Dude, it's a joke!

You're not supposed to actually DO it: Dad accused of using dog shock collar on his kids

I believe that could be termed a parenting FAIL.

In a related (well, very very vaguely related) topic, the city of Arlington, VA, has posted "minimum acceptable standards for the supervision of children"(and this part is no joke):

• 8 years and under : Should not be left alone for any period of time. This includes leaving children unattended in cars, playgrounds, and yards.
• 9 to 10 years : Should not be left alone for more than 1 ½ hours and only during daylight and early evening hours.
• 11 to 12 years : May be left alone for up to 3 hours, but not late at night or in circumstances requiring adult supervision.
• 13 to 15 years : May be left unsupervised, but not overnight.
• 16 to 17 years : May be left unsupervised for up to two consecutive overnight periods.

Of course, when you are 17 years old, you are allowed to get the "abortion" pill without a parent's consent. You just aren't allowed to be unsupervised for three nights.

Apparently I'm a really bad, neglectful parent. My four-year-old and five-year-old play by themselves ALL the time in the FRONT yard of my house--and the front yards of our neighbors' houses, too. We all keep our eyes open, of course, and I don't nap or give one of the little kids a bath while the others are outside alone, but STILL. What kind of child can't be left alone outside AT ALL until after they turn NINE?

(Sorry about the capital letters. I'm a little worked up by this.)

I have two concerns about this. First, how long is it before someone decides that instead of being guidelines, these "standards" should become rules, and someone calls CPSP on me? (Thank heavens I don't live in Arlington.) And second, what kind of life is a child going to have if they are never left alone until they are nine years old?

(Edited to add: Okay, it is a little funny that I wrote this post directly after talking about a kidnapping. But, honestly, stranger abduction (scary, scary, SCARY stuff) is not very common at all:

Their chances of being abducted and killed by a stranger are, according to the numbers he crunched, 1 in 1.5 million. That’s about 50 children a year—a statistic it makes my stomach sink to write—but far less than the 1,000 killed each year by relatives or acquaintances, a far more stomach-sinking stat.

Something to think about. And not get worked up over.)