I consider myself a fairly laid-back mom.
I absolutely have standards and I enforce them, but I also know when to pick and choose my battles.
One of the things I decided against early on in motherhood was being a helicopter parent. That decision was for a variety of reasons: first, it's exhausting both mentally and physically and puts unrealistic expectations on parents (and this is part of what makes parenthood unappealing for a lot of people, by the way). Second, my children need to learn how to grow up and navigate the world without me holding their hands. They're going to go off to college, get jobs and -- to be blunt -- I'm going to die one day. The sooner they learn to navigate the world without me, the better off they'll be.
I also decided that I wasn't going to helicopter parent other people's children, either, and unless I felt there was imminent danger, I wouldn't question the parenting decisions of others. And I certainly wouldn't involve law enforcement unless I felt I had no other choice.
If only more people felt the same.
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In Augusta, Georgia, a 24-year-old father of three was arrested for leaving his children at a McDonald's while he went to a nearby job interview:
A 24-year-old Augusta man was arrested for leaving his children—ages 1, 6, and 10—alone at a McDonald's while he attended a nearby job interview. pic.twitter.com/aKoq4plLYU
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) March 31, 2025
Here's more from the Augusta Press (emphasis added):
An Augusta man was arrested last week after leaving three young children unattended at a McDonald’s restaurant while he attended a job interview.
Chris Louis, 24, of Young Drive, was charged on March 22 with deprivation of a minor.
The incident occurred that day at the McDonald’s located at 2902 Washington Road in Augusta, which has a playground inside. Authorities were called after a concerned customer noticed the children, ages 1, 6, and 10, were left alone.
A responding deputy found the children unattended. A witness reported seeing Louis with the children around 4:30 p.m. that day. The witness also observed Louis leave the restaurant, return later before leaving again.
Louis arrived back at McDonald’s around 6:18 p.m. and was detained by officers. He explained that he had walked to the restaurant with his children from his apartment and didn’t want to make them walk back while he attended a nearby job interview. He said he did not own a vehicle.
There's always a 'concerned' bystander. This reminds me of another story out of Georgia, where a mom was arrested for the 'crime' of letting her ten-year-old son walk to the store. Another 'concerned' person called the cops and mom was arrested.
Such stories are not rare, and there have been parents arrested, investigated by CPS, and harassed by local officials for daring to let their children be children.
But in this Augusta case, what exactly was accomplished here?
Kids are separated from their father (where are the Democrats whining about this family separation?). Louis probably didn't get the job he interviewed for -- and likely will struggle to find work with a conviction on his record. He's clearly poor, as he doesn't have a car and had to walk to the McDonald's and his interview. How will fines and lawyers' fees help him? They won't.
I understand that common sense is so uncommon it's a superpower these days, but how about we apply some of that common sense to cases like this?
We've become a culture so obsessed with the illusion of safety that we cause more harm than good.
The children were in a safe location and a ten-year-old is capable of keeping an eye on his siblings for a short period. They had access to a bathroom and no reports indicate any signs of neglect or abuse.
Just a dad, trying to get a job, doing the best he could given the circumstances.
That's something to be praised, not prosecuted.
