A Virginia mother has been convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after allowing her 5-year-old son to walk alone to a pond in their gated community to collect feathers. Karyann Parkinson, 36, received a suspended six-month jail sentence and will remain on the state's child abuse and neglect registry for seven years.
The incident occurred on a June morning when Parkinson permitted her son, Sam, to return to a pond near their home to gather goose feathers, his favorite activity. Parkinson stated that the walk was short, along a sidewalk within the affluent Ford's Colony community in Williamsburg. The community is equipped with 24-hour security and a 25 mph speed limit.
However, a passerby observed the child alone and alerted community security. A guard escorted Sam home and contacted Parkinson. According to Parkinson, the guard told Sam that his mother had done something wrong and that he could be taken by strangers if he was alone, which frightened the child. The situation escalated when the guard informed Parkinson it was illegal to leave her son unsupervised, leading to a police call.
Two additional officers arrived, and Child Protective Services (CPS) was notified. Parkinson's husband, Dallin, a marriage and family therapist, told authorities that children need to be allowed to take reasonable risks to develop without anxiety. CPS, however, maintained that a 5-year-old child can never be unsupervised, according to Dallin Parkinson.
Parkinson, a mother of five and a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in family science, has extensive experience in child development. She previously worked as a live-in behavioral specialist at a residential treatment center and with her husband oversaw the care of 35 girls. She also spent time working in the law office of former Virginia State Senator Jill Vogel, who co-sponsored the Reasonable Childhood Independence bill. This 2023 law aimed to clarify Virginia's neglect laws, which had been broadly interpreted, potentially leading to investigations for allowing children to play outside unsupervised.
Despite the law and her background, Parkinson was charged and convicted of a misdemeanor. CPS also issued a "Level 2 finding," resulting in her placement on the child abuse and neglect registry. Parkinson is appealing the verdict and believes authorities may have used the charge to circumvent the Reasonable Childhood Independence law. She expressed concern that the conviction could impact her ability to volunteer at her children's schools and obtain her law license, as she recently graduated from law school.
