* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Monday, October 6, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Charlie Hunnam Reflects on Playing a Serial Killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story – Yahoo

    Charlie Hunnam Reveals the Dark Challenges of Playing a Serial Killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

    “Reba” cast, then and now: See the stars 24 years later (and who’s reunited for another show) – Yahoo

    “Reba” cast, then and now: See the stars 24 years later (and who’s reunited for another show) – Yahoo

    Why Taylor Swift Name-Dropped Elizabeth Taylor in Her New Album – Yahoo

    Here’s Why Taylor Swift Dropped Elizabeth Taylor’s Name in Her New Album

    Al Roker Gives Olivia Dean an Unexpected ‘New Job’ on the ‘Today’ Show – Yahoo

    Al Roker Shocks Olivia Dean with an Exciting New Role on the ‘Today’ Show

    Books about the arts and some haunts for a Denton October – Denton Record-Chronicle

    Uncover Artistic Treasures and Spooky Adventures to Experience in Denton This October

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Forget Cowbells. Cows Wear High-Tech Collars Now. – The New York Times

    Ditch the Cowbells: Discover the High-Tech Collars Transforming Cattle Care

    What the Recent Price Surge Means for Figure Technology Solutions After SEC Settlement – Yahoo Finance

    What the Recent Price Surge Reveals About Figure Technology Solutions Following SEC Settlement

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    A Tech Expo Shows What China Can Make, but Not Who’ll Buy It All – The New York Times

    Inside China’s Tech Expo: Cutting-Edge Innovations Face Uncertain Demand

    Steampunk Metal Oval Technology Sense Sunglasses Personality Handmade Chain Multicolor Sunglasses UV400 – The San Joaquin Valley Sun

    Steampunk Metal Oval Sunglasses with Handmade Multicolor Chain – Bold UV400 Protection and Unique Style

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Charlie Hunnam Reflects on Playing a Serial Killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story – Yahoo

    Charlie Hunnam Reveals the Dark Challenges of Playing a Serial Killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

    “Reba” cast, then and now: See the stars 24 years later (and who’s reunited for another show) – Yahoo

    “Reba” cast, then and now: See the stars 24 years later (and who’s reunited for another show) – Yahoo

    Why Taylor Swift Name-Dropped Elizabeth Taylor in Her New Album – Yahoo

    Here’s Why Taylor Swift Dropped Elizabeth Taylor’s Name in Her New Album

    Al Roker Gives Olivia Dean an Unexpected ‘New Job’ on the ‘Today’ Show – Yahoo

    Al Roker Shocks Olivia Dean with an Exciting New Role on the ‘Today’ Show

    Books about the arts and some haunts for a Denton October – Denton Record-Chronicle

    Uncover Artistic Treasures and Spooky Adventures to Experience in Denton This October

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Forget Cowbells. Cows Wear High-Tech Collars Now. – The New York Times

    Ditch the Cowbells: Discover the High-Tech Collars Transforming Cattle Care

    What the Recent Price Surge Means for Figure Technology Solutions After SEC Settlement – Yahoo Finance

    What the Recent Price Surge Reveals About Figure Technology Solutions Following SEC Settlement

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    A Tech Expo Shows What China Can Make, but Not Who’ll Buy It All – The New York Times

    Inside China’s Tech Expo: Cutting-Edge Innovations Face Uncertain Demand

    Steampunk Metal Oval Technology Sense Sunglasses Personality Handmade Chain Multicolor Sunglasses UV400 – The San Joaquin Valley Sun

    Steampunk Metal Oval Sunglasses with Handmade Multicolor Chain – Bold UV400 Protection and Unique Style

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

It’s Time to Adjudicate the Real Criminals of Christmas: The Parents in ​Home Alone

December 20, 2023
in News
It’s Time to Adjudicate the Real Criminals of Christmas: The Parents in ​Home Alone
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Downtime

Much has been said about the criminal charges Home Alone’s Kevin McCallister would face in court. But what about the bigger offenders: his child-neglecting parents?

Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone with the classic hands-on-his-face movie poster pose to the side, with the mom, Kate McCallister in a police car.

Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by 20th Century Studios and Getty Images Plus.

There has been a lot of speculation about the rap sheet of one Kevin McCallister—better known as the kid from the Christmas classic Home Alone. In the film, McCallister booby-traps a two-story mansion in the stately enclaves of Chicago with the intention of stymieing a home invasion, which, taken in a vacuum, falls into the relatively safe legal waters of self-defense. However, McCallister also seems to revel in his abuse of two of the dumbest criminals alive, to the point that it could be accurately categorized as elder abuse—not only does he light their heads on fire, he shatters their rib cages, lures them into a mildewed basement that has been converted into a torture chamber, and so on.

You can scroll through countless Reddit threads and SEO-friendly law firm blogs adjudicating the extent of Kevin’s crimes, as well as the depths of his disconcerting psychopathic imagination. But on my most recent rewatch of Home Alone—my fiancée and I savoring the yuletide maiming of Joe Pesci, as we do every year—I found myself considering a different, and far more pressing ambiguity. Seriously, what kind of punishment would Kevin’s parents be facing? They’re the real villains in this story! You can’t just leave your 8-year-old at home for days on end and get away with it, right? Right?

In Home Alone, much effort is taken to concoct the precise combination of chaotic elements that could cause people like Kate and Peter McCallister to inadvertently abandon their youngest son during the Christmas holiday. (There are botched head counts, disposed plane tickets, and a breezy, extremely pre-9/11 airport security system all working to their disadvantage like a perfect storm.) Midway through their trans-Atlantic flight to Paris—where the McCallisters have inexplicably decided to spend Christmas—Kate realizes they’ve made a horrible mistake. Kevin, it turns out, was forgotten. She immediately races back to Chicago by herself—Peter is a little, uh, checked out—arriving three days later, on Christmas morning, hours after Kevin brutalized and humiliated the two home invaders. The film ends before any serious police investigation into the various vectors of child endangerment that occurred, and you’re left believing that everyone in the McCallister family lived happily ever after. (Or, at least until the sequel.)

There’s just one problem. Illinois—where Home Alone is set—is one of the few states in the union that has a statute on the books outlining the exact parameters for what age a minor can be legally left under their own supervision without the parents facing charges for child neglect. The age is 14, which seems high! (Again, in the movie, Kevin is portrayed as a uniquely precocious 8-year-old.) So, by the letter of the law, Kate and Peter would be in hot water, because seriously, how do you board an airplane without being totally sure that your whole family is with you? Who does that?

However, Jonah Perlin, an associate professor of law at Georgetown University who graciously agreed to answer my questions, argues that the law is a bit more nuanced than it might seem. In particular, he points to a clause written in that Illinois statute stating that, in order for an incident of child abandonment to be considered a crime, the minor must be left alone for “an unreasonable period of time without regard for [their] mental or physical health, safety, or welfare.” Does an 8-year-old stranded in the comfort of his own home, regardless of the presence of a low-IQ Joe Pesci, represent an abdication of their safety? That’s the stuff that defense attorneys are paid to argue about, baby!

“Many states don’t have a hard-and-fast law for this stuff,” explained Perlin. “They don’t have a specific age cutoff, they just go by the circumstances. But the statute does grant leeway with the administrative language about the greater risk of harm.”

With that in mind, it seems like Peter and Kate might actually be in good shape. They didn’t leave Kevin locked in a hot car, or adrift at a Walmart, and their dereliction was the result of a genuine misadventure, rather than something sadder or weirder. At most, said Chuck Rohde, a lawyer in Illinois and a member of the Department of Children and Family Services, they’d be facing a misdemeanor offense and a stint of community service—no prison time whatsoever. “Most of these cases happen after Mom or Dad has to go to work and there are extenuating circumstances. There is even a first-offense probation for this statute, which is a slap on the wrist and parenting classes. They aren’t going to go to jail,” said Rohde.

