Businesses aren't places for kids to hang out and play

With spring already here and summer approaching, it’s more common to see kids running around the neighborhood playing with friends.

Some folks refer to this as “free range parenting” but there have been stories popping up here and there about parents who were arrested for letting their children roam the neighborhood or businesses without their supervision.

One recent incident was in Spartanburg, S.C. According to an April 3 WYFF News 4 story, Tiesha Hillstock was arrested for unlawful neglect of a child after she let her 9-year-old nephew walk himself and her 3-year-old son to a local McDonald’s restaurant, one-quarter of a mile from her apartment, to play in the play area. The story states that police were called to the restaurant and were alerted about the two boys.

The 9-year-old boy led an officer to the apartment where the aunt lived. When Hillstock, who told her nephew to be back at 7 p.m., opened the door, the officer explained that the boys had to walk past many businesses and homes, and cross a street, which put their safety at risk.

Some commenters quickly came to Hillstock’s defense and said arresting her went too far. Others talked about how when they were kids they would play outside and roam the neighborhood until dark.

While I understand people’s frustrations about Hillstock’s arrest. Growing up in Airway Heights and Spokane, I was allowed to play around the neighborhood but I had to let my parents know where I was and I had to make sure and call them if I was staying late at a friend’s house.

However, there’s more to this incident than not letting kids run around and play in public without their parents.

First, McDonald’s isn’t like a neighborhood park or playground. Like any business, it doesn’t allow kids to just hang out in the lobby without purchasing food or a drink. Working at McD’s for 10 years I’ve seen plenty of kids — mostly teenagers — get kicked out of the lobby for loitering.

I also think a 3-year-old child is still too young to be without adult supervision. Children at 3 years of age are just reaching that point of being comfortable with others without the presence of their parents. They are becoming more independent and more curious about the world around them. At a fast food restaurant there’s a chance they could slip on a wet floor, run into a table or unintentionally bother a customer, which could result in the child being yelled at.

Although Hillstock trusted her nephew to take care of her 3-year-old son, would he have been able to handle a situation where his cousin got hurt or upset?

There are also legalities that the restaurant would want to avoid. They don’t want to get sued because a child slipped on their floor and possibly sustained an injury.

I can also see the danger of leaving young children unsupervised in a McDonald’s or any other kind of fast food restaurant. While a child may know people in their neighborhood, the majority of people at a restaurant will be strangers. There was a chance that a stranger could have attacked the boys in the lobby, bathroom, play area or outside of the restaurant. Unless a child has taken a self-defense class or is involved in athletics, there’s little chance they can defend themselves from a stranger attacking them.

I’m not trying to chastise Hillstock, but I think she used some poor judgement in this situation. Perhaps she didn’t think someone would call the police.

I’m not saying parents should restrict their children from playing outside of the front yard and I’m sure there are some local businesses that will let the neighborhood kids — who they know — hang out on their premises.

But just because a business has their doors open doesn’t mean kids can go in and hang out for free or be unsupervised.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].