6-Year-Old Misses School Bus, Takes Family Car Instead

by Sandy Maple (Subscribe to Sandy Maple's posts) Jan 7th 2009 10:00AM

I guess the range of maturity for six-year-old kids is pretty broad. On one end, you have a kid who turns to mom for some breastfeeding when life gets rough. On the other end, you have a kid who looks a problem in the face and comes up with a solution.

This kid in Virginia would definitely fall into the latter category. He decided he wasn't going to let missing the bus prevent him from attending school and instead looked around for some alternative transportation. He found the solution to his problem with the keys to his parent's Ford Taurus. He started her up and got nearly six miles from home before running off the road and crashing into an embankment and utility pole.

"He was very intent on getting to school," said Northumberland County Sheriff Chuck Wilkins. "When he got out of the car, he started walking to school. He did not want to miss breakfast and PE."

The boy, who hasn't been identified, finally made it to school after being checked out at a local hospital. His parents, however, have been charged with child endangerment and the boy and his 4-year-old brother have been placed in protective custody. This is probably a good thing as this kid clearly needs better supervision. Not only was mom asleep when her son missed the school bus and stole the car, he claims he learned to drive by playing video games including Grand Theft Auto. That game is most definitely not intended for little kids, no matter how mature.

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Comments (49)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

LS 1-07-2009 @ 11:36AM

Can we PLEASE stop using this slideshow of truly vile and depraved young people when we're talking about kids who do things that kids do? So a six year old drove mom's car. That doesn't make him a killer in the vein of the Columbine Murderers and others.

sarahandgayle 1-08-2009 @ 9:24AM

Okay I clicked on the blue link and it took me to another more complete story...The kids were not randomly taken for this incident. Evidently the father was under a court order NOT to leave thel children alone with the mother. He left for work at 6:30 a.m. thereby leaving them alone with a sleeping sad excuse of a mother. This makes more sense in why they were taken. Also that story said he actually drove 10.4 miles, at high speeds, passing cars and weaving in and out of lanes. Anyway just want to fill in a missing piece...have a great day!

whosoeverwill 1-08-2009 @ 10:06AM

you are so right...dads and moms watch your children and stop being careless with your car keys...most of all what your children are doing...you must be on gaurd at all times...so s/he has never done it before...and you never know when they might get an idea...when they creep don't sleep on them...put something on the floor to hear them when they get up...when they move you move...just like that...parents stay alert...the children are roaming...check the games they play and ask them the level of their understanding...stay interested in what they involve themselves in...parents know your children...be that eagle...see them...pay attention...the children know when you blink...do not under estimate the children...regardless of the age...

Rosslynn Carpenter 1-07-2009 @ 6:35PM

O Good Lord! Really they took the kids away because the kid took the car and drove to school. Or because he plays GTA. I get that mom should have been up with her kid and made sure he got to the bus, but what with parents who leave kids in cars (and still keep the non dead ones) or the ones who use the kids as mules/slaves/or punching bags, what this mom did is not as bad.

If it were my kids and they had a bus to miss I can tell you that they NEVER would have woken me up or tried to find another way to school. They would have climbed right back into bed and watched tv. Even though they love school any excuse to miss is fine with them. Lets give this mom some credit as her son has the desire to not miss school, come hell or high water....so she must be doing something ok.

Menalipa 1-08-2009 @ 6:49AM

Yes, he didn't want to miss BREAKFAST and PE -- "When he got out of the car, he started walking to school. He did not want to miss breakfast and PE." -- because her mom stayed in bed instead of feeding his son before sending him to school.

NRW27 1-08-2009 @ 4:53PM

Your kids would not have gotten you up if they missed the bus...hmm, what is wrong with everything you said??!!!
I am a mother of two boys, 8 and 6 and let me tell you, I am up every morning, making sure they brush their teeth, wash their face, I MAKE THEM BREAKFAST(eggs, bagels,whatever they want and need to have the right start of their day), and DRIVE them both to school...on time, EVERYDAY! What are you doing in bed when your children have to get up, out and ready for school? Your saying give that woman a break? Give her some credit? HER SON COULD HAVE DIED BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T GET HER LAZY BUTT OUT OF BED! Every mother out there who sleeps while your children are up making their own food, and walking to the bus or school is trash! Get off the drugs, stop drinking at night, get off of your big fat lazy butt and be a real mother! Why did you even have children if you can't even do that??!!!

