What are these parents thinking??

For the second time in the last 4 days, I have witnessed parents leaving small children unattended while they go into a store and shop. In both cases (one at the party store behind Food Lion and one in the Food Lion parking lot) the parents could not see the car for at least 5 minutes.

The woman at the party store actually left her car running with the 2 kids (ages 6 and under) in the car. I stayed to make sure the kids were ok until she finished her party store shopping.

Today at Food Lion, a woman left her 3 kids alone in a gray Intrepid for over 10 minutes while she went into Food Lion. A friend of mine was there and had seen her pull in and leave the kids to go into the store. There was a little girl approx 5 years old, a 2 to 3 year old and a BABY! When my friend explained to me what was going on, I called 911. I was then transferred to the sherrifs dept. just as the mother came out. When I asked if she was the parent, she defensively said yes. I pointed out that I did not think it was safe to leave the kids alone for 10 minutes while she shopped and she cursed at me. Then we pointed out that the little girl had the door unlocked and locked it when a Food Lion employee came to get the grocery carts that were near their car. The mother proceeds to tell us that the little girl knows to always lock the doors - which indicates this happens often. :shock:

What in the world are these parents thinking? Is this something that happens often? The world today does not allