Is this child neglect?

4cuteboys everything that you mention are systems of neglect.If you have reasonable grounds to suspect that the children are being neglected you might want to make an anonymous call and mention that the children lack adult supervision and see what they have to say. It is so sad this toddler is left alone with another child who is too young to protect him or her. I applaud you for being concerned with the welfare of the children. Not enough people are.

It's a bit hard to tell I say, now if the garden is pretty much empty from dangerous things and whatsoever and the parents are still in the house I'd say there's nothing wrong with it if the kids are outside. But if gardening tools are like lying around as well and such, risking the kids to get hurt the story would be different. It is really hard to judge a situation like this over the net I'd say. I guess you're the one who can give the best opinion from all of us here on this, and you can always notify child protection services if you think it's wrong, they can give you a final answer easily.

Just because you can't see the parents outside with the kids doesn't mean that they are neglecting them. I have a 6 yr old who plays outside by herself alot. I am always checking out the window to check and make sure she is right here. I think that a 7 and 5 yr old should be able to play outside by themselves.....not until 11pm though! I do think that it is a bit neglectful if the parent lets the 18month old outside alone unless they have a fenced yard also. That is very dangerous for the 18mo old. Obviously, this mother cares deeply for her children to spend the time being a room mom. Why don't you try to befriend her and maybe your kids can start playing together~ this way you will see if you really do have to worry about her children and take further steps to make sure that they are safe.

I'm not sure on this one. Without knowing more it would be unfair to make a judgement on them. All I can say is that I have a five year old boy. We don't have a garden that he can play in and he is always out playing with his friends and on his bike. There are boundaries on where he can and cannot go. He is quite grown up for his age but this level of responsibility varies from child to child in what they can handle. I don't see that I neglect my son by allowing him to play out, but that doesn't mean these other parents aren't. If the children look neglected, under fed, unclean etc then I would speak to someone and raise your concerns. It could just be the same as with mine, they crave being outside and active. Trust your instincts.

Yes, yes, yes, and by the way did I say yes? This sounds like a dysfunctional family, and I would venture to gain that these kids pretty much fend for themselves most of the time...they probably don't even get proper meals! I have seen this before, where the parents are pretty much lushes and the kids come home from school to cold hot dogs or sandwiches every night! What a shame! The fact that she is the classroom Mom is a little weird though...maybe she is a functioning alcholic? This has got to have you worried...I know that it would me.

Well from what I read it just sounds as if they're parents arent always out with their children. I dont think thats child neglect. My parents didnt play with me outside, I played with my brother, but they could see us through the window and make sure we were okay. Maybe thats what the family is doing. As long as the children are happy and arent being harmed then everything should be fine.

What is wrong with that? As a young child I used to run around by myself without being watched all the time. Most of the children in my area did this. No one seemed to get bent out of shape about it. They are staying around the area they are familiar with there is nothing wrong. How do you know they are not being watched anyway? I doubt you are out there watching them all the time to know....

This is an interesting question to me as I've let my oldest play outside by himself. While he was an only child I would be by his side almost 24/7 and I was ALWAYS outside with him. But after having my second son I couldn't always be outside when my oldest son wanted to play outdoors. Sometimes I'd let him go out, and I'd always check on him from the windows. Now that my kids are older it's easier for me to go out with them when they want to play outside. I still let my oldest play outdoors (in the back side of the house) by himself every now and then. And I STILL check on him often to make sure he is alright. My youngest doesn't like to play outside alone without me or my husband, so he is in the house with me during these times. By the way, my yard is completely fenced (with locks) so my kids can't play away from their own yard. I can't imagine anyone letting their 18 month old run around by themselves outside. Just the other day I watched a news story about a little child this age being struck by a car. Apparently this little child ran out into the street in front of a car and the driver didn't see this child in time to stop safely. The mother of this child had run out of the house to stop her child from going into the street, but by then it was too late. :( No one was charged with this incident. Neither the mother nor the driver. Any little child that is able to open doors is susceptible to this unless the yard they are in is completely fenced in with locks. Out of curiosity, are these the same neighbors that you complained about the other day with the "loud music, screaming, and drinking" discussion?

I think as long as they're not letting the children harass the neighbors or anything they aren't doing anything particularly horrible. Are the kids in shouting distance of the adults? Maybe they are being a little too lenient about what their children do, but I don't know if it's to the point of child neglect. Children are much more cooped up than they were years ago. Think about what you were allowed to do at your age and use your own judgment whether you should have a talk with the parents.

I wouldn't label it neglect... That to me is a very harsh word. Maybe these parents think that at 7 years old this child is old enough to watch out for the younger children. I really don't know. I ahve a 4 year old, we live out in the country. My brother lives right next door and up the dirt road is a very nice couple (with 3 teenage daughters) they have lived there for well over 15 years. Even with all of this, my son does not go out by himself. I always go out and sit down in the grass and read or scrapbook. Sometimes I'll play in the sandbox with him or run around and play tag or whatever other game he wants to play. I will not let him be on his own outside probably until he is 9 or 10 years old. I know we live in the country, with good honest people around us and hardly more than 5 vehicles go down our road in a day but, honestly these days you never know. It is just me and my parenting style. Others have different ideas.