Rosslynn Carpenter 1-08-2009 @ 10:11AM

Stupid people make me laugh.

It is 6:57am pst and I am up as I am every single morning. My kids are finishing breakfast, lunches are made...I am brushing hair(s) and teeth, and getting ready to drive them to school as I do every single day. What I failed to mention is that I have a 15yr old also and if I did not get up due to alarm not going off, then she would not bother to wake me up, and would tell her siblings 9 & 7 not to wake me either. I wish that I could say that I get them to school on time everyday, but that would be a lie....I will say that they have never been more than 3mins late though.

It is soooo funny to see people get up on their high horse and act as if they have never done anything wrong.

I will tell you that you are a liar!!!!! I will be $100 bucks that there have been days that you have failed to make your kids breakfast, and gotten up late, and even (gosh o gee) failed to make lunches. This could be due to illness, tiredness, etc...but we all have failed at that one time or another..........what if this is that one time for this mom? What if it is just an unfortunate quirk of timing/fate? Of course her kid could have been killed......but what about the parents who let their 5 yr old walk to school ( and yes I've seen them) by themselves, and they get kidnapped or worse? Should we be taking their other children away from them?

Again stupid people who think they are/never do wrong make me laugh!!!!! Get off your high horse and understand that mistakes happen, but not all should have the full weight of the hammer brought down upon them.

nrw27 1-08-2009 @ 5:31PM

I do get up every morning and make my children their breakfast and I drive them to school every morning and pick them up and I'm NEVER late! I was raised that way and so that is the way I am
with my own children. So you can say your going to "call me out" on that one, but if you came to my house your eyes would pop out of your head!!! No matter what time, day or night, my house is spotless! My children pick up after themselves because everything has a place, I cook dinner every night, make breakfast every morning, drive my children to school. So call me "martha"! I love doing arts and crafts with my children, I love sending out thank you cards and making Christmas wreaths! I LOVE being a mother and taking my children to the park, the swim club, play dates....That's why I got married and had children! I DO NOT want to hear that she was tired, she works to many jobs and over slept one time. BULL!!! For them to take the children away means she has done this OVER AND OVER AGAIN! As I wrote earlier, this child could have died because his mother can't get her lazy butt up! SHE WASN'T ALOUD TO BE LEFT ALONE WITH HER CHILDREN!!!!!! She's trash!!!!!!
For any mother out there feeling bad for this little boys mother
tells me a lot about the kind of parent you are!
(15 is a lot different then 6, I can understand that Rosslynn, but this woman was not aloud to be left alone with her children before this even happened! I'm sorry, but this mother is in the wrong...You owe me $100.00, because I really do get up and do all of the things I wrote)

thurnerbj 1-08-2009 @ 11:37PM

READ SARAHANGAYLE'S REPLY......THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND

BETH 1-08-2009 @ 4:08PM

From what I have read, the mother was NOT allowed to be alone with the children. There is a problem right there with the mother. Both the 6 yr old and his younger brother, who is 4, have been removed from the parents.

The child was in such a rush to get to school so he could EAT breakfast and he liked PE. It sounds like the parents didn't feed him so he took it upon himself to get fed! Something is very wrong in that house. The 6 yr old does sound very sharp. Hopefully he can help his younger brother and him make it through childhood safely!! His parents don't sound like much of parents. And I also noticed the video games that he is allowed to play. He probably has no supervision, etc. Poor kid. I hope he makes it!!

Sandy 1-08-2009 @ 6:51AM

Taking the kids away...we certainly are a nation of over reactions....years ago, the parents would have taken charge and the school would have taken charge....and the kid would have been disciplined....on restriction...taking the kids away. Unreal.

