Parents, Danielle and Alexander Meitiv are being investigated for neglect for allowing their children to walk home alone from the park which is about a mile away from their house. The children were picked up by the police when they were about halfway home after someone reported seeing them. The 10-year-old boy told the police that he and his 6-year-old sister weren't doing anything illegal and that they were allowed to walk alone. "We wouldn't let them do it if we didn't think they were ready for it" Danielle said, adding that they had previously walked around the block, to a nearby 7-Eleven and even to the library which is about three-quarters of a mile away. "They have proven they are responsible. They have developed those skills." The police officers escorted the children to their home and spoke to the parents about the dangers of the world. A few hours later, Child Protective Services showed up, took a look around their home, asked the parents a few questions and told them to sign a safety plan stating that they would not leave the children unsupervised until the following CPS meeting. "It seemed such a huge violation of privacy to examine my house because my kids were walking home" said Danielle. "I think what CPS considered neglect, we felt was an essential part of growing up and maturing." Alexander stated. "We feel we're being bullied into a point of view about child-rearing that we strongly disagree with." I'm not about titles of any sort. I don't buy into these 'helicopter' or 'free range' parenting styles.  I just parent the best way I know how. I believe in following our kids leads and allowing them to grow at their own pace...comfortably and confidently. From what I can gather from this story, it would appear that these are loving parents who have their children's best interest at heart. Do you think this is a case of negligent parenting or did the authorities take this too far?     Photo courtesy of Victor Bezrukov/Flickr