Maybe the kid was accustomed to being left alone and unsupervised. Kids are very adaptable. When I was that age (early 1960s) I was taking public transportation alone to places 10 miles or so away in a fairly large city. I would have been perfectly fine with a book in that kid's situation. He knew where he was and where his father was and was not acting distressed according to the report.
This sounds more like adults projecting their own issues and insecurities into the situation. And they could have pulled the guy off the course without calling the police. That was completely over the top.
I'm genuinely surprised at where so many people are drawing the line, and that calling the police is the worst thing here, and that leaving a 9-year old alone in a strange place, for an estimated 16 hours, doesn't carry any high risks. I would think that even leaving them at home alone -- for 16 hours -- seems like it crosses a line of child neglect/endangerment.
Maybe the kid was accustomed to being left alone and unsupervised. Kids are very adaptable. When I was that age (early 1960s) I was taking public transportation alone to places 10 miles or so away in a fairly large city. I would have been perfectly fine with a book in that kid's situation. He knew where he was and where his father was and was not acting distressed according to the report.
This sounds more like adults projecting their own issues and insecurities into the situation. And they could have pulled the guy off the course without calling the police. That was completely over the top.
I'm genuinely surprised at where so many people are drawing the line, and that calling the police is the worst thing here, and that leaving a 9-year old alone in a strange place, for an estimated 16 hours, doesn't carry any high risks. I would think that even leaving them at home alone -- for 16 hours -- seems like it crosses a line of child neglect/endangerment.
The only place where I was anxious about possibly getting separated from my parents as a kid was visiting Taiwan when I was 7 (in 1976). I worried about getting separated in the crowds at night mainly because I wasn't very fluent in Mandarin, I couldn't read the street signs or had a good map and didn't have rendezvous points memorized. I didn't have the usual fallbacks to rely on like knowing my phone number/address and didn't have the home backstops of needing to get home by dinnertime.
Us free-range kids grew up confident, adaptable, self-sufficient, and with a desire to explore, which paid dividends into adulthood. I really feel sorry for kids that have to be shuttled around and have their lives micromanaged and fully scheduled by their parents.
If I were this kid, I'd know when to expect dad to come into the transition points like this kid at the swim to bike transition. I'd know dad's position in the field, pay attention to that information, and know when to expect him to finish. I'd memorize the rendezvous location and explore away from it, most likely not spending all my time there. I'd have a plan for meals, maybe a packed lunch/fruit/snacks, some spending money. I'd know where the restrooms were. I'd have appropriate clothing if the weather changes or gets cold in the evening. I'd figure out what entertains me in the area, looking for good places to hang out. In particular, I'd like going to a library or book stores/magazine shops, if I wanted an alternative to watching the race and exploring the area. I spent so much time in nerding out in libraries and book stores/magazine shops as a kid.
Free-range kids isn't a political thing. It was all the kids in my area and era when I was growing up. I'm non-partisan but lean liberal/friends with Democrats and am for free-range kids.
I'm genuinely surprised at where so many people are drawing the line, and that calling the police is the worst thing here, and that leaving a 9-year old alone in a strange place, for an estimated 16 hours, doesn't carry any high risks. I would think that even leaving them at home alone -- for 16 hours -- seems like it crosses a line of child neglect/endangerment.
Can you list the "high risks" of spending the day in a VP tent with adults present?
Kidnapping, choking, allergic reaction, injuring himself, falling sick, physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc.
I'm genuinely surprised at where so many people are drawing the line, and that calling the police is the worst thing here, and that leaving a 9-year old alone in a strange place, for an estimated 16 hours, doesn't carry any high risks. I would think that even leaving them at home alone -- for 16 hours -- seems like it crosses a line of child neglect/endangerment.
The only place where I was anxious about possibly getting separated from my parents as a kid was visiting Taiwan when I was 7 (in 1976). I worried about getting separated in the crowds at night mainly because I wasn't very fluent in Mandarin, I couldn't read the street signs or had a good map and didn't have rendezvous points memorized. I didn't have the usual fallbacks to rely on like knowing my phone number/address and didn't have the home backstops of needing to get home by dinnertime.
Us free-range kids grew up confident, adaptable, self-sufficient, and with a desire to explore, which paid dividends into adulthood. I really feel sorry for kids that have to be shuttled around and have their lives micromanaged and fully scheduled by their parents.
If I were this kid, I'd know when to expect dad to come into the transition points like this kid at the swim to bike transition. I'd know dad's position in the field, pay attention to that information, and know when to expect him to finish. I'd memorize the rendezvous location and explore away from it, most likely not spending all my time there. I'd have a plan for meals, maybe a packed lunch/fruit/snacks, some spending money. I'd know where the restrooms were. I'd have appropriate clothing if the weather changes or gets cold in the evening. I'd figure out what entertains me in the area, looking for good places to hang out. In particular, I'd like going to a library or book stores/magazine shops, if I wanted an alternative to watching the race and exploring the area. I spent so much time in nerding out in libraries and book stores/magazine shops as a kid.
