A Virginia mother, Karyann Parkinson, has been convicted of a misdemeanor after allowing her five-year-old son to walk alone to a neighborhood pond in their gated Williamsburg community. Parkinson was found guilty of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a Class 1 misdemeanor, following a June incident in which her son, Samuel, walked about half a mile unsupervised to collect goose feathers. The court sentenced her to six months in jail, suspended for the duration, and placed her on the state’s child abuse and neglect registry.

Parkinson said she had previously walked the route with Samuel and believed he was capable of making the trip safely. She explained that a security guard stopped her son on the way to the pond, brought him home, and told her that children were not allowed to be outside unsupervised. When Parkinson questioned if this was an official rule, the guard threatened to call the police. Police and Child Protective Services responded that day, and Parkinson was charged about two weeks later.

The conviction has sparked debate about parenting decisions and children’s independence. Parkinson spoke to multiple news outlets, including WAVY, telling the station, “I understand other people might find that uncomfortable or dangerous, and that’s okay. I’m not judging them for that. They are totally welcome to choose not to let their kids go down there. I just, I know [my son]. I knew what he was capable of. I didn’t have any concern that he would wander in, fall in, get too close, et cetera, because I knew why he was going, I knew what he was doing, and he’s obedient.”

Her attorney has confirmed that an appeal is in progress, with a hearing scheduled for September 16.