A mother has been arrested after her 10-year-old son was found wandering around outside drunk and naked. Yes, you read that right. He was naked. And drunk. And he's ten. Okay, let's back up here, shall we? Reportedly Nedra Byrd's neighbor found the boy wandering around outside in Spring Hill, Florida -- naked, scared and banging on doors for help. She took him into her own home to get him dressed and there she put him to bed. Then she went over to her neighbor's home. When no one answered, she reportedly cracked open the door and found Byrd asleep on the couch. Police arrive. Things get more awful.
When the cops awoke sleeping beauty and asked her if she'd been drinking, she reportedly replied, "Yeah, I'm drunk as hell." (Points for honesty?)
When they asked her where her son was, she said she thought he was in his room. Wrong answer. She was booked on one count of child neglect.
After interviewing the boy, cops say that he told them his mother had given him four shots of liquor. (Apparently brandy -- an almost-empty bottle was found in the home.) The boy's blood alcohol level tested at .108, which would be enough to make an adult drunk. Says the child's neighbor:
This little boy he said all I want for my mommy is to go to rehab and to get anger management because mommy drinks to feel better cause she's mad.
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Comments 28
This is a horrible situation. Obviously, we can't know what's really going on here, but this: "...because mommy drinks to feel better cause she's mad." - that's scripted. No ten-year-old is going to come up with that thought on his own. He's heard other adults (maybe even his mom) say it. Maybe he decided to emulate her on his own.
Either way, he belongs in foster care and she belongs in a six-month residential program.
I knew some families who helped take in foster children over the years. In most cases a parent has to screw up multiple times before a child is permanently removed. Of course you will read horror stories on the internet of children being taken away with out just cause, but I knew dozens of these kids, and they always went back to the parents. The state ultimately tries to keep families together, besides there aren't a lot of homes who could adopt a 10 yr. old. It is better to try to get his mother cleaned up, and reunite the family. What a sad situation.
PRIMA487, have you ever interacted with a kid that age? She has a point, he may well have grabbed it himself. It's not improbable.
Either way, if she did, she needs a harsh penalty, because you don't give your 10 year old alcohol.
If he got into on his own, well, she should still be charged with neglect or endangerment, because as a RESPONSIBLE adult, you should ensure your alcohol (or anything harmful to a child), is locked away in a safe place, out of their reach.
Don't come down on Kiri so hard because she voiced a thought that is completely probable.
My son JUST turned 11 the other day so this definitely hits close to home.This situation and others like it are SO heartbreaking.It IS totally possible that 1-the boy DID say that.Kids are smart.Kid sees mom get mad,kid sees mom get drunk.Kid puts 2 and 2 together. and 2-that the boy did drink it on his own.Kids live by example at that age for the most part.He sees mom hurting/upset and drinks to "feel better" to deal with life so it isn't far fetched that this boy, in his own attempt to "escape" decided to experiment or drink again to make HIM feel better about life and things in general. I DO think that the boy needs to be taken out of this person's care until this person has served her time and can PROVE that she has completed rehab and continues to take steps to stay alcohol/drug free...then after a few years of this being consistent in her life, THEN she can have him back on a trial basis. It sounds like he loves his mom and I hope that for both their sakes that she can get her shit together and can be the mother/caretaker that he deserves.
Side question... What does brandy taste like? I assume that like most high content booze its kinda icky like straight rum or whiskey.