Are the children running lose in the neighborhood or are they in their own back yard? I feel no matter what it is to late for them to be out. I feel she is the room mother to "Look good" even though we all know the true story. Have you called child protection agency and asked them if they think it is abuse or neglect? Why I ask is I called them once on a neighbor once time I also had several questions of my own. The child protection agency in our town was very helpful for me and they came out and checked the neighbor out. You might give that a try

Well it's definitely bad parenting. It's borderline neglect, if they just stay in their backyard and away from the roadway I doubt any agency would pursue neglect, with them running around behind other houses they probably would look how far away the other house is and if the parents can see them, which I know they can't unless they are outside and I hardly ever see either one outside. Playing on other peoples backyard stuff when they aren't home is disrespectful and a sign of how their parents act.

You shouldnt worry, theyre children arent your responibilty, its not your fault if anything goes wrong, its their parents fault. Just watch and wave

Im kinda torn on the situation..but i think if her kids are always outside like you stated then maybe it is a form of child neglect especially for the youngest to always be outside. Its easy for everyone to say dont worry there not your children but thats the problem as a soceity we are supposed to look out for others children if we have too..if i seen a little kid wandering the street i would ask him if hes okay and wheres his mother...as a mother myself its in my nature. So if i was you i would make friends with the lady next to you and really see whats going on over there.

That is just crazy. I feel that is neglect. I cna't believe they do that. You said the 18 month old is outside alone sometimes? That right there is just sad. What are these parents thinking? I would report it. And I would keep reporting it until you see a change. And the next time you see them outside alone, call the cops and cps/dhs and then maybe they can catch them in the act. I know most states have laws on children playing outside alone. I know here if a child is outside alone without an adult, the adult will get in serious trouble. I believe the age limit here is 12. Look into it. Call the police station and ask them how old a child should have to be to be left alone to play outside. Please do something though. I think this is neglect and I would like to see those kids safe again. Keep us informed on this!

In this days and age, you are just worried there might be something that will happen to these kids. If their house got no fence around it, then the more dangerous it is. I will never allow my child to play alone unsupervise even if our house is all fence in. I would make sure I am outside with her plus our dog will be in the yard so he can bark incase there is something that looks/sounds suspicious. I know our daschund would protect my daughter with his life but then as a parent we should be vigilant what our children our doing. A 2 year old shouldn't be out with the 7 and 5 because they will just be too busy playing and will not take particular attention to the baby even if their parents told them to do so. I do hope the parents of these kids will realized that they need to keep an eye on them before something bad happens and they will be accused of neglect and will have to face jailtime.

I don't think the baby should be left alone outside, but as long as the parents can see the kids through the window, I don't see any reason that the older kids can't play outside without the parents, especially if it's a nice safe neighborhood. As long as the kids are staying where they can hear if the parents call, and the parents can see them at all times, it's probably okay. Here, we see children running around outside all the time without parental supervision. We live in a 4plex on base, and the building behind us, has about 10 kids all together, ranging in age from almost 2, up to about 10. They all play outside together a lot, without any parental supervision. But if they get too far away, a back door opens and someone's mom or dad yells for them to come back closer to the houses. They know everyone in the neighborhood, and their kids are pretty safe. Sometimes here there is an issue with using stuff that doesn't belong to them, too, though. I know that our next door neighbors have a swingset that the kids used to get on sometimes. They moved into our yard (which is fenced in) to keep those kids from getting on it and getting hurt. The kids behind us don't dare come into our yard, because our big dog scares them away. The kids next door know my dog because I've babysat them a few times, so they can come in my yard whenever they want to swing (one of their parents ALWAYS comes with them, too). I know that I wouldn't dream of letting my 15 month old outside without me or my husband. We don't even let him out of the room, except in his own room. But when he is 6 or 7, I might let him be outside without us, as long as we cann see him.

I know this sounds a cliche', we all know that it is the parents responsibility to guard and keep watch their children even more when these children are very young. Yeah, I think your neighbor are being neglectful to their children. 18 months old at that shouldn't be left by himself all alone outside and considering its dark already. Parents should prioritize the safety and welfare of their children.

What a dreadful situation to be in! An 18 month old just isn't capable of avoiding dangerous situations, and are so uncoordinated that almost anything can become a danger! The world today is so crazy, you have to feel some hesitation about trying to talk to these people, too. Since you have that room parent thing to work with, I would try to establish a dialogue with the mom that way. Maybe you could ask her over for coffee or something, and see if there's an opportunity to raise your concerns in this non-hostile way. I'm with you, I would definitely feel I had to do something. It has to be done carefully, though, because these are the issues that can set off neighbor wars. If you focus on relating what you feel (concern for their safety, worried about accidents, respect for other's boundaries), rather than saying they neglect their kids (even though they certainly seem to), you may just have a chance of getting through to them. Good luck, whatever you decide to do. Tread carefully!

That's a good question. If they were in the backyard and it was fenced in where they would not be able to get out I would say no. But if they are running around all day long and wherever they want and also because they are so young and out past dark time I have to say yes. Those parents are being somewhat neglectful. That is how accidents happen. A child drowns in the neighbors pool or is run over by a car. Anything could happen to those children. I have three boys. When they were little they were not outside without me, not even right out front. I was there watching. And even now they are 13,11,and 10 and they are not allowed out when it gets dark unless they are right out front and I am out there also. I mean even with someone watching there's still the possibility of something going wrong. Two years old is way to young to be unsupervised.