Leaving Infant in the car.....

[Colleen27]

No. This just happened yesterday about an hour from me, and luckily ended on a happy note. Child is back with mom & bad guy has been arrested, but could have easily been a different story. You just never know. The mother was on the news tonight saying she knows she was wrong to leave her 7 old in the car.

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/20312716/police-say-man-stole-car-with-7-year-old-inside

It could easily have been no story at all too... had she not left the car running with the doors unlocked. Kids in the car or not, that's just stupid.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

What did he attempt to talk to your DS about, that he had to rush back into the house? Did he threaten your son? If so, that would be pretty disconcerting and I could see why you might be nervous.

He was looking for the Walmart. Both of which are a 20+ minute drive in either direction. DS thinks the guy was drunk or high but he wasn't taking any chances so he ran back in the house.

One of the people walking along the well traveled road at the end of your driveway spoke to the 16 year old boy? I would think IF that person tried to take him your son screaming and fighting back and attracting the attention of passerby and likely yourself from in the house would stop that from happening.
Is your teen tiny for his age or something?

Yes, walking on the road. It happens a lot because we don't have public transport between towns but a lot of the state services were cut from one town. Their only way to get to some of the services is to hitch a ride or walk.
I would hope that someone would notice but at 6am it's still dark and we only have street lamps at intersections so you really can't see DS until you are right up on him. I might be able to hear him from the house, hard to say, the end of the driveway is kind of far from the house and we are normally still asleep.
DS isn't small, he's actually almost 6 feet and weighs 137 but split second decision was possible fight or flight and he opted for flight.
As a parent I hate the thought but if something bad ever happened to DS I probably wouldn't know until the school called looking for him around 10:30 or so. He's on the bus an hour before the rest of us get up.

 

[cornflake]

He was looking for the Walmart. Both of which are a 20+ minute drive in either direction. DS thinks the guy was drunk or high but he wasn't taking any chances so he ran back in the house.



Yes, walking on the road. It happens a lot because we don't have public transport between towns but a lot of the state services were cut from one town. Their only way to get to some of the services is to hitch a ride or walk.
I would hope that someone would notice but at 6am it's still dark and we only have street lamps at intersections so you really can't see DS until you are right up on him. I might be able to hear him from the house, hard to say, the end of the driveway is kind of far from the house and we are normally still asleep.
DS isn't small, he's actually almost 6 feet and weighs 137 but split second decision was possible fight or flight and he opted for flight.
As a parent I hate the thought but if something bad ever happened to DS I probably wouldn't know until the school called looking for him around 10:30 or so. He's on the bus an hour before the rest of us get up.

Or... telling the guy which direction the Walmart was, or that there wasn't one close.

Sorry, I just don't get it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Or... telling the guy which direction the Walmart was, or that there wasn't one close.

Sorry, I just don't get it.

Meh, he thought the guy was acting strangely, so he bolted. I know that was discussed many times in the Martin Vs. Zimmerman threads. If Martin had just run away, that would have ended much differently. And that's not to assign blame, but it is what it is.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Or... telling the guy which direction the Walmart was, or that there wasn't one close.

Sorry, I just don't get it.

The guy was possibly jacked up on something. DS is out there alone at 6am, in the dark. He made a wise choice to come inside. We've seen just enough crazy crap go on in the world to make DS skeptical of weirded out people.

Don't worry about apologizing for not getting it. Everyone has their comfort level, DS was pushed past his so he came inside.

 

[cornflake]

Meh, he thought the guy was acting strangely, so he bolted. I know that was discussed many times in the Martin Vs. Zimmerman threads. If Martin had just run away, that would have ended much differently. And that's not to assign blame, but it is what it is.

This poster didn't say the guy was following her son through the streets. Her son was standing at the bus stop, the guy, walking down the street toward him, asked where the Walmart was.

 

[NHdisneylover]

He was looking for the Walmart. Both of which are a 20+ minute drive in either direction. DS thinks the guy was drunk or high but he wasn't taking any chances so he ran back in the house.



