2 Safe Places You Can Surrender an Unwanted Boise Baby

"Finders keepers, losers weepers" is a code as old as time itself.

It seems nothing is off-limits when it comes to the proverb of dubious ethical merit. From stray $20 bills, to random pieces of jewelry and boyfriend hoodies, it's long believed that a finder is an entitled keeper while the loser assumes the role of weeper.

Though let's be honest. Some things are off-limits. Cars left overnight in the Albertsons Stadium parking lot, seasonally unoccupied beach homes in Cascade, and wallets with ID that make it easy to return to the loser are all things a finder can't, or at least they shouldn't, keep.

Baby Moses on the Boise River?

But what if you find something other than an inanimate object or a replaceable possession? What if, like the ancient Pharaoh of Egypt's sister, you found a modern-day baby Moses floating in a basket on the Boise River? Could you do like she did and keep him?

In Idaho, the short answer is "no." Regardless as to how loved, safe, and healthy baby Moses would be under your care, "finders keepers, losers weepers" doesn't apply to Idaho babies. In Idaho and across the nation, finding an abandoned bitty is actually a serious event.

Idaho Safe Haven Law

Under what's known as Baby Moses Law or Idaho's Safe Haven Law, citizens are required to report, deliver, and legally surrender an abandoned baby to the proper authorities. Though the authority can vary by state, in Idaho, the parents of an unwanted baby or someone who finds one can legally (and anonymously) leave a baby up to one-month-old in a Safe Haven Baby Box at most fire stations or hospitals. Learn more here.

Idaho Kids Do This Every Day Even Though It Could be Against the Law

Idaho's Child Pedestrian Protocol: rule or law?

We were today-years-old when we learned children 10-and-under do not and cannot process roadway environments the same as adults.

Walk Smart Idaho

According to Walk Smart, a pedestrian safety initiative launched by the Idaho Transportation Department, "Children observe a roadway environment from a different perspective than adults" for multiple reasons.

Rule or Law?

While we support the logic laid out in Walk Smart's child pedestrian section, it remains unclear as to whether or not it's actually against the law for kids under 10 to cross the street alone in Idaho.

One on hand, we have ITD making the point that "young children are vulnerable near traffic and should always be accompanied by an adult." On the other hand, Idaho Statute 49-702 , Pedestrians & Bicycles, makes no mention of minors or children 10-and-under crossing streets.

Whether it's a residential or high-volume street, scroll on for seven reasons the state of Idaho says young children should never cross a street alone.

Gallery Credit: Ryan Valenzuela

23 Things Forbidden in Idaho Trash Bins

⚠️ When ridding your Idaho residence of harsh industrial products, solvents, paints, disinfectants, and fertilizers, there's more to know than most realize!

Gallery Credit: Ryan Antoinette Valenzuela