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Dad Reprimanded for Letting Daughter Walk to Bus Stop
Filed under: In The News, Weird But True
The driver on the bus says ... that's dangerous! Credit: Zemlinki!, Flickr
Why did the 7-year-old cross the road?
Why, to get to the other side, of course -- but the punchline isn't so funny to some officials in one quiet English village.
London's Daily Mail reports that Mark McCullough's decision to allow his daughter, Isabelle, 7, to cross the road in front of their home in Glentham, England, and walk 45 yards to catch the school bus so alarmed the Lincolnshire County Council that he and his partner, Natasha Fegan, were threatened with action from child protective services.
McCullough tells the Daily Mail that he and his family live on what he describes as a "quiet country road," and that he isn't interested in "wrapping his child up in cotton wool."
The schoolgirl's parents allow her to walk the distance from her front door to the school bus stop on her own, both coming and going to school. She also crosses a two-lane road. The bus driver who ferries her to and from Normanby by Spital Primary School felt compelled to walk the child across the road when he dropped her off, thus leaving his other charges alone in the still-running vehicle.
He also alerted school officials, who in turn notified the Lincolnshire County Council. That group sent McCullough and Fegan a letter calling the matter a "child protection issue," and stating that the two could face action from child services if they continued to let the girl walk alone.
That's not all -- the letter also noted that Isabelle was sent to school without a sweater, and that the weather had been nippy that day.
McCullough, a 32-year-old father of five, finds the whole thing ridiculous.
"Lincolnshire County Council says it is a busy road, but that is ridiculous, it is just a country lane," he tells the Daily Mail. "We need to teach our kids to survive on their own because it's a big world out there and they need to be able to look out for themselves."
He tells the newspaper he had considerable freedom as a boy, when he was the same age as his daughter.
Debbie Barnes, Lincolnshire's assistant director of children's services, tells the Daily Mail that guidelines issued by Isabelle's school state that kids under the age of 8 should be accompanied by an adult, but conceded that individual circumstances do vary and that it was up to parents to decide what's best for their child.
Related: Big Mother is Watching You - Even on the School Bus
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 6)
9-14-2010 @ 3:58PM
Mihir said...this child needs to be taken away from these abusive people immediately and placed with strangers in foster care! the audacity of this dad! letting his girl walk 45 yards! anything could have happened. nuclear war could have broken out. where would this poor girl duck and cover? would she even know to duck and cover? did her father teach her?
a small pebble could have lodged in her shoe and caused her minor discomfort!
and imagine the trauma, physical and psychological, this poor girl would have undergone if she had tripped and scraped her knee. or worse.
what if george bush had been driving by and decided she was hiding weapons of mass destruction? what if bill clinton had driven by with a cigar? what if barack obama had driven by and decided she was wealthy and needed to spread the wealth around?
such calamities could have befallen this child. it's a wonder she's still alive!
Reply
9-18-2010 @ 11:03PM
eric said...Get over your obsessive hatred of George W Bush.
9-15-2010 @ 9:05AM
jeanjoy said...I agree with you whole-heartly...I was a very bad mom..my children came to work with me [6am],had to wait in the hospital lobby til time to walk to school,cross 2 roads & double train tracks.... what the heck was I not thinking.. They are 2 of the finset young adults..they made it ,enduring me ,meeting hospital staff,made it past the tracks,got a great education...etc...I enjoyed your comments...joy & peace....
9-15-2010 @ 9:18AM
Linnie said...I have to tell you that I just got into work and read your comment. You made me laugh and I love to start my day by laughing. Funny :)
9-15-2010 @ 8:16PM
hello said...lol that was hilarous about obama. that is what i call a Naney State
9-15-2010 @ 10:41AM
Fran said...LMAOOOO Mihir , you are so right, your comment just made,my day..
9-15-2010 @ 11:01AM
Joan said...Oh no, what if, at the age of 30 she can't do anything and is still living with mommie and daddy.
9-15-2010 @ 11:34AM
Cara said...omg, did your post give me a chuckle. The child was permitted to walk 45 yards at the age of 7??? When I was in first grade (waaay back in the day - 1961) and for the next 12 years, I had to walk down to the end of our street, turn right and trudge way up to the end of the road, completely out of sight of my mother. It was about 1/4 mile.