It's not really about the kid -- he did nothing wrong. As brave as you were, did your parents ever leave you alone at a public place in a strange town where you knew no one, for 16 hours?
Do you suppose a judge should be persuaded by your anecdote of childhood bravery? Not everyone can be a Kevin McCallister.
This post was edited 2 minutes after it was posted.
Can you list the "high risks" of spending the day in a VP tent with adults present?
Kidnapping, choking, allergic reaction, injuring himself, falling sick, physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc.
Those risks are present if you leave the kid alone with a "babysitter" all day. Better to never leave the kid alone under any circumstances to be as safe as possible.
Was the kid acting out, crying, asking for food or just being a nuisance? If he was that's on the father and he should have been pulled out of the race.
But was the kid entertaining himself and not bothering anyone? If so, why would it be necessary to intervene?
The only place where I was anxious about possibly getting separated from my parents as a kid was visiting Taiwan when I was 7 (in 1976). I worried about getting separated in the crowds at night mainly because I wasn't very fluent in Mandarin, I couldn't read the street signs or had a good map and didn't have rendezvous points memorized. I didn't have the usual fallbacks to rely on like knowing my phone number/address and didn't have the home backstops of needing to get home by dinnertime.
Us free-range kids grew up confident, adaptable, self-sufficient, and with a desire to explore, which paid dividends into adulthood. I really feel sorry for kids that have to be shuttled around and have their lives micromanaged and fully scheduled by their parents.
If I were this kid, I'd know when to expect dad to come into the transition points like this kid at the swim to bike transition. I'd know dad's position in the field, pay attention to that information, and know when to expect him to finish. I'd memorize the rendezvous location and explore away from it, most likely not spending all my time there. I'd have a plan for meals, maybe a packed lunch/fruit/snacks, some spending money. I'd know where the restrooms were. I'd have appropriate clothing if the weather changes or gets cold in the evening. I'd figure out what entertains me in the area, looking for good places to hang out. In particular, I'd like going to a library or book stores/magazine shops, if I wanted an alternative to watching the race and exploring the area. I spent so much time in nerding out in libraries and book stores/magazine shops as a kid.
It's not really about the kid -- he did nothing wrong. As brave as you were, did your parents ever leave you alone at a public place in a strange town where you knew no one, for 16 hours?
Do you suppose a judge should be persuaded by your anecdote of childhood bravery? Not everyone can be a Kevin McCallister.
I didn't consider myself brave at all. It was completely normal for kids to be free-range among the kids in my area. That's what you guys who didn't grow up free-range don't get. I wasn't anything special. Maybe later in junior high when I was riding my bike on back roads doing 30-mile rides by myself that was a little more "brave", but not really, since 12 is quite a bit older than 9. I just had to have confidence that I was self-sufficient and could fix a flat on my own by the side of the road (which I learned from being a nerd in the library as a kid) because there were no cell phones back then.
If that strange town was in the US or other English-speaking area, I would have been fine at 9. I don't see the difference between riding my bike to the library and spending hours there in my town vs. a strange town. I knew how to use maps. Maps were in every phone booth at the front of the Yellow Pages back then.
It's one thing to play all day with your friends around your neighborhood (in the 1960s), where you and your friends likely knew many neighbors, other friends, etc., able to go home whenever you wanted.
But did your father ever take you to a strange town where you knew no one, and leave you alone and unsupervised in a tent for 16 hours?
These things don't seem all that comparable.
I remember as a kid one time, talking to the neighbor kids, who were bragging about how far they could go away from the house on their bikes unsupervised. My thoughts then (for that and other reasons) were about whether their mother cared about them.
Maybe the kid was accustomed to being left alone and unsupervised. Kids are very adaptable. When I was that age (early 1960s) I was taking public transportation alone to places 10 miles or so away in a fairly large city. I would have been perfectly fine with a book in that kid's situation. He knew where he was and where his father was and was not acting distressed according to the report.
This sounds more like adults projecting their own issues and insecurities into the situation. And they could have pulled the guy off the course without calling the police. That was completely over the top.
Lol, I don't think so. Do kids even read books these days? He could have read War and Peace in the time he was alone.
Maybe later in junior high when I was riding my bike on back roads doing 30-mile rides by myself that was a little more "brave", but not really, since 12 is quite a bit older than 9. I just had to have confidence that I was self-sufficient and could fix a flat on my own by the side of the road (which I learned from being a nerd in the library as a kid) because there were no cell phones back then.
