How Can Parents Be So Clueless?

[StephMK]

Do you know many 5 year olds??? Seriously, they don't have the capability to go into a busy parking lot and walk around independently. For one thing, there are lots of trucks and SUV's that would never see them if they were to walk behind them while backing out of a parking space. I think the OP was correct in calling the police. Why would someone think it is okay to leave a child in a car for 30 minutes when it isn't legal to leave them home alone at that age. Please use some common sense!! I hope the women was at least ticketed!!

I agree! Five year olds are not responsible enough to be alone in a parking lot. If you don't want to think about opportunity for having the car stolen & the child taken - crime of opportunity right there - then how about the five year old getting curious & putting the running car into drive & hitting something, someone, etc.

OP= I think you did the right thing by contacting the cops. I also would have waited to see if/when the parent showed up to make sure the kid was ok. I would have left it to the police at that point but can't blame you for emotion taking over & reacting. I hope there were some consequences.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I had forgotten about a situation that happened in our very small rural town quite a few years back. A mom had left her young daughter, about 5 in the car while she grocery shopped. When she came out her child was out of the car, and walking down the sidewalk with a strange man. He had knocked on the window and she had opened the door to see what he wanted and he told her he had lost his dog and needed her to come help him found it and she went. Thank God her mom came before they were out of sight and when she yelled the man ran off. We NEVER would have though anything could happen in our small town and we have no idea what would have happened if her mom had not come out but....... There was a study done a while back where they tired to lure kids away from a secure location and 100% of the kids went! Yep...everyone. Kids whom had parents who were SURE there child would not go......EVEN FREE RANGE PARENTED KIDS Scary.

 

[Rylee]

Years ago, I left some of our kids sitting in the car by themselves. I had to run in a grocery store to get a prescription, and yes... the kids and car would be out of my sight. I left the oldest sitting in the car with the baby strapped in her car seat and took our middle daughter into the store with me, (so the older two wouldn't get into an argument.)

Imagine the scare I had when I came out to find a patrol car blocking in my car and a police officer standing next to the passenger side. Frightened something had happened, I picked up my pace as I walked across the parking lot. Just as I was approaching my car, the officer walked over to his car, got in and drove away.

I asked my daughter what happened. She said the officer walked up to the car and motioned for her to roll down the window. She shook her head "NO." He then asked how old she was. "Thirteen," she told him. He asked what grade she was in, and she said, "8th." He said, "Oh, I had a report of some kids being locked in a car," and he walked away.

My daughter was very tiny for her age. I don't remember what size she wore in 8th grade but I do know she started middle school wearing a size 6X. (It was hard to find "cool" clothes when you still fit in Carter's.)

 

[Aliceacc]

Calling the police will have one of two outcomes; either they'll decide the child is safe, or they'll decide she isn't.

If she's safe, it's a non-issue. No harm, no foul.

If she's not safe, they'll keep her safe.

It's like asking your doctor "Should we go to the ER?" Anytime you're in doubt, the answer is "YES!"

 

[Alesia]

Calling the police will have one of two outcomes; either they'll decide the child is safe, or they'll decide she isn't.

If she's safe, it's a non-issue. No harm, no foul.

If she's not safe, they'll keep her safe.

It's like asking your doctor "Should we go to the ER?" Anytime you're in doubt, the answer is "YES!"

I agree. You call the police and then let them take it from there. They are perfectly capable of handling the situation.

 

[LaurenLC]

What amazes me most about posts like this is how people will do just about anything to rationalize lazy parenting. In my opinion, leaving a 5 year old in a car unattended is just that.

OP glad YOU had the child's best interests in mind... It's a shame their parent didn't.

 

[sk!mom]

Similar situation this past June. DD and I stopped at a store and noticed an infant in the running Surburban next to our car. We watched the car for several minutes and no adult showed up so we called 911. The police car showed up just as the mom came out of the store- 15 to 20 minutes had passed. We left with no exchange between us and the mom. I only waited around to keep an eye on the car out of concern for the baby. Actually the 911 dispatcher asked me if I would be waiting for the police and I said, no. I did not want to get in any kind of altercation- just wanted to be sure that the baby was safe.

