American Mom Urged to Come Home

(Perth, Australia) Updating a previous story, a 30-year-old Californian woman, Karen Anderson, left her toddler behind in the United States to travel to Perth to share a love nest with a 16-year-old schoolboy. High school student, James, and Mrs. Anderson met on the internet and fell in love during five months of chatting each other up via webcam.

In the latest development, pleas are being sent to Karen Anderson to come home.

The young daughter of a Californian woman embroiled in an internet love scandal wants her "mommy" to come home. Karen Anderson, 30, left her two-year-old toddler Amanda in the US a month ago to move to Perth and live with her schoolboy lover James Barry, 16. They met on the web.

Friends and family of Ms Anderson said the romance was bizarre and she should put her young daughter first and return to the US.

Laura Hinkle, a close friend of Ms Anderson's for a decade, was disgusted that her friend had pursued the WA teen and left her daughter.

Ms Hinkle, who has two young sons, said she loved Ms Anderson dearly but could not condone her actions.

"I would like to plead with Karen to just come home - be with your daughter," Ms Hinkle, 30, said.

"No person could ever love you the way your child does. Amanda knows that her mommy is gone and she misses Karen desperately and wants her to come home.

"I love Karen to death . . . she has a great heart, but there has got to be something wrong with her to do this."

Uh . . . I'd agree with your friend, Mrs. Anderson. There's something wrong with you.

Tip: Don Morgenstern


[Update 09/01/06]

Anderson's visa questioned.