She left baby in car at post office!

[Mrs.Toad]

I guess we need to define "unattended." I just got cash at my bank earlier today. I left DS, 4, in the car. I could see him the whole time, and I was parked literally in front of the cash machine. The windows were down, and it's a pleasant day (in Michigan now, not Florida.)

There was no danger of heat exposure, and no danger of carjacking...I had the keys.

DS also routinely falls asleep in the car after shopping trips, so I leave him in there while I unload the car, then get him last (assuming the weather is mild.) Or, I leave him sleep in the car at home, while I pull up a chair beside the car and wait for him to wake up.

That's a good point. I had a conversation like this once where someone insisted that I shouldn't even leave my kids in the car to get the mail. We have common mailboxes down the street and I usually stop and pick up the mail on my way home in the afternoon/evening. I stop the car and turn off the engine, leaving windows open if it's hot and do not walk farther away from the car than the width of the sidewalk. I'm back in the car within 30 seconds, tops.

I also got the evil eye once from my older dd's kindergarten teacher when I mentioned my younger dd was asleep in the car, about 15 feet away from me in the school parking lot (again, only sidewalk separating us, no walls).

I think it's going overboard to insist on taking the kids out in those situations, but a slight difference in mailbox placement or what have you, might change my mind. It's hard to generalize and I think most parents are going to consider all factors in determining whether it's safe or not. I disagree with the situation in the OP, but there are times I consider myself still attending to my kids, even if I am not inside the car with them at that moment.

 

[JVL1018]

I guess we need to define "unattended." I just got cash at my bank earlier today. I left DS, 4, in the car. I could see him the whole time, and I was parked literally in front of the cash machine. The windows were down, and it's a pleasant day (in Michigan now, not Florida.)

There was no danger of heat exposure, and no danger of carjacking...I had the keys.

DS also routinely falls asleep in the car after shopping trips, so I leave him in there while I unload the car, then get him last (assuming the weather is mild.) Or, I leave him sleep in the car at home, while I pull up a chair beside the car and wait for him to wake up.

Oh I leave my kids in the (locked, not running) car too.
Never ever where I can't see them, but things like pulling over in front of the post office and hopping out to put mail in the mailbox 10 feet across a sidewalk.
There is no way my kids are in danger in a parked, locked car with me 10 feet away...and I most certainly am not going to bother getting them unbuckled and out of the car for literally 5 seconds, just to hop back in.
I've also left my 4 year old son in the car when I drop DD off at school. He's in the parking lot, I am maybe 15 feet away, and I watch DD run up the path to the school.
What's the difference between that and him running on the fields of the school 100 feet away from me like he does when he gets out of the car?

If i forget something inside the house, I run in and run out and leave them in the car.

I don't believe it is ever a problem to leave a child in a locked car for a minute.
Every single time I have heard of horror stories has been when a child has been left in a running car.
Or you know, left in an overheated car, but that's not an issue when it's something like hopping out to mail a letter or using an ATM.

Actually now that DD is getting older, I have her hop out and mail the letters.

 

[disykat]

I'm assuming she meant that she wishes that things were different and that kids could be left in a car (ie, a "different" world--safe from fire, no kidnapping danger, etc).

I think she was saying something that meant "gee, I wish I was never inconvenienced by my children" and completed it with an eyeroll. It was a sarcastic statement to point out that all parents are inconvenienced at times, but are willing to deal with it rather than be a bad parent who would simply leave the child in the car rather than miss a meeting.

 

[mimif1]

Recently, I went to the post office and the van next to me had tinted windows that you really couldn't see into. The front windows were down. When I came out (with my 3 DDs in tow), I heard a baby crying! And not that older baby cry, but a little newborn's cry. Then a little girl about 2 or 3 comes to the front window and says, "The baby's crying. What do I do?" I about freaked! I asked her if her mommy was inside and she said, "I think so." I didn't want to leave the kids alone for even a second, so I had to flag down another customer, to go inside to report it! They had a police officer inside, so I left when she came out, but that took several minutes and the parents were no where to be seen. Hope that person got in SO much trouble.

I had a good customer that had a child die in a locked car in the summer. His wife had put the baby into his carseat for Daddy to take, and Daddy didn't realize it. He thought the baby was with Mommy. When he came out from his meeting, the baby was dead. The parents were heartbroken and were never the same. It was a terrible mistake of miscommunication that has always stuck with me. We still make it a point of saying out loud who is in charge of what kid and making sure we get an answer before leaving so we both know.

 

[taximomfor4]

It's not just about someone stealing a car or a kid in a car, there are a lot of other dangers as well. For example: Some engines will catch on fire, a kid will take the car out of gear, etc.

Kids should NEVER EVER be left in a car unattended until they are at such age as they are responsible and can help themselves in case of an emergency.

Good point. Happened to my aunt. Her kids were in the car, on a hill. One of the kids took the car out of gear and it rolled. My aunt ran back to the car, hurt herself trying to stop the car, but it kept going WITH the kids inside. It struck 2 pedestrians, a grandmother and child. The child was injured and the grandmother was killed.