 

[Glennie5]

What amazes me most about posts like this is how people will do just about anything to rationalize lazy parenting. In my opinion, leaving a 5 year old in a car unattended is just that.

OP glad YOU had the child's best interests in mind... It's a sham their parent didn't.

 

[katespade]

Starting to think some of you aren't mature enough to be left in the car alone.

Not to mention, is there a reading comprehension epidemic that I'm unaware of? How did "Great job alerting the authorities but you shouldn't have stayed and then caused a scene." Get turned into "You don't care about babies!"

In what world does it make sense to provoke a stranger, that you already think is irresponsible, by screaming at them? I find it laughable that anyone would even SUGGEST that confronting someone, already being confronted by police officers, was done in the best interest of the child. You took an already horrible situation for that little girl and kicked it up a notch for what? Dis credibility?

And what kind of police officer allows you to be privy to the information of child being interviewed and then stands around watching while you berate the woman? This whole story leaves me thinking "....sure you did."

 

[disykat]

Starting to think some of you aren't mature enough to be left in the car alone.

Not to mention, is there a reading comprehension epidemic that I'm unaware of? How did "Great job alerting the authorities but you shouldn't have stayed and then caused a scene." Get turned into "You don't care about babies!"

In what world does it make sense to provoke a stranger, that you already think is irresponsible, by screaming at them? I find it laughable that anyone would even SUGGEST that confronting someone, already being confronted by police officers, was done in the best interest of the child. You took an already horrible situation for that little girl and kicked it up a notch for what? Dis credibility?

And what kind of police officer allows you to be privy to the information of child being interviewed and then stands around watching while you berate the woman? This whole story leaves me thinking "....sure you did."

Great post!

 

[Metsfan520]

Starting to think some of you aren't mature enough to be left in the car alone.

Not to mention, is there a reading comprehension epidemic that I'm unaware of? How did "Great job alerting the authorities but you shouldn't have stayed and then caused a scene." Get turned into "You don't care about babies!"

In what world does it make sense to provoke a stranger, that you already think is irresponsible, by screaming at them? I find it laughable that anyone would even SUGGEST that confronting someone, already being confronted by police officers, was done in the best interest of the child. You took an already horrible situation for that little girl and kicked it up a notch for what? Dis credibility?

And what kind of police officer allows you to be privy to the information of child being interviewed and then stands around watching while you berate the woman? This whole story leaves me thinking "....sure you did."

 

[ccgirl]

I would have done exactly what you did...I have a big mouth and I'm forever shocked by the things I see other parents doing. I work in mental health, so I could tell you story after story. One time in Walmart (doesn't surprise you does it) there was a woman behind my husband in line, she began to slap her toddler over and over again becuz he was touching things.. My husband (who is always quiet and kind- unlike me) finally had enough and turned around and told the woman that if she touched her kid again he was gonna lay her out on the floor. She started screaming for security, who came and had been watching her on camera and took her away. They actually thanked my husband for stepping up and not turning a blind eye to the situation.

The trouble nowadays is that we all turn a blind eye, we ignore the woman screaming at her child, turn away when we see them hit their child, or walk away when we see children left alone in a car. Then those same children end up seeing me, with years of emotional scars and sad memories of childhood.

I say you did the right thing.

Just want to comment on the bold. I would ignore the woman screaming (ie disciplining her child) as I would hitting (ie spanking their child). Now, if they were screaming obscenities or punching their child I would notify authorities. I would imagine you would also see years of emotional scars from those children who chose not too parent as well; or maybe even having the over parent???

