Mom orders daughters out and drives off

Comment #7

Todd — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:05:29 GMT

Anyone who knows me knows that I believe in a small government that is very limited in its scope of powers -- like the Constitution outlines. They also know that I am a strong believer in personal responsibility and a parent's right -- and responsibility -- to raise their children the way they see fit. But a civil society's foundation is based upon a shared set of values, and the protection of children is one of the most important. There is a big difference between allowing pa... [ More ]

Comment #6

emilyg — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:49:08 GMT

I threatened to do this many times - never did.

Comment #5

time*treat — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:47:19 GMT

These days, you look at your kids funny and CPS is called in, that's why parents are dumping their kids off -- the parent gets arrested for raising their hand to the child. Meanwhile, if your kid acts up in school you might have to come down and claim the body or take them to the hospital after some cop tazers them, chokes them out, or beats them up. More than one child has suffered permanent injury or death because of those "non-lethal" police tactics. Plenty of those stories in the news. I don... [ More ]

Comment #4

truecritic — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:15:49 GMT

You can compare it to a bank robbery - you wait until the bank is robbed before arresting the robbers. Let the parents take care of their kids.

Comment #3

Todd — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:48:52 GMT

I'm glad she was arrested. That is an incredibly dangerous and foolish thing she did, especially with the rise in kidnappings and murder of children. Time*Treat and truecritic, are you two parents? I cannot envision any parent who would not be petrified of leaving their children on the street and driving away.

Comment #2

truecritic — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:34:07 GMT

I know I had no trouble walking 3 miles when I was 10 yrs old. We used to live in farm country and school was in town. Michigan also allows kids that age to stay home alone. So combine the 3 mile walk and they could have gone home. I agree with time*treat.<br

Comment #1

time*treat — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:38:22 GMT

Oh, boo hoo, poor little scared "upset and emotional" angels. Rotten brats and their wimpy sympathizers. Back in the day, if your parents had to pull over, you were going to wish "leaving you there" was the worst you'd get.

Original Blog Entry: Mom orders daughters out and drives off

truesee — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:01:06 GMT

April 20, 2009

9:15 pm

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) -- Usually, it's an empty threat: If you kids don't stop fighting, I'm going to stop this car right now and leave you here!

But a mother from an upper-crust New York suburb went through with it, ordering her battling 10- and 12-year-old daughters out of her car in White Plains' business district and driving off, police said Tuesday.

Madlyn Primoff, 45, a partner in a Manhattan law firm, pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of endangering a child. A temporary order of protection was issued, barring her from contact with the children, who were physically unharmed.

Primoff's lawyer, Vincent Briccetti, would not comment Tuesday on details of the case. But he said, Madlyn is a great mother connected with a great family, and she is grateful for the outpouring of support from friends and family.

There wasn't much support from strangers, however. Mothers interviewed near the scene said they couldn't imagine doing what Primoff did, though some understood the urge.

Iris Gorodess, 49, of Mahopac, who has four children ranging from 10 to 19 years old, said she sympathized with Primoff's actions, right up to the point where she pulled away.

I used to pull over and make the kids change seats. Also, I make sure the kids have their iPods and their games. And I have a minivan, so they're not up my neck all the time.

But I can't see pulling away. That has to be too scary for the children.

White Plains police said Primoff ordered the arguing girls out of the car Sunday evening as they were driving home. She left them at Post Road and South Broadway, an area of shops and offices 3 miles from their home, then drove off, the police report said.

The report does not say whether the girls had cell phones.

Police would not say if Primoff ever returned to look for the girls, but they said, without explaining how, that the 12-year-old eventually caught up with the mother. The 10-year-old was found by a Good Samaritan on the street, upset and emotional about losing her mother, police said.

The girl gave police her mother's name and their address in well-to-do Scarsdale, and they asked Scarsdale police to check Primoff's $2 million house. Shortly afterward, Primoff called Scarsdale police from home to say the 10-year-old was missing, said Scarsdale Detective Lt. Bryant Clark.

He directed her to White Plains police headquarters, where she was arrested.

Dr. Richard Gersh, director of psychiatric services at the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services in Manhattan, said Primoff's behavior was not appropriate.

It is a traumatic situation for a child to be abandoned by a parent like that. You can imagine what emotional issues might arise, he said.

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