Chapter 14 - The beach incident cases
Lenora faced misdemeanor child-endangerment and battery-related allegations.
The facts:
Removed approved safety vest.
Pushed a fearful seven-year-old into surf.
Minor wrist injury.
No drowning.
No serious bodily harm.
She pleaded to a misdemeanor child-endangerment count.
Sentence:
Twelve months probation.
Forty hours community service.
Parenting/boundary education.
No unsupervised contact with Cade during probation unless both parents and therapist agreed.
No jail.
Then me.
My kick.
Prosecutor offered diversion.
Six months.
Conflict-management course.
Community service.
No new offense.
Successful completion:
Dismissal.
I accepted.
Cade asked:
“Did you get in trouble because Grandma fell?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because after I got you up, I kicked her.”
“She pushed me.”
“Yes.”
“So?”
“So protecting you does not mean I get unlimited permission to hurt somebody afterward.”
He thought.
Then:
“Still glad you came.”
May you like
I hugged him.
“Me too.”