I would watch the car to make sure the children were okay. If the mom was gone for more than 10 minutes and I saw a police officer I probably would mention it just to make sure they were okay. I would not stick around for the "show" just to participate in the drama. I certainly wouldn't give the other parent an earful because I was not put on this earth to judge. I am no better than anyone else. We all make choices. We all even make mistakes. Nobody is perfect. Not even here on the Dis.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/02/23/national/main163981.shtml?source=search_story

Because of this, I could never leave my daughter in the car alone, especially at that age. Anyone living in the Kansas City area at the time remembers the news reports and seeing that mother and her pain. All it took was a couple of minutes...

How sad - my heart hurts.....

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Autostarts allow the car to run with the doors locked and no key in the ignition. As soon as someone steps on the brake to put the car in gear the car shuts off.

So, this is no more stupid or dangerous than leaving the child alone in a locked car that is not running.

I had no idea that was possible ~ that's pretty cool.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I can be pretty clumsy, so I don't know if even I should be trusted with a machete, but that is neither here nor there.

If I saw a DOG in a running car unattended, let alone a child and a dog, I would probably call the police.

I'm not at all concerned about carjackings or (dog)kidnapping, but I am very concerned about one of them accidentally hitting the gearshift and running me over in the parking lot!

If the car was turned off, that may fall under questionable parenting, but it isn't a threat to myself or others. When someone's decision could potential endanger someone else- that is when I would get the police involved.

 

[LuvLDM]

Starting to think some of you aren't mature enough to be left in the car alone.

Not to mention, is there a reading comprehension epidemic that I'm unaware of? How did "Great job alerting the authorities but you shouldn't have stayed and then caused a scene." Get turned into "You don't care about babies!"

In what world does it make sense to provoke a stranger, that you already think is irresponsible, by screaming at them? I find it laughable that anyone would even SUGGEST that confronting someone, already being confronted by police officers, was done in the best interest of the child. You took an already horrible situation for that little girl and kicked it up a notch for what? Dis credibility?

And what kind of police officer allows you to be privy to the information of child being interviewed and then stands around watching while you berate the woman? This whole story leaves me thinking "....sure you did."

MTE.

 

[kt_mom]

Oh, to the contrary...I have done exactly what I had sought out to do in the first place. Thank you for making it so easy

Save your breath. I've had this debate with Wade earlier this year. Not only will he call the police no matter what, BUT he will wait around until they get there so he can give the police the parents license plate number. Even if the horrible parent has gotten back in the car and safely left with the children. I haven't gone back and looked at that thread, but I'm fairly certain I've got the right poster.

 

[Britgirlus]

I just wanted to comment on the age of the child - the OP said she was around 5 years old. It's possible she was older and perfectly capable of being alone in a car - with a dog. My son is 8 and small for his age - could easily pass for a 5 year old. Kids come in all sizes. My son walks to school alone, wanders the neighbourhood, rides his scooter around - and yes, would be perfectly fine in a car alone for a few minutes - especially with a family dog.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I just wanted to comment on the age of the child - the OP said she was around 5 years old. It's possible she was older and perfectly capable of being alone in a car - with a dog. My son is 8 and small for his age - could easily pass for a 5 year old. Kids come in all sizes. My son walks to school alone, wanders the neighbourhood, rides his scooter around - and yes, would be perfectly fine in a car alone for a few minutes - especially with a family dog.

From the OP's first post on this thread:

"As luck would have it there was a local police cruiser in the parking lot. He approached the girl, found out her name, age, 5, and the fact that her mother was in the store. So we waited and waited. Roughly 15-20 minutes later out walks the mother."

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I just wanted to comment on the age of the child - the OP said she was around 5 years old. It's possible she was older and perfectly capable of being alone in a car - with a dog. My son is 8 and small for his age - could easily pass for a 5 year old. Kids come in all sizes. My son walks to school alone, wanders the neighbourhood, rides his scooter around - and yes, would be perfectly fine in a car alone for a few minutes - especially with a family dog.

That doesn't mean someone won't hop in the *running* car and take off, maybe they'd kick her out of the vehicle *what if she wan't completely out *this* was posted earlier or took off with her. My biggest problem is the car was running, the keys were in the iginition.