Maybe there were other reasons that justify the police action, but we weren’t given any here.
The adequate childcare for a responsible 9 year old might be "tell them to call 911 if there's a serious emergency, or text you if anything comes up".
I was perfectly capable of cooking and looking after things. I just don't get this hysteria that seems to have gripped so many people. We are living in one of the safest times to be alive.
However, in my state (Illinois), the government has made it illegal to leave my kids home alone until they are 14 (14!) years old. This is insanity, but I don't dare risk it because on the off chance anything happened and the police found out, I fear the government would take my children away.
I don't think the hysteria is coming from the average American. I think it is coming from nanny-state politicians who want to campaign on "cracking down on child abuse" or whatever.
It was great. Since it wasn't a school bus, it was easy to wander round the shops or the park etc and take the bus 10 or 20 minutes later.
Firstly, many societies around the world would consider 9 yo to be mature enough to do things like....go to the shops, use a telephone, go to a friends place to play, or look after a pet. Or in this...stay at home?
I'm not sure if it's specifically an American thing (and seemingly by extension, Australia, since there's so much cultural osmosis), but it does feel like we are infantilising our children, right into their young adulthood. Apparently it's normal now for somebody in their 20's to continue living with their parents, and have their parents do things like cook all their meals for them, do their laundry, etc
Secondly, what you're suggesting specifically targets poorer, or possibly Black people - I'm not sure if that's your intent? However, you're basically saying it's not OK to be poor, and not be able to afford things like a live-in nanny, or daycare (if available).