Back in early April, Glenn reported on the Maryland parents who got in trouble for letting their kids go to the park unsupervised. Authorities disagreed with the parents' claim that they were teaching their children self-reliance and responsibility, and Child Protective Services began an investigation into the family.
Today, NBC4.Washington reports that CPS cleared Danielle and Alexander Meitiv of neglect in one of the two cases for which they are under investigation. Back in December, police stopped the two Meitiv children, 6 and 10, as they were walking home from the park.
CPS is continuing to investigate a similar incident in April where police held the kids for over five hours.
The Meitivs practice "free-range parenting", which in their eyes is just the way parenting worked before moms and dads started to worry about every little thing their child did.
"What's funny is that we have a name, like there's a movement for what used to be considered completely normal," Danielle told NBC back in January. "And that is, kids can be trusted, they can go outside, they can have autonomy, they can find friends down the street to play with and come back when it's dinner time."
When he first reported on this story, Glenn lamented how many parents now raise their kids in a protective bubble.
"Our children need to have responsibilities. Our children need to not grow up afraid to walk outside where the crime rate is down. And more importantly, they shouldn’t be raised with fear," he said at the time.
"Maybe they should be raised with a fear of government. Look at what’s happening. The government will take your kids if you bring them to the hospital. The government will take your kids if you let them play in the park by themselves. I mean, that’s insane."