I was scrolling through the weekend news cycle in our post-election times, looking for something other than the bickering and finger pointing of the last few months.

Then, on Saturday, it jumped off the computer screen.

There was a story about a small-town Georgia mother who was arrested and charged because her 10-year-old son was seen walking alone about a mile from their home.

Brittany Peterson, a mom of four, was at a doctor’s appointment with her eldest boy when officials rang her cellphone rang. A sheriff’s deputy asked if she knew her youngest son was walking around in the downtown of their community — a thriving metropolis of just over 350 people.

It turned out her youngest walked from the woods where he lived and was homeschooled, and the deputy wanted to know why he was there, how he got there and why mom didn’t know where he was.

It seems the boy was off on an adventure, stopping at a gas station where his grandma worked and ending up outside a Dollar General store where an unknown woman started asking questions. Apparently, she called police who started asking questions of their own and eventually delivered the youth to his home.

When mom arrived home, she explained to the boy she wasn’t upset that he walked into town, but doing so without telling someone where he was heading was a problem.

On the surface, it seemed rather innocent. A 10-year-old got a lesson in life, and generally there was no harm.

Then the cops showed up at the front door, interrupted mom on a business call and proceeded to handcuff her and haul her off to the local jail on charges of reckless conduct.

Video shows mom telling officers it wasn’t illegal for “a kid to walk to a store.”

The arresting deputy’s response: “It is when they’re 10 years old.”

She was stripped down and told to put on an orange jumpsuit, then had her mug shot taken.

Mom made bail, but was asked to sign a plan that would designate someone to watch over her child so that she would avoid criminal charges

She declined. Lawyers are involved and are awaiting their day in court.

What disturbs me about all this is how some “Karen” can take it upon herself to impose her misaligned virtue on someone else’s child.

What bothers me more is how police — after the phone call to mom and returning the boy home safely — could come back later with a set of bracelets that no responsible mom would find flattering.

Of course, I don’t have all the details, but it’s a good bet the kid wasn’t a threat to the town. He knew the area and the roads.

He had the presence of mind to leave when “Karen” started asking what he thought were too many questions.

Police did the right thing when they returned the boy to his home, ensuring his safety.

But why did they come back?

And why was a mother charged with a criminal offense? What was the crime?

Was it a case of the law sticking its nose where it had no business?

By these standards, my parents would’ve had permanent reservations in the penthouse at the county hotel.

My friends and I walked to school along a busy state highway. We cooled off in summer, swimming in stripping pits.

And the only thing we knew was to be home when the streetlights came on, lest we felt the wrath of dad’s belt across our buttocks.

Other parents kept an eye out for us. They yelled to stop our mischief, then told our parents who dealt with us on their own terms.

Maybe I’m oversimplifying, but it seems that this is a case where a 10-year-old is, well, a 10-year-old.

Sometimes, kids do dumb things.

I think that many of us can identify with that.

The boy learned a lesson. His brother got medical attention he needed.

But the family was torn apart seeing mom hauled away in handcuffs — something far more traumatizing for children anywhere, let alone in a small town.

This story is worth watching as it unfolds, and certainly could serve as a lesson to the adults involved.

In the meantime, maybe we should just stop being so childish.

ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com

Ed Socha is a retired newspaper editor with more than 40 years’ experience in community journalism.

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.