skaman306/Moment/Getty ImagesI’m just going to say it: There is no freaking way I would let my 5-year-old walk half a mile alone. When I read The Washington Post story about Karyann Parkinson, a Virginia mother who was convicted after allowing her 5-year-old son to walk alone through their gated community, my immediate reaction was: FIVE?! Then I got to the part about the neighborhood ponds. Absolutely not.My anxiety would have generated approximately 47 different catastrophes before my kid made it out of sight. So I understand why another parent might read this story and think Parkinson made...
I Wouldn’t Let My 5-Year-Old Do This. But Does That Make This Mom Neglectful?
HALO Newsroom
Sep 9, 2026 • 3 weeks ago
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Wayne G Fraser
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