Who knows how the kids, who had been in their seats, got the car out of gear but that is what happened. Very sad.

Beth

 

[arminnie]

Not only is it illegal to leave a child unattended in a car, it is also illegal (at least in Minnesota) to leave a running car unattended.

A very tragic accident occurred in Houston many years ago. A mom stopped on the side of the road, left the car running with a/c on and her two children inside in their car seats.

She was standing talking to another person for quite sometime. She was just a few feet from her car. Her car stalled which mean the a/c was not blowing cold air anymore and when she finally went back to her car her children were dead. It was horrible.

 

[ncdisneyfan]

Should I have called the police?

No.

Should I have minded my own business?

Yes.

 

[ncdisneyfan]

It is everyone's business to speak up and do something because that child cannot speak up for itself.

Every child deserves to be taken care of even if it isn't by his/her own parents.

Hmmm... careful where you go with those statements, they can come back to bite you in the rear if you're not careful.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I think she was saying something that meant "gee, I wish I was never inconvenienced by my children" and completed it with an eyeroll. It was a sarcastic statement to point out that all parents are inconvenienced at times, but are willing to deal with it rather than be a bad parent who would simply leave the child in the car rather than miss a meeting.

Well, I guess she'll have to come back and say what she meant. But we can agree that she didn't mean that she would leave them in an unsafe situation if she could have gotten away with it. At least I don't think that's what she meant!

 

[Imzadi]

This thread is FOUR YEARS OLD.

The baby is also four years old now.

Stop bumping old threads.

 

[*Fantasia*]

I just got back from the post office. After I finished my duties inside, I noticed a car parked next to me. The car was running, no one in the front seat, but a baby in the back seat. I looked to see if someone was sitting in the back seat, nope. I am hoping the air conditioning was on. I got in my car, wondered if I should call the police. I thought I'd just wait a couple minutes to see if someone would come out. Just as I was about to pick up the phone and call, out came Mom. I looked at her, she looked at me. She mouthed something at me,opened her car door with out unlocking it, I rolled my window down. Long story short, I said I was disappointed she'd leave her baby in the car. She said she could see him, he was okay, mind your own business, etc. I just said it just took a few seconds for someone to take the car.
I am just shaking. Should I have called the police? Should I have minded my own business? Yes, the baby was fine- nobody took him- but what about next time? I also thought if she was being so defensive about it, that she must not feel good about her decision... hopefully....

I only read your post.. I would have definitely called the police on that careless mother. This will teach her a lesson.

 

[kaytieeldr]

This thread is FOUR YEARS OLD.

The baby is also four years old now.

Stop bumping old threads.

Um, Imzadi? Unless the Moderators deleted one or more interim posts - the thread jumps from July 2006 directly to... your post

 

[happygirl]

Um, Imzadi? Unless the Moderators deleted one or more interim posts - the thread jumps from July 2006 directly to... your post

That is very weird.

 

[cepmom]

Um, Imzadi? Unless the Moderators deleted one or more interim posts - the thread jumps from July 2006 directly to... your post

there was another post before Imzadi's post...mods must have deleted the poster?? weird!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oh, yeah - I figured there HAD to be 'something' that bumped up the thread. Imzadi's not the devious type (unlike, oh, someone who shall remain nameless who, if that person had only thought of it several hours ago, MIGHT have bumped up a thread BY posting something similar to what Imzadi did - again, not that I'd have any idea who might do such a thing, note to self: delete THIS post on or before March 31, 2011... again, not for any particular reason... )

 

[Imzadi]

Actually, the devious person was a brand new posted who bumped up 10 ancient threads - most of them emotionally controversial or upsetting, such as this one. The Mods must have deleted him/her. Sheesh, they could have deleted my post, too!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Did she go inside the post office?
I'm just asking b/c the other day I parked in a 10 minute spot (the first spot in the little parking lot) and dropped off some letters in the mailboxes that are outside of the PO. So maybe a couple of feet away from my car. DD was in the car, I could see her, was within a few feet of her, and I was seriously all of 5 seconds. Maybe she did that?

 

[happygirl]

Did she go inside the post office?
I'm just asking b/c the other day I parked in a 10 minute spot (the first spot in the little parking lot) and dropped off some letters in the mailboxes that are outside of the PO. So maybe a couple of feet away from my car. DD was in the car, I could see her, was within a few feet of her, and I was seriously all of 5 seconds. Maybe she did that?

Hi, This post is over 4 years old. I'm not sure if you know that or not

 

[horseshowmom]

Actually, the devious person was a brand new posted who bumped up 10 achient threads - most of them eomtionally controversial or upsetting, such as this one. The Mods must have deleted him/her. Sheesh, they could have deleted my post, too!

I suppose this was somebody's warped idea of an April Fool's joke.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Actually, the devious person was a brand new posted who bumped up 10 ancient threads - most of them emotionally controversial or upsetting, such as this one. The Mods must have deleted him/her. Sheesh, they could have deleted my post, too!

Oh. Well, I'm 100% positive the anonymous/devious poster in MY musings would bump up only humorous or entertaining posts - certainly NOT controversial or emotional ones!