Another factor working in the McCallister parents’ favor is they—and all five of their children—are witnesses to an active breaking-and-entering crime scene. (Yes, most of the action in Home Alone occurs after Kevin is deserted, but eagle-eyed experts of the film will remember that Joe Pesci cases their house in the opening scenes, dressed as a fake police officer, right in front of Kevin’s parents.) This makes Kate and Peter valuable assets to the prosecution of the two burglars. You know what would disrupt those proceedings? A child endangerment hearing.

“The prosecutors want them to be cooperative,” said Rohde. “They wouldn’t want to drop the hammer on one of their key witnesses.”

So there you have it. Despite leaving their youngest child alone at home for three straight days, Kevin’s parents are going to walk free, hopefully with a renewed sense of the meaning of Christmas. As for Home Alone 2? Well, the less said about that, the better.

Children

Jurisprudence

Law

Movies

Parenting

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Slate News – https://slate.com/human-interest/2023/12/home-alone-movie-kevin-2023-christmas-legal-consequences.html?via=rss

Tags: AdjudicateIt’snews
Previous Post

My Body’s New Development Is the Ultimate Turn-Off. I’m Doomed.

Next Post

Accepting a Geographic Atrophy Diagnosis

‘The World Report’ of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – KSL TV 5

Inside The World Report: Exploring the Impact of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

October 6, 2025
Thai Airways Launches New Premium Economy on Flights From Most Visited City in the World – Aviation A2Z

Thai Airways Launches New Premium Economy on Flights From Most Visited City in the World – Aviation A2Z

October 6, 2025
Charlie Hunnam Reflects on Playing a Serial Killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story – Yahoo

Charlie Hunnam Reveals the Dark Challenges of Playing a Serial Killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

October 6, 2025
Pre-rolls, education and industry optimism: Takeaways from Ohio Cannabis Health & Business Summit 2025 – Cleveland.com

Pre-rolls, Education, and Industry Optimism: Top Insights from the Ohio Cannabis Health & Business Summit 2025

October 6, 2025
‘Rage’ politics the latest hurdle for GOP to clear; how prior battles made conservatives stronger: Dave Brat – Fox News

How ‘Rage’ Politics Is Transforming the GOP and Fueling Conservative Determination

October 6, 2025
EarthTalk – Why do eco-advocates consider backyard gardens so crucial to conservation? – Kiowa County Press

How Backyard Gardens Are Becoming the Heart of Conservation Efforts

October 5, 2025
Citizen science discovers a rare bird in town | Opinion – Times Record News

Citizen science discovers a rare bird in town | Opinion – Times Record News

October 5, 2025
Millions could be living with hidden smell loss after COVID without knowing – ScienceDaily

Millions Could Be Unknowingly Struggling with Hidden Smell Loss Following COVID

October 5, 2025
How This Influencer Lost 31 Kg By Following These 8 “Weird” Daily Habits – NDTV

How This Influencer Lost 31 Kg By Following These 8 “Weird” Daily Habits – NDTV

October 5, 2025
Forget Cowbells. Cows Wear High-Tech Collars Now. – The New York Times

Ditch the Cowbells: Discover the High-Tech Collars Transforming Cattle Care

October 5, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (853)
  • Economy (874)
  • Entertainment (21,748)
  • General (17,435)
  • Health (9,916)
  • Lifestyle (886)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (875)
  • Politics (885)
  • Science (16,084)
  • Sports (21,374)
  • Technology (15,855)
  • World (857)

Recent News

‘The World Report’ of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – KSL TV 5

Inside The World Report: Exploring the Impact of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

October 6, 2025
Thai Airways Launches New Premium Economy on Flights From Most Visited City in the World – Aviation A2Z

Thai Airways Launches New Premium Economy on Flights From Most Visited City in the World – Aviation A2Z

October 6, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version