Comments on Boy Goes Missing After Deciding to Split Up With Dad—Wait, WHAT?
Callie called BS on this in the comments already. It really does sound suspicious. If it turns out Daddy isn't trying to relieve himself of his autistic burden, he's still guilty of stupendously bad parenting. I think it's worse than that, though.
WTF Dan? Are you seriopusly accying this guy of murdering his kid? Get a grip.
Hugely irresponsible. Go lick a pit bull
Never mind, he's been found: http://www.katu.com/news/26222779.html
Daddy's still a dumbass, though.
That was last night's news. This morning's news is that the boy was found, and is fine.
It's entirely possible for an 11yr old to go hiking in any kind of backcountry himself. I did it, almost every single weekend. On the other hand, whether or not the father intended the kid to get lost, he sure as hell is responsible and guilty of criminal negligence. Autistic? C'mon, people... This is why you should need licenses to breed.
There's all kinds of autistic. And I'm sure the media BLOWS it way up, too... I knew a HIGHLY intelligent autistic boy, that the only thing that was different about him was he never looked you in the eyes... Other than that- you'd never know.
Jump to conclusions much?
There is a huge range in what defines "autistic". Some are profoundly dysfunctional. Some you'd hardly know unless someone told you. We don't know how it manifests in this boy. It may have no effect whatsoever on his ability to hike around in the woods, any more so than any other 11 year old.
A mistake? Sure. But it is a huge leap to be accusing of gross negligence or attempting to off his troubled kid.
Shouldn't the kid have been on a leash or something?
Hey, Dan, won't Charles get angry at you for stepping on his turf of baseless accusations?
I'm sorry, but even with a non-autistic 11-year old child, splitting up while hiking in an area that is not heavily trafficked is a stupid idea. Even if he's a very experienced 11-year old hiker. At a minimum, why would you do that without some method of keeping in contact (e.g., cell that you knew worked in the area)?
Now, I think jumping to conclusions about whether the dad "intentionally" lost the son is a little much. But, at the very least, this guy needs a common sense re-alignment.
Even for adults, splitting up in the backcountry is a really, really stupid thing to do.
I'm sorry, I'm distracted by the story's quotes from a witness named Kayla Al-Khaledy. Try to say THAT three times fast.
When I was 11, sometimes I'd take a different route from my family or stepfather and they might not see me for days.
God, you nanny state plastic bag tax people are so fearful ...
(sorry, should have said this was in the Rocky Mountains, where the nearest town was sometimes 25 miles away over mountain passes)
And Dad was arrested for having the sense of a rock?
@11 has it. It doesn't matter whether the kid has an IQ of 500, you do not decide to leave your child to hike alone.
Are you sure it wasn't dad who's autistic?
@6 and 14... Just because you did it and it turned out okay doesn't mean it's not a stupid decision. I've made plenty of stupid decisions while hiking and am still here, but that doesn't lessen the stupidity.
Best case scenario, the kid was highly functional in terms of his autism, very mature for 11, and a very experienced hiker. Even under those conditions, if you think your kid can handle it, to send him off without a communication method (and, by the way, apparently without being fully-prepared, gear-wise), you're a moron.
Like I said, you city folk and your ideas of "what's appropriate".
I used to swim across a fricking glacial lake for fun and head off with my younger brother to explore ghost towns that were 10 miles away up in the mountains. No cell, just a rough description of what we were doing.
Wusses.
all parties in this story deserve neutering.
And, as an aside, autism is probably semi-selected due to people with similar outlooks on life choosing mates with similar attitudes (e.g. non-passionate, focussed, driven, etc).
Want to avoid autistic kids? Marry someone with mood swings who has fun at the parties when you sit there not getting why people go to parties.
(practical advice, actually, but don't blame me if you split up because you're too "different")
@19: Not impressed. The Rocky Mountains are for wusses. Please, show us how tough you are by spending a couple of rainy nights wandering the Cascades with nothing but shorts and a T-shirt.
Those swims in glacial lakes don't seem to have affected your mental capacity at all, Will. Nope. You and your awesomely hilarious theories about autism are doing just fine.
@22 been there done that. Try six weeks wearing nothing but a green beret and a thin army uniform while it rains in the Chilcotins. And what do you think I wore when I was a kid in summer in the Rockies - a frickin suit? try shorts and a t-shirt.
(and they're not my thoughts on autism, you even heard a layman's version this morning on KUOW at 9 am ... and various other media (TV,newspapers) this past weekend)
@1 Thanks Fnarf. I'm super glad they found this kid, because my immediate thought was "this was not an accident."
I mean - to everyone who is acting like it was a ridiculous assumption - really?!? Considering all of the fucked up stuff that happends on a daily basis (hello random Canadian bus beheading anyone?), REALLY?!?
@14, I think it's safe to assume that your folks WERE trying to lose you. I know I would if you were mine.
I love Will in Seattle's dicksizing over how tough he was when he was a kid.
"We walked through boiling hot springs! Naked! On our hands!"
Love how he slipped in that "green beret", too. You know, come to think of it, I wore a green beret in Girl Scouts...
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