9-15-2010 @ 12:10PM
jillfrankespo said...Too funny! I wholeheartedly agree. I always let my children walk home from the bus stop since they were 8 and 10 (they are now 9 and 11). I leave them home while I take my morning 30 minute walk, etc. When I was 11, I had to walk home, and take care of my 8 yo daughter. It's chilly out! OMG.
9-21-2010 @ 10:32AM
Jon said...This is crap. Sounds like an overbearing government to me. Http://www.savecreatively.com
9-14-2010 @ 4:58PM
Amanda said...This is soooo stupid. I rode the bus when I was six and had to walk across a two lane road to get to my neighborhood! Isn't that why there's a giant red stop sign whenever the bus door opens? So cars stop and kids can walk across the street if they need to?
Reply
9-14-2010 @ 7:26PM
Sara said...And not wearing a SWEATER? That's the real abusive part. Take away kids from all parents who don't make their kid take a sweater with them.
Reply
9-15-2010 @ 9:31AM
Katie said...I had a neighbor who was sent a similar letter about her daughter's lack of a sweater!
9-14-2010 @ 10:18PM
Christine said...As a mother of 4, I say AMEN to Amanda's reply. OMG & YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING to Mihir and Sara's replies. You can't live life by "what ifs", and just because the girl didn't take a sweater, so what? As parents we have to pick our fights. I would rather let them go without the sweater and freezer and let them learn their lesson, than fight with them and have them miss the bus, then have to drive their little butt to school. Why should I be punished for trying to do the right thing for my kid by arguing with a 7 year old about a sweater, and they don't want to comply. I could understand if it was freezing temps and she had to walk to school, that's a totally different senario. Bottom line, I have to agree with the dad!
Reply
9-15-2010 @ 7:27AM
Jen said...Um.......Mihir and Sara's comments were SARCASTIC comments. Look it up in the dictionary. Geesh!
9-17-2010 @ 10:22AM
Sharon said...Christine, I think everyone else realized after the very beginning that YES, they were kidding. I believe it's because almost every post on here has some over-inflamed posters that say that for real. (Of course those people I doubt are foster parents or have looked into it to find out if they could be... much easier in their thoughts to rip children from their families for any little perceived injustice. Hence that first post).
I do find it hard to believe you have four children and couldn't figure that out. o.O
9-15-2010 @ 8:58AM
Dean said...Christine, Please re-read Mihir and Sara's replies as they were both being "sarcastic". I rather liked Mihir's explanation of how our respective governments are terribly overprotective of "OUR" children. The governments of this world have gotten far too involved in how "WE" raise our kids. Maybe our governments should stop protecting our kids (leave that to us parents) and start securing and protecting our borders from the illegals and terrorists (their job).
9-15-2010 @ 8:57AM
patty said...um... sarcasm.. it's an art form...
9-15-2010 @ 9:32AM
Linnie said...First of all mom, you should have a sense of humor. Mihir was being sarcastic .... uugh ... do I have to explain. You should also lighten up with the sweater thing, who really cares about a sweater and fighting with your kid. Smack him if he doesn't want to put a damn sweater on, or better yet, make him cross a big huge highway to catch the bus and if he misses it make his cold damn ass walk to school!!! ha ha
9-15-2010 @ 11:23AM
TIRED said...You should be punished because there is a underlying desire among many of those in power and many so called "good neighbors" who can holler long and loud enough to cause someone else some trouble. These people are always pointing their finger at someone. I guess to draw attention away from the dastardly deeds that they themselves do. And most people will, upon hearing that a child has been abused, will rise up against these terrible parents like yourself. So the natural scrapes and cuts and bruises that children have always gotten while playing or whatever, has now, become a probable cause for accusing the parents of child abuse or neglect. And NO! you or any other parent should not be subjected to any punishment or abuse from these fools who have nothing else to occupy their time. Why can't people concentrate on the bad that is actually happening instead of trying to create a lie in order to get some innocent person it trouble. May we should turn the tables on them and find some little thing to bring up about them and make them squirm a bit. THe need for fighting back is becoming more important every day.