# Parents abandon children at camp ground



## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

On Fathers’ Day weekend, DW and I headed to a camp ground that we had not visited before. There was one nice shaded site I had seen on the map that looked like the ideal site but it was already booked. So we had reserved one two sites away and found that there was a very nice couple with a child in a tent next to us.

Later that evening we saw a family of six set up camp at the shaded spot and they had a several tents and a huge portable gazebo. At that point I realized that they needed the shade more than me in my AC cooled PUP. DW and I left the CG to pick up our DGD and arrived back at 10 PM to enjoy a camp fire before hitting the sack. Unfortunately, the music from the large family site was rather loud but they turned it off by 11:30 PM.

The next morning I noticed that the kids were up and about but there were no parents and no car. The logical conclusion was that Dad or Mom had to run to the CG store to get some cereal. However, as the morning went by it was obvious that the four children - ages seven to 12(?) where left to their own devices. Interestingly, they were acting as if this was normal (i.e. they were not worried that the parents were gone).

Well DGD wanted to play so off we went in search of the play ground. On our return I noticed the camp ground host was talking to the kids and a little while later three park officers pulled up. 






​ 
The following is what I observed or learned from a fellow camper who is a police office:

During the morning one of the little girls was stung by a wasp at the play ground. While the camp ground host was applying first aid she discovered that the kids did not know where their parents were and apparently did not have a cell phone or a number to call them. At this point the CG host called the park officers.

The park officers stayed with the kids all afternoon and kept telling them over and over that they were not in any trouble. With that the kids just played with each other as if nothing was wrong. 






​ 
Around 5:30 PM the parents showed up and were upset to find the park officers baby sitting their children. Well the next thing I saw was the family was being evicted from the camp ground. Plus the park officers called for a CG pickup and at that time it looked as if they were confiscating all the camping equipment and food. 






​ 
Either before the parents return or afterward the park officers found alcohol at the camp site. Now alcohol is prohibited in the park and so it was seized. However as the family was walking out of the park the boy said to his dad “Well they found your booze but at least they did not find Mom’s pot”…. Somehow I don’t think he was referring to one of Mom’s cooking pots :smack-head:

Later on that evening I when by the CG entrance and found that the park offices had deposited all the camping equipment and food on the ground. The family was there picking up their stuff and packing them into an SUV.​ 
I thought the child abandonment or the alcohol was the reason why they were evicted. However, while the park officers were talking to the parents, a man with a fifth wheeler pulled up to the site. He spoke to the park officers and then drove off. After the family was evicted he returned. What I learned later is that he had reserved the site for the weekend but did not make it there on Friday night. YES the family was squatting in reserved site and the camp ground staff did not know how they got into the camp ground.








​ 
The park officers planned to talk to the district attorney to decide what charges to file and children services had already been contacted to investigate the situation.

Now I know you will not believe this and neither would I if I was not there to witness this first hand. In the end the children were safe and we all did not have to spend the weekend searching the woods or the river for them. The real tragedy of this story is the impact the parents’ behavior will have on the children. As one of my associates said “It is sad that you have to take a test to drive a car but nothing is needed to prove you can raise a family.”

Ruide


----------



## happiestcamper (Mar 6, 2008)

Good grief - mandatory sterilization for idiots like that :whipyobut:


----------



## grcooperjr (Feb 4, 2009)

Wild weekend. I hope the parrents get some time to think about their actions.


----------



## antigua (Dec 17, 2007)

Wow! that's almost unbelievable!!! Just goes to show you what kind of people we have in this world. Obviously not the fisrt time that they have done this it sounds but I sure hope it's the last.


----------



## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

Antigua, 

I agree it was not the first time this was done. The other thing I did not mentioned was that I was told as they walked out the boy asked his father if this meant that they would not be camping again. 

To which the father responded "Sure we'll be camping again." 

I just hope it will be under different circumstances.

Ruide


----------



## amy0807 (Aug 13, 2008)

That is horrible! I won't even let my children wander very far and they have to take a walkie talkie and stay together at all times even doing that. No way I would leave them for even a short time, let alone all day--and my oldest one at home will be 14 tomorrow. 

Good grief. Those people shouldn't have dogs, let alone children!


----------



## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

Amy, I agree. Speaking of dogs. I saw a similar situation at another camp ground. In this case the adults left two little dogs in a tent. This was in August and it didn't take too long for the dogs to get hot and they started to bark.

Someone called the park officers and they ended up dog sitting for a while. There was some humor as they sent the youngest park officer into the tent and seconds later he came running out. Anyway they called the animal control officers and they took the dogs away.

Ruide


----------



## ladyroadrunner (Aug 24, 2009)

My heart goes out to the young children. As I travel around, I am apalled at what I often see when watching some parents with their children. Thankful that some one came to the aid of these children. But sounds as tho, the parents learned nothing about the concern for them then or for later.


----------



## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

Ladyroadrunner,

I agree with you. What is also unfortunate is that this may be part of continuing habit. I got the impression that this was not the first time the children were left by themselves. They may think this is normal and once grown continue the same habit with their children.

Ruide


----------



## jeffmue (Apr 22, 2010)

Sounds like my neighbors! Left their 8 year old son and 12 year old daughter alone for two weeks and went to Mexico. My other neighbor checked in on the kids daily but then again she lets her 2 year old wander the streets alone so that really doesn't say much. It's disgusting!


----------



## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

Jeff, Now I wonder why they did not take the kids with them. That would have been a great experience for the family.

Ruide


----------