Sarah henken 1-08-2009 @ 7:25AM

Hello Sandy,

The kid wanted to get to school to have BREAKFAST. He 's only 6!! That lazy sack of an excuse for a mother should have been up with her kid. I was always up with my two, still am, even though they're teenagers. It is a parents responsibility to take care of their children, despite the message in the media that kids are the hot "accessory".

Sandy 1-08-2009 @ 11:02PM

Sarah,
All we know is what the media said. We do not know what truly occurred. That is what I am saying. The media rushes to judgement and we all follow like sheep.
Kudos to you for your parenting. I am sincere in this compliment.

Lisa 1-08-2009 @ 7:07AM

Sandy, I work with children on a daily basis. And I tell you without a doubt that its not the 6 year olds fault. A 6 year old child should have had an adult up with him and getting him ready for school. At six years of age he is way to young to be doing all that by himself. So that is why the 2 children were taken away. Its obvious the parents were not awake and present to watch the child and get him ready for school. They were so out of it he was able to steal the car and drive it to school. Poor little thing need some adult supervision which was obviously lacking in that home.

Jean 1-08-2009 @ 10:25AM

Lisa, yes, I agree that the kids need supervision and mom should have been awake to see that Johnny got on the bus and breakfast.However, what he did does not deem that the kids should be taken away from the parents. The parents need to take charge. if they care for their children, they will start being more attentive. That is one of the problems with this country, they want to take kids away, make the parents look like bad people, doing what some of us might have done when we were kids.
We are currently letting the law dictate everything about our lives -- I believe a form of communism. We don't know why mom was in bed, perhaps she got Johnny off to the bus stop and climbed back in bed. Everyone is swift to react when they don't know the whole situation.
Give the kids back to the parents and keep them out of the system!
If he was looking forward to going to school for Breakfast and PE, then at least he is going to school. My grandson also gets breakfast at school - its paid for - and mom feeds him breakfast before he gets on the bus. A lot of kids have to get on the bus as early as 6am to be at school by 8:30am. So, there is possibly a 2-3 hour span before they eat breakfast.

Vivian 1-08-2009 @ 8:57AM

Ok, parents work long hours they get tiered, Alarms don't go off, things happen and parents are human. Granted she could be more in control of her child, but to take them away right now is harsh. They take these kids away just to put them into homes where they get neglected emotionally and this will make that child worse than he is right now. Kids aren't how they used to be way back in the day and clearly this kid is smart so she can't be that bad of a parent.

sk8rrocker1217 1-08-2009 @ 7:14AM

haha, this kid is amazing. when i was that young my mom did the same thing, well.. i didnt have a game system until 6th grade and i bought it with my own money. she did nothing wrong! theyre punishing her for her making sure her kids understand the importance of school

Diana 1-08-2009 @ 8:28AM

I agree to a point, the mother should have been up with her child, but to take the kids away is crazy. I believe as I see today , there are too many excuses to remove kids. The very abused child is still in their home , what are they doing about them. All I can say is the parent's should have some shock to realize they need to always should have their children in sight and help them getting to school. but the child was smart in away , but he could have been killed. Parents wake up , I am 65 and have a 15 yr old that I still get up with , today it is not safe to just ingnore. But still do not believe the parents deserved to have their children taken away , other ways to punish, and teach the child to always wake up parents and say I want to go to school. I do see a lot of parents that just leave their kids just do for their self instead of GETTING UP. Pray the family has learned a lesson and the children are returned. GB and will pray for this family and all parents, wake up and smell the roses, life is not like when I was young or when my older children were young. Things are different today. Have a good day and GB all.

Brenda 1-08-2009 @ 8:44AM

I don't think any 8 year old should be sucking on their mother's breast.
I am glad that the little boy didn't get hurt.

Gloria Thai 1-08-2009 @ 8:46AM

Sandy, At least if he was still breastfeeding, he was being taken care of and not getting into a car with the possibility of hurting himself or another!!!!!!

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