Let them be

It's officially summer time.  I remember when I was a kid during summer we took swimming lessons, went on picnics at the park, took vacations, and rode our bikes all around the city - alone.  That's right, I rode my bide into every corner of the city all by myself.

Why is that an issue?  Well, apparently because there are a number of busy-body adults these days who think that leaving your kid alone for even a second is negligent parenting.  

Like that Maryland couple who saw their two kids get picked up by child protective services ("CPS") simply because the parents let their kids walk home from the park.  Really?! 

Mind your own freaking business, people!

It's such a big thing that Utah took it upon themselves to be the first state in the Union to pass a law saying that kids can play alone outside without adult supervision.  Not just play but ride their bikes around town - without a parent or adult hovering over them.

So, all of this came to mind when just the other day we had a couple come to the law library.  Seems they had lost custody of their kids and were seeking an appeal of the action.  

What had happened was the kids were in the backyard playing, a neighbor (who didn't have anything else to do) called the cops saying the kids were in trouble, CPS came, police snagged the kids (from their backyard) and now you're up to speed.

Really?  They're playing in their backyard and that's not good enough?!?  OK, so that does sound fishy, backyard and all, but it's sad that government doesn't have enough to do than to mess up people's lives who are, otherwise, trying to follow the rules of the game.

I mean, it's nice that neighbors are keeping an eye out for the safety of kids but,... if nothing is going on, mind your own freaking business, people!

Anyway, couple is freaking out.  I suggest couple take a look at 

• California Practice Guide: Administrative Law (TR)
• California Administrative Hearing Practice (CEB)
• California Civil Appellate Practice (CEB)
• California Forms of Pleading and Practice (Lexis)
• American Law Reports (TR; 62 A.L.R.6th 413, Search and Seizure: Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in Backyards)

and couple started in on trying to get their kids from the clutches of the CPS.

Life's tough.  It gets tougher when you have busy-bodies unnecessarily sticking their noses into places there they don't belong.  Nice that there are county law libraries (and, by extension, county law Librarians) who are around to help point you where you need to go.