I was branded America's worst mother... now another woman has suffered the same fate. But this is why I'm standing my ground and calling out the REAL danger threatening our children

Danielle Meitiv's phone was blowing up. asserted

Her friends were forwarding her news articles, alerting her that her story was in the papers again. asserted

Her children were now both adults, her son 21 and her daughter 18, and it had been over a decade since she was publicly shamed and ostracized as America's worst mom. asserted

Then she opened the links. asserted

The headlines were about a different mother but, though the details varied ever so slightly, the story was nearly the same. asserted

She lived in Williamsburg, Virginia, 45 minutes away from Meitiv's Silver Springs, Maryland, home and she had been accused by Child Protective Services (CPS) of child neglect and abuse. asserted

'I thought, "Oh, this poor woman. asserted

I know exactly what she's going through,"' Meitiv, who experienced her own 'free-range parenting' scandal a decade ago, told the Daily Mail. asserted

Parkinson and her five-year-old son Sam spent the morning of Wednesday, June 5, walking through their gated community of Ford's Colony and had just arrived home for lunch. asserted

Sam, who loved to collect goose feathers from the edges of the pond just half a mile away, wanted to go back out and get some more. asserted

Parkinson, 36, who was weeks away from giving birth to her fifth child, agreed Sam could go while she fixed lunch. uncertain

After about 20 or 30 minutes Sam returned, with a handful of feathers, and a security guard. asserted

Karyann Parkinson was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after letting her five-year-old son walk a half a mile on his own. asserted

She is appealing the court's decision asserted

Five-year-old Sam who loved to collect goose feathers from the edges of the pond just half a mile away, returned home with a suspicious security guard The headlines about Parkinson brought back a flood of memories for Danielle Meitiv, who faced similar charges in 2015 for her parenting style One of their neighbors had seen the boy by himself and phoned security. asserted

A guard was sent to find Sam and when he did, Sam was asked to get in the patrol vehicle that would take him home. asserted

The five-year-old told the guard he wasn't allowed to get into cars with strangers but offered to walk the guard back to his house. asserted

When they arrived Parkinson, who had just graduated from William & Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia, in May, was confused as to why anyone was concerned about Sam's ability to get home. uncertain

But the guard was firm and insisted Parkinson had broken the law. asserted

He called the police, who in turn called CPS. asserted

Two weeks later, a warrant was issued for Parkinson's arrest. asserted

Last month, the mother of five was charged and convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. asserted

Her name was also added to the Virginia Abuse and Neglect Registry, where it will remain for seven years. asserted

Parkinson, however, is not backing down without a fight. asserted

She is appealing both her conviction and the finding against her by the James City County Department of Social Services. asserted

A jury trial has been set for February 2027, according to online court records. uncertain

Upon hearing of Parkinson's conviction, Meitiv reached out to her. asserted

'She emailed me back,' Meitiv said. asserted

She said, "Thank you so much for being the start of the revolution." asserted

' The free-range parenting movement, which encourages children to learn independence at an early age, was founded by Lenore Skenazy in 2008 after she let her nine-year-old son ride the New York City subway alone. asserted

'I have to give credit – I stand on Lenore's shoulders,' Meitiv said. asserted

I'm just America's worst mom, so I don't want to take the title from Lenore.' Meitiv, Skenazy and other parents in the movement argue that helicopter parenting is far more dangerous than free-range parenting because it prevents children from developing self-efficacy and risk management skills. In 2015, Meitiv was investigated by Child Protective Services after she allowed her children to walk home from a park without adult supervision The scandal that plagued Meitiv over a decade ago resurfaced after Parkinson was convicted of something similar Their arguments have been amplified in recent years by the publication of Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation, which claims that overprotective parenting has led to a sharp increase in anxiety among children. uncertain

In 2015, Meitiv and her husband made global headlines for letting their six-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son walk home alone from a park in downtown Silver Springs. asserted

'My husband and I had decided that they were old enough, and we had planned that we would drop them off at a playground,' she recalled. ' asserted

Somebody must have called the police.' An officer brought her children home and shortly after CPS showed up at their door. asserted

For six months, the Meitivs fought against the neglect charges. asserted

Eventually, the charges were dropped, but the experience, Meitiv said, was still 'harrowing' for the family. asserted

The police kept going past our house. asserted

They would show up when the kids got off the bus to make sure somebody was there to pick them up. asserted

Hearing that someone else was going through the same situation all these years later shocked Meitiv, especially because it happened in a state that has passed a reasonable childhood independence law. asserted