Danielle and Alexander Meitiv made headlines when they let their kids walk home from a Maryland park unsupervised. Adele Allan and her husband keep their children homeschooled and don't typically dish out any rules. By raising her children "out of the system," Adele believes they'll be more in tune with nature and themselves.
These families, and many others, practice "free-range parenting," in which children are allowed and encouraged to be more independent.
In Wilmette, Illinois, an 8-year-old girl was spotted taking her Maltese puppy, Marshmallow, for a walk — without an adult present.
The girl and her dog shortly returned home to where the mother, 48-year-old Corey Widen, was waiting. But minutes later, much to their surprise, a group of police officers knocked on the door wanting to interview Corey.
Someone had called the cops on Corey for letting her daughter walk Marshmallow alone.
More from LittleThings: Mom Checks Voicemail To Find School Left Accidental Message Badmouthing Her Autistic Son
Corey, who homeschools her daughter, told the cops that the only time her daughter is left unsupervised is during her daily walk around the block with Marshmallow. Corey also said she could see her daughter from the windows for most of their route.
This story first appeared on LittleThings in August 2018.
The cops eventually left, and Corey wasn't charged with anything — but she was about to discover the situation was far from over.
The same anonymous neighbor who called the cops on Corey had made another phone call.