Yes, walking on the road. It happens a lot because we don't have public transport between towns but a lot of the state services were cut from one town. Their only way to get to some of the services is to hitch a ride or walk.
I would hope that someone would notice but at 6am it's still dark and we only have street lamps at intersections so you really can't see DS until you are right up on him. I might be able to hear him from the house, hard to say, the end of the driveway is kind of far from the house and we are normally still asleep.
DS isn't small, he's actually almost 6 feet and weighs 137 but split second decision was possible fight or flight and he opted for flight.
As a parent I hate the thought but if something bad ever happened to DS I probably wouldn't know until the school called looking for him around 10:30 or so. He's on the bus an hour before the rest of us get up.

wasn't questioning the idea that someone was walking-- simply meant to point out that someone on foot is even less of a threat than someone who s in a vehicle that perhaps they could pull your child into. It just struck me as odd that a 16 year old's instinct when spoken to by a stranger on foot, who is on a road that people often walk (as you said in your other post also) is to go bolting into the house.
Mine would have remained alert and given directions (tourists hear my kids speaking English and ask for directions all the time--so I am reasonably confident of this )

 

[cornflake]

The guy was possibly jacked up on something. DS is out there alone at 6am, in the dark. He made a wise choice to come inside. We've seen just enough crazy crap go on in the world to make DS skeptical of weirded out people.

Don't worry about apologizing for not getting it. Everyone has their comfort level, DS was pushed past his so he came inside.

True, and I understand. I mean personally, I don't get it, but I get what you're saying.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

wasn't questioning the idea that someone was walking-- simply meant to point out that someone on foot is even less of a threat than someone who s in a vehicle that perhaps they could pull your child into. It just struck me as odd that a 16 year old's instinct when spoken to by a stranger on foot, who is on a road that people often walk (as you said in your other post also) is to go bolting into the house.
Mine would have remained alert and given directions (tourists hear my kids speaking English and ask for directions all the time--so I am reasonably confident of this )

Sorry, missed the walking vs driving reference.
He probably would have been ok if it had been light out and there was more traffic on the road and if the guy wasn't already acting weird. He's normally a pretty confident guy, heck he runs in one of our busier towns at night but he's never alone (coach won't let them run alone). I don't know, I guess he just listened to his inner voice and decided it wasn't worth sticking around.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

True, and I understand. I mean personally, I don't get it, but I get what you're saying.

Ah ok. Gotcha!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

This poster didn't say the guy was following her son through the streets. Her son was standing at the bus stop, the guy, walking down the street toward him, asked where the Walmart was.

Different scenario obviously, but the point is the same. Something about the guy made her son uncomfortable, so he split.

 

[JVL1018]

There is a definite pecking order in our house, based on age. When my oldest starting watching her siblings, her brother, less than 2 years younger, was to listen to her. I always try to make it a point to stagger things like ipod touches, cell phones, bedtimes, etc. I have a friend with girls, 2 years apart, and she always makes sure that if one gets something, the other gets the same thing. I just don't get it.

When I leave the house now, I will yell "be back soon, so-and-so is in charge" based on who is the oldest.

My kids are a little less than 2 years apart, we definitely treat them as equal- they had the same bedtime, they hang out with each other..and when I go out and leave them home alone, no one is in charge-they are both expected to behave andneither one gets to tell the other what to do.
I've never had any trouble at all with them in that regard.
I did stagger the cell phones(age 10 for each), but in the past with iPod touches, this year with laptops, if one gets it, they both get one.

 

[mrodgers]

My kids are a little less than 2 years apart, we definitely treat them as equal- they had the same bedtime, they hang out with each other..and when I go out and leave them home alone, no one is in charge-they are both expected to behave andneither one gets to tell the other what to do.
I've never had any trouble at all with them in that regard.
I did stagger the cell phones(age 10 for each), but in the past with iPod touches, this year with laptops, if one gets it, they both get one.

Same here. They both got Nintendo DS games the same year. They both got iPod Touch last year. This year was going to be a Kindle Fire for both, but the cost wasn't worth it to us. My 12 year old actually goes to bed earlier than the 9 yr old because she wants to. She always went to bed early since starting school (before school was a real chore getting her to go to bed though.)

They typically don't stay home alone. I might run to the gas station or my wife has come into town so we could drop one car off for state inspection overnight or something (we live 40 minute drive from civilization.) but they haven't stayed home for an extended period of time yet.

The 12 yr old got a phone this year for birthday. The 9 yr old will get one next year because they won't be together on the bus anymore.