Ah...I found it. The nice thing about this story is that because of the agency's heavy-handedness, people are up in arms and ready to make changes.

I still wonder who narc'ed.

I'm glad we don't have laws like that here (at least not that I know of). There have been many times when I've had arrangements like this with other mothers or neighbours. Not so much now, but when I was a single mother going to uni full time and trying to work part time. I couldn't afford childcare, but I could afford to return favours.

For what it's worth, I'm with glatt--we can't know for sure, but it's possible they may have a semi-legitimate gripe.

Middle-schoolers are, generally speaking, a pain in the ass. Their social development is right at that crux where they've figured out they are occasionally funny or interesting, but are still desperately exploring what they can do to recreate those circumstances. Thus, the vast majority of them are attention whores. Get several of them together, and you will in no time have a raucous, laughing group all trying to impress each other in stupid ways, especially if there is a mix of boys and girls.

Now imagine that group of loud attention whores standing outside in your neighbor's driveway at 7:00 AM or earlier every single morning. Maybe the bus stop is right there anyway, or maybe it's down the street--from the complaining neighbor's point of view, it might be far superior to be able to kick those kids even a half a block away and finally be able to get some sleep.

Maybe the kids do go straight indoors and aren't being a nuisance, we don't know. But it's my experience that neighbors usually complain about each other for a reason, even if it isn't the stated reason.

Thats definitely a good point. I remember my Jr. High School bus stop being full of unruly kids AND there was a bunch of us. Luckily, it was in a laundromats parking lot, so we didn't really bug anyone.

However, the person who complained didn't call the school to complain about the location of the bus stop, they called to complain about an illegal daycare center. If all they were trying to do was eliminate a noisy bus stop, then they took it a step further than I would have ever thought of doing. But really, I dont think that was the case. For one thing she is only watching three extra kids and they are grade-schoolers. Also, it states in the article that she brings them into her home for the hour before the bus arrives, which is at her driveway. If this was next door to me, I dont think I would even notice. But if by chance they were being too noisy, I would not have a problem asking her to keep a lid on the kids....please. She lives in a rural subdivision. I would think that she knows her neighbors. But, like you said, you never know.

I was actually considering that maybe the person who complained runs their own daycare center. Maybe it irked them that these parents found a way around using it. Who knows?

That's what I wonder too, what was the actual nature of the complaint.

I remember when my older brother and his wife first got married, and were one short of the Brady Bunch as she had custody of her three and he had custody of his two...between the ages of 7 and 12 I believe. They lived in a small cul-de-sac and my sis in law told me one of the neighbors complained about the kids playing in the cul-de-sac. Her comment was "I LOVE the sound of kids playing and having fun." Well yeah...so do I.

Sadly, some crotchedy buttheads don't. If there were a legitimate complaint that's one thing, but I tend to lean towards the idea of a crotchedy butthead.

Well I think it's a crock.

My house has always been a refuge for boatloads of kids...from ages 5-25. I have never had any problems more than once. No smoking, no drinking, no drugs. Be quiet and respectful, pick up your trash and make yourself comfortable.

And yet, people always find a reason to complain.

Wouldn't calling police be the first option, if the complain is legit ie. noise, trespassing etc.?

perhaps they did and the police said "it's not criminal but maybe the state would be able to do something...."

Wherever there's a law there always someone ready to turn someone else in for breaking it......

Or twist it away from it's original intent, for their own purposes.

that too. Especially if it means they get to send official letters. On headed notepaper. And feel all importent in their soulless gray cubicle.

Speaking of complaining neighbors, we have a gas station that is a block from our house. This gas station also rents out moving trucks. They parked the moving trucks in the fairly empty lot of a nearby grocery store. To pay for that parking space, they donated money to the grocery store manager's favorite charity.

During a walking neighborhood meeting designed to look at sidewalk issues, some people in the civic association noticed that there was some trash near the trucks, and they thought all the trucks themselves were ugly. They complained to the corporate headquarters of the grocery store. The main headquarters told the store manager that they couldn't let the trucks be parked in the parking lot.

So now the trucks are parked on the streets near the gas station, in front of people's houses. The parking there is perfectly legal, and there is nothing the homeowners can do about it. The gas station feels bad, but they lost their parking in the lot, and there is nowhere else to park the trucks.

So then (this is getting long) somebody complained to the county that the gas station doesn't have permits for two businesses in that one location. The county agreed. It can only be a gas station that does "light repairs." The station applied for a permit to do the truck rentals too, but was denied. They are now appealing.

One interesting thing to come out of this is the definition of "light repairs." We have had our car worked on for years at this place, and much of it was apparently not allowed. Their "light repairs" permit only allows them to change oil, swap out windshield wiper blades, and minor things like that. I don't think they can even legally replace a tire. So this corner station is faced with having to lay off three workers who do the truck rental business, and lay off two mechanics who do car repairs all day long.

It's been there since the 1940's, the owner and a couple of the workers live in the neighborhood, and now it might shut down entirely just because of a complaint about trash in a parking lot that has snowballed out of control.

I feel a little bad for the people who live right next door to the gas station, but the place has been there for half a century. If you buy a house next to a gas station, you have to expect that you will be living next to a gas station.

gits

I'd like to see the legal definition of light repairs.

You take the burnt-out bulb out, and put a new one in. Sometimes, re-wiring is required.

That's the problem, they can change the bulb but are they allowed to fix the wires? How many wires? How long, and what gage, can the wires be? How about fuses? See what I mean? ;)