Mother Arrested for Letting Her 10-Year-Old Walk to the Store Alone

Gen X, of which this editor is a proud member, saved the country by voting for Donald Trump by a 53-point margin. Gen X is the generation of latchkey kids who would ride their bikes around the neighborhood until it got dark.

Attitudes toward children have certainly changed, at least in Georgia, where ABC News reports that a mother was arrested on charges of reckless conduct for letting her 10-year-old walk less than a mile from their home to the store. No, really.

Can you let your 10 year old son walk a mile in rural Georgia without being arrested in 2024? Apparently not...

Hopefully, when it's all over, she gets a HUGE check from the local government - it's the only way they *may* learn.

"Georgia mom was arrested after her son walked… pic.twitter.com/ESHzkglEGR
— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) November 15, 2024

… after her son walked into town on his own.
Brittany Patterson was charged with reckless conduct after deputies said her 10-year-old son walked less than a mile to a store from their north Georgia home."

No, really.

And there's some nonsense about dropping the charge if she signs a safety plan that puts a GPS tracker on her son's phone.

This editor remembers walking to elementary school alone every day, and that was about a mile away.

The claimed arrest is so egregious I suspect unstated factors.
— Law of Self Defense (@LawSelfDefense) November 16, 2024

We wouldn't have believed it had ABC News not reported on it and shown the bodycam video.

Screw these people. I was babysitting infants at 12-years-old. How about arresting illegal alien invaders first?
— Mary Magdalen (@Gr8LakesCzarina) November 16, 2024

Walked a mile home and she gets arrested for it?
Hell, when I was a child in the 70's we walked everywhere without parental supervision. pic.twitter.com/WGcxNNE4oD
— Roseblite (@Roseblite2) November 16, 2024

Exactly. We walked to school, rode our bikes all over town, built forts, scaled the garage wall to run around on the roof, and did gobs of other unsupervised shenanigans. Granted, it’s a different world today, but this mom is definitely the victim of governmental overreach.
— ScotLass (@DLMHBC) November 16, 2024

Every parent in the 80’s would be in jail
— Rob (@RobAustinH) November 16, 2024

I used to walk about 12 miles to the local K-Mart from the trailer park where we lived. With my 8 year old sister tagging along... Of course, my parents weren't home anyway and generally had no idea where I was. Gen X... we were pretty independent.
— Shotski0 (@shotski0) November 16, 2024

Honestly she should sue the police department for enabling such an unsafe environment that her 11 year old CAN’T walk down the street without them saying it’s dangerous! That’s how ridiculous this whole thing sounds.
— Jordan Karr (@JordanLkarr) November 16, 2024

That's what we were thinking. Local law enforcement thinks their beat is too dangerous for a 10-year-old to walk alone? What kind of crimes have been going on there?

My single mom would have been in prison for life for the stuff I did unsupervised in the 1980s.
— Ray Alexander 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@rma1776) November 16, 2024

What is the law she allegedly broke?

Unless they have the age codified in law as to when it is legally acceptable to allow your child to walk alone, there should be both a lawsuit and termination of the arresting officers.
— Kevin M. Nelson (@KevinMNelsonUSA) November 16, 2024

I walked farther than that home from school in second grade.
— Mark Starrett 🇺🇸 (@MTStarrett) November 16, 2024

Same.

Wow! When I was 10 we rode our bikes more than a mile to the lake and spent the day fishing. From the time the sun came up to when the street lights came on our parents had no idea where we were. Had to be home at 5 for dinner though before getting kicked back out of the house
— GrimsMemes (@GrimsMemes) November 16, 2024

If the family had a pet squirrel or racoon those jack booted thugs would have probably killed it
— Anti child-mutilator, leave them kids alone (@Thegreatunwoken) November 16, 2024

It's fine to let a 10-year-old change their gender and take puberty blockers and hormones, but don't let a boy walk into town in rural Georgia. What's going on over there?