Oklahoma couple Andrew Dick and Feather Roberts were arrested after police found their children, aged 8, 5, and 1, without adult supervision while the parents were approximately 20 minutes away playing pickleball.
Roberts told police the children had access to an iPad they could use to call 'if something happened'.
Something did happen: police showed up.
911 Hang-Up Call Leads Police to Children
According to the Glenpool Police Department, officers were dispatched to the family's home following a 911 hang-up call.
A reporting party told officers they suspected the three children had been left without adult supervision. The person contacted Roberts, who said she and Dick were playing pickleball at Courts and Commons in Bixby, but claimed the children were with babysitters.
The reporting party then went to the residence and discovered there was no adult there, police said.
When officers arrived, they found the 8- and 5-year-old children watching television while the couple's 1-year-old baby was asleep.
Dick and Roberts returned home while officers were investigating and confirmed they had been in Bixby playing pickleball. When police asked how their children were supposed to contact them in an emergency, Roberts said they had access to an iPad they could use to call.
Evidently, the family's backup plan came with a touchscreen but no apparent contingency plan appropriate for kids who still have their milk teeth.
Reddit Questions the Pickleball Priorities
The unusual childcare arrangement quickly made its way to Reddit, where the circumstances sparked jokes, criticism, and a surprisingly lively debate about how much childhood independence is too much.
'Who could've predicted that? Their kids immediately used the iPad to prank call 911 lol,' one Redditor joked.
Another declared: 'I'm further convinced that pickleball is more of a cult than a sport'.
The story also summoned generations of former 'latchkey kids', with some commenters recalling being left alone at young ages themselves.
However, others pointed out one rather important detail: the youngest child in this case was only 1.
'I mean an 8 and 5 year old can be home alone for a bit but the 1 year old cannot,' one commenter wrote.
Another was even less convinced by comparisons to previous generations.
'For all the "80s and 90s kids" the ages were 8, 5, and 1. I don't know how neglectful your parents were, but leaving an 8 year old to watch a toddler is ridiculous,' they wrote.
Police Say It Wasn't the First Time
As officers investigated, they received information indicating this was not the first time Dick and Roberts had left their children home alone.
They also reportedly learned the parents had previously arranged childcare for their youngest child while leaving the older children at the residence without adult supervision.
Dick and Roberts were arrested on three counts of child neglect, and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services was also notified.
Fortunately, police said all three children were found safe and in good health.
For all the Reddit debate over 'latchkey' childhoods and changing parenting standards, police made their position on this particular arrangement fairly clear.
An iPad may have plenty of apps, but obviously, a babysitter isn't one of them.
