I Incurred a $500 Fine When My Neighbor Falsely Accused My Son of Her Toddler’s Hallway Scribbles — I Couldn’t Let It Go

Caitlin often found herself informally supervising her neighbor Stacy’s young son, Nate, providing him some stability while his mom sought time for herself. However, when Nate decorated the hallway walls with doodles during Caitlin’s absence, she was unjustly slapped with a $500 fine. Determined to set things right, Caitlin devised a plan for retribution.

Stacy had become accustomed to letting her young son, Nate, roam the hallway as a play area.

“It’s safe, Caitlin,” she’d assure me. “Plus, it’s their version of outdoor play.”

She would then retreat behind her door, leaving Nate to his devices, often while she entertained guests.

“I just need some downtime,” she confessed to me once in the laundry room. “I’m a grown woman with needs, you know. Being a single mom, you must get it.”

I understood her need for personal space, but I could never imagine letting my own son, Jackson, wander the hallways alone. Despite our general familiarity with the neighbors, the corridors didn’t feel completely secure.

Jackson, slightly older than Nate, seemed concerned about the younger boy, who often loitered alone, clutching his tattered teddy bear.

“Mom,” Jackson would say during his playtime, “maybe we should invite him over.”

Grateful for my son’s compassion, I agreed. It was better to keep both children within sight, ensuring their safety.

Thus, we began having Nate over for snacks, toys, and movies—a simple arrangement that brought him noticeable joy.

“He mentioned he likes playing with others,” Jackson noted one day. “I don’t think his mom spends much time with him.”

And interestingly, Stacy hardly acknowledged this setup. Once she realized Nate was safe with us, she seemed to extend her leisure time even more.

Eventually, it became routine for Nate to knock on our door whenever his mother let him out.

“Hello,” he’d say, teddy in hand. “I’m here to play.”

However, one day, we were away at my parents’ house for my mom’s birthday.

“I hope Nate will be okay,” Jackson expressed concern as we drove.

“Oh, honey,” I responded. “His mom is there. She’s responsible for his safety too.”

Upon our return, we were greeted by hallway walls covered in childish drawings—a colorful chaos of stick figures and squiggles.

“Nate must have had fun,” I remarked, searching for my keys.

“Isn’t he going to be in trouble?” Jackson asked, eyeing the artwork.

Dad gets massively shamed for putting leashes on his 5-year-old quintuplets

Raising children these days can be a task on its own. Young parents don’t just have to hear opinions from family members but also have to put up with random strangers on the internet commenting on their parenting methods.

Jordan Driskell is a young father of five quintuplets. His quintuplets happen to be 5 years old. As you can imagine, looking after 5 children who are the same age can be quite taxing. Especially at 5-years-old when a child is curious and likes to explore.

31-year-old dad, Jordan Driskell decided to find a creative solution to his problem. He bought leashes meant for children to control his rambunctuous little kids when they are in public together.

In the past, Driskell had a 6-seat stroller that they used for their big family. However, that grew tiresome very quickly because the kids would be bothered when inside it. The stroller was also incredibly inconvenient to take anywhere.

This helps the little kids get to wander and explore their surroundings when the family goes out without their dad losing sight or control of them and hence keep them safe!

Driskell posted a video of the family’s outing to the acquarium that caused a lot of negative feedback directed towards the parents. The video of the kids on leashes went viral with over 3 million views. Hundreds of people commented about how the children were not animals and hence should not have been leashed.

Others commented, “If you can’t manage the pressure, don’t have so many kids.”

Other offered disdain masked as advice, “Can’t you just properly train your children?” Discuss to them why fleeing is risky.”

Dr. Deborah Gilboa, an expert in parenting and adolescent development had a different opinion. She does not think a leash will make your child think they are an animal. And if the alternative to a leash is to stay at home, then of course, the leash is a much better option!

Dr. Gilboa said a leash is a great tool for younger children or neuro-diverse children to be controlled in a public environment. However, she said that if a neurotypical child is not off a leash by the age of eight and nine, and hence has not developed their listening skills, that might be troublesome.

By then, parents should be able to effectively communicate with children verbally instead of relying on tools like leashes.

Parents should have the freedom to parent the way they want without facing unneccesary judgement from society.

What do you think of children on leashes in public? Let us know in the comments below. Share this article with friends and family to know what they think as well!

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