* I found the back roads to ride on as kid from being a nerd at the library too. I think the book title was something like "Cycling Santa Clara County Back Roads". Got into cycling by myself, learned to fix that ancient 10-speed in the garage by myself, found places to ride by myself once I was big enough to fit on that 10-speed, all with zero adult support/encouragement. That's the benefit of being a free-range kid. You figure out things/learn things by yourself, and can get into things that you parents are not into.
Kidnapping, choking, allergic reaction, injuring himself, falling sick, physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc.
Those risks are present if you leave the kid alone with a "babysitter" all day. Better to never leave the kid alone under any circumstances to be as safe as possible.
I agree with that. Like I said earlier, I only had a babysitter one evening my entire childhood, felt strange with a stranger in the house, and knowing what we know now, that's objectively a higher risk than a 9-year old kid who grew up free-range being alone at home.
Interesting case. Does Ironman have specific language that their VIP tent is not child care? The set up has water, snacks and spacious, exclusive portalets. A 9 year with a phone should be able to fend for themselves, especially if they’re left with a battery pack. Not parent of the year stuff but ingenious nonetheless. Poor kid must have been bored out of his mind. A full Ironman, at LP would have taken the deadbeat pops over 12 hours. That’s half a day of a 4-5th grader unattended in a giant public space. Can’t blame the volunteers for calling the police based on their liability. VIP passes will now have new wording.
I'm all for kids being allowed to hang out around the neighborhood unsupervised, but that isn't really the issue here in my mind. This dude essentially foisted the care of his kid onto other people without their knowledge or consent.
Would you walk out of a restaurant after a meal with your family and leave your 9-year-old sitting at the table with instructions to wait there until you come back in 16 hours? Of course not. The restaurant shouldn't have to accommodate your kid all day long. That's basically what this dude did. He essentially enlisted unwilling parties to be his babysitter.
For those who think this behavior is ok: how long would you let an unaccompanied 9-year-old hang out at your workplace before you tried to track down their parents?
I'm all for kids being allowed to hang out around the neighborhood unsupervised, but that isn't really the issue here in my mind. This dude essentially foisted the care of his kid onto other people without their knowledge or consent.
Would you walk out of a restaurant after a meal with your family and leave your 9-year-old sitting at the table with instructions to wait there until you come back in 16 hours? Of course not. The restaurant shouldn't have to accommodate your kid all day long. That's basically what this dude did. He essentially enlisted unwilling parties to be his babysitter.
For those who think this behavior is ok: how long would you let an unaccompanied 9-year-old hang out at your workplace before you tried to track down their parents?
The restaurant and workplace scenarios are not analogous. At a tri there will be other people hanging out all day
What if the guy competing left his wife there to wait? Would you have a problem with that?
What's the difference between leaving his wife or his kid if neither require supervision and are not bothering anyone.
Kidnapping, choking, allergic reaction, injuring himself, falling sick, physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc.
Those risks are present if you leave the kid alone with a "babysitter" all day. Better to never leave the kid alone under any circumstances to be as safe as possible.
Those risks are more likely to happen when left with or by parents and family members.
If you wonder why rekrunner is in complete denial with drug busts this may be it. There are a few synapses short somewhere.
Free range? When I was a child there was no such thing because everyone was free range back then.
At the age of five I had a bike with training wheels. With no supervision and helmets one day my bike got a head of steam on its own on a downhill and suddenly I was riding my bike. The training wheels went off thst day.
Kidnapping, choking, allergic reaction, injuring himself, falling sick, physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc.
Wow?
Just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean they're still not out to get you.
I could only dream to have a father who took me to triathlons. Back in those days you had to make your own fun, but no way as exciting as a triathlon.
Actually, protective services should intervene and find that kid a foster home. No child, ever, should be exposed to triathlon at any level. It may be too late. Among other social disabilities, he will end up with a Bruce Jenner haircut, wearing jog bras, constantly telling his classmates his O2 levels, sleep patterns, and that, "i don't eat that because... [insert how it affects metabolism, glucose levels, and has the wrong type of protein].
I'm all for kids being allowed to hang out around the neighborhood unsupervised, but that isn't really the issue here in my mind. This dude essentially foisted the care of his kid onto other people without their knowledge or consent.
Would you walk out of a restaurant after a meal with your family and leave your 9-year-old sitting at the table with instructions to wait there until you come back in 16 hours? Of course not. The restaurant shouldn't have to accommodate your kid all day long. That's basically what this dude did. He essentially enlisted unwilling parties to be his babysitter.
For those who think this behavior is ok: how long would you let an unaccompanied 9-year-old hang out at your workplace before you tried to track down their parents?
The restaurant and workplace scenarios are not analogous. At a tri there will be other people hanging out all day
What if the guy competing left his wife there to wait? Would you have a problem with that?
What's the difference between leaving his wife or his kid if neither require supervision and are not bothering anyone.
There's always a special kind of stupid post within virtually any LetsRun thread and, in a thread full of them, here is the winner.