Single mom of 5 faces jail time for leaving her teen to babysit

If you’re a parent, you’re likely familiar with stress and the need to cut corners to make ends meet.

A lot of this stress revolves around childcare. As a parent, you must always ensure there’s someone available to babysit or entertain the kids when you’re not around.

No mother or father is perfect. We all make mistakes along the way – it’s part of the parenthood journey.

Yet, a single mother of five from Georgia is reportedly facing jail time for something I’m fairly certain many others have done. Her case has sparked debate online, with many believing she’s being treated harshly.

Melissa Henderson, a busy mom working to provide for her children, faced a tough situation when her youngest son’s daycare closed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. With no other options, she asked her 14-year-old daughter to babysit her 4-year-old son, Thaddeus, while she went to work. The teen agreed.

At some point, Thaddeus slipped outside while his sister was doing schoolwork. He played for about 15 minutes before his sister realized he was gone and brought him back inside.

A concerned neighbor saw Thaddeus playing alone and called 911. Two weeks later, police arrived at Melissa’s home and arrested her for criminal reckless conduct.

Speaking to Inside Edition, Melissa said, “It was the most embarrassing and humiliating day of my life.”

Credit – Melissa Henderson/Facebook

According to Little Things, the police report considered potential dangers Thaddeus faced outside alone, including being kidnapped, run over, or bitten by a venomous snake.

If convicted, Melissa could face one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

I don’t know about you, but I think this is an overreaction by the authorities. While it’s not ideal for a 4-year-old to be outside alone, I don’t see how Melissa did anything majorly wrong in trusting her teenage daughter to look after Thaddeus.