DeleteMy oldest came home by herself after school starting at 13 and was responsible for meeting her sister, who was 4 years younger, at the bus stop an hour later and bringing her home. They made their own snacks and did homework. They stayed home that summer by themselves. They had chores and cooked their own lunches.
ReplyDeleteI came home by myself starting at 9. Called mom at work so she knew I was home. Stoked up the wood stove in the winter, made my own snack and was expected to have homework done when dad got home just after 5. If I got done with homework, I left a note and went out and played until dad would whistle to call me home for dinner.
No wonder these kids can't do anything anymore.
Jeremy P
The only requirement for baby sitting at age 12 was to know the phone number of the fire department, where the parents were, and the police, in that order....50 cents an hour, sometimes flat rate.....
ReplyDeleteI guess the 'authorities' believe she can take better care of her children if shes in jail. Idiots
ReplyDeleteNothing is ever good enough for Big Sister, keeping us all safe.
ReplyDeleteHell,I guess they would have strung my mom up. I'd get up, eat, and get the bicycle and go. Wouldn't get home till dark sometimes. I wasn't twelve years old,,
ReplyDeleteThe government takes itself Way too seriously.
I was blessed with a wonderful father who was a super provider!
ReplyDeleteBlessed again because Dad made us work and let us have the money we earned.
By 8, I had enough money to buy my first shotgun, by myself.
None of this meant anything at the time because we thought this was normal.
At 76 years old, and seeing how pathetic the young act today, concerns me for America.
I'm with you. I bought my first 10 speed at 13 years old with my own money after a year of delivering 250 papers 7 days a week, waking up at 4am to git 'er done.
DeleteBut look at the bright side, ge. Hopefully we're not going to be around to watch the collapse and to see all the pathetic young people scratching their heads wondering what went wrong.
They're going to miss us when we're gone. They just won't realize why.
We were doing all kinds of shit 40 years agao that would get you arrested today.
ReplyDeleteMan that's the truth
DeleteJD
At fourteen I was spending most of my time on my Grandparents farm helping out. I got to do everything. Keeping the livestock fed in the winter months,and dealing with snow and cold . Driving tractors in the spring getting the crops in. Harvesting hay in the summer , fixing fence cutting firewood. I was lucky !
ReplyDeleteHer 14-year old should have been out on the streets randomly killing people.
ReplyDeleteBad mother, trying to raise her kids responsibly, and worse, HAVING A JOB.
Hey Kenny;
ReplyDeleteThey are sending a message that you can't be self reliant, that you HAVE to depend on some organization from the state to survive, they are making an example out of her to keep others from doing the same. Voltaire would love these guys
At 14 my parents were leaving me home alone for the weekend while they were visiting my mother's parents that lived 3 hours away.
ReplyDeleteJD
This birthing unit dropped the ball in her temporary custody of wards of the state. The state therefore incurred damages and must be made whole.
ReplyDeleteWe have way too many rules and regulations generated by way to many mildly incompetent bureaucrats sitting in offices wasting time and taxpayer money. One of the major problems is these little Hitlers and Hitlerettes feel safe and invincible behind their desks, defended by "law enforcement" goons reveling in their power.(just following orders, don't you know)
ReplyDeleteIt's past time we thin the herd. A lot.
At age 11, I was babysitting, mowing lawns, and washes all for .50 cents an hour. At about 14, I started hauling hay. Then got a job in a canning factory at 16. Quickly quit that and got a job pumping gas that I stayed at for the next two years, until after graduation, when I hired into the foundry job I stayed at for 35 plus years.
ReplyDeleteI worked at a aluminum injection cast factory for maybe 6 months, 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week, with no days off. I just could no longer work that many days in a row, although I had done it in the past. I then worked for a trailer park for a couple of years, until I got disability for chronic migraines and a back that I had broken when I was 20 years old, that had simply worn out. So I figure that I worked around 50 years, before I could no longer do it anymore, due to chronic pain. The migraines are the worst. It is not "just a headache." It involves your whole body, and your emotions as well. I have had them since I have been an adult, and they have gotten worse every year. And in all of this time, doctors have come up with new and different theories as to what causes them. I don't think that they are correct yet, as to what causes them, since there so many different types of migraines.
I was washing dishes in a restaurant for $1.70 an hour at 11. Our country has jumped the shark.
ReplyDeleteI babysat my two nephews who were 2 and 4 for my sister when I was 14. Nothing bad happened. State needs to back off, it's not like she left them alone with no supervision.
ReplyDeleteMy mother used to tell the story of how her parents would be off for a weekend to visit friends or relatives out of state and instruct my mother (age 8) to go stay with a local aunt or uncle. They didn't drop her off, they had her pack a small suitcase and walk.
ReplyDeleteOne time they did that they hadn't checked with the relative first. Mom got there and no one was home, neither were any other friends or relatives locally.
So mom went home and took care of herself that weekend. Making herself sandwiches and cereal since she wasn't allowed to light the stove when no one else was home.
She laughed at the memory.
Can you imagine?
Times have changed. My mother, aged 5 would hitchhike to the next town with her older, 7 year old cousin. I'd take my younger siblings across town on the bus when I was 8. I tell this to people today and you can almost see them grow pale.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason there was no link to the story available when I tried to access. I have seen this story from other sites, A great portion of the pictures of the MOM, show she is well above average. Funny how the son's friend's mother called the PO PO, could have just called the mom to let her know. Maybe the friend's mom is just a little too jealous or threatened! Hubby not so happy KAREN?
ReplyDeleteShit, by the time I was 13, my folks would go away on business trips for dad’s insurance job and be fine with me staying home alone for 2-4 days, happened at least twice a year. They’d load me up with pizzas, tell me to have a friend stay over, and maybe call once or twice to make sure I didn’t burn the house down.
ReplyDeleteIt was always fine, except that one time my friend came over, hit dad’s liquor shelf, and told me it’d be fun to go muddin’ with the lawnmower in the backyard after a two day rainstorm. Which we did. Dad was not pleased with that one, he had a LOT of grass to patch when he got home.
2016:
ReplyDeleteI'm being investigated by the SS b/c my ex is stealing my dying mother in law's oxy, passing out with kids when she has them, showing up at the house wasted & taking kids off in her car, I can't get a restraining order b/c I can't prove she's wasted when she does this. I tested clean when they drug tested me.
Me: So... what age can I leave a kid at home alone?
The United States SS: 18
Me: ....
Technically it's not criminal to leave a kid at home but they can make it "neglect" and then it's criminal. Basically if you piss off the wrong SS officer you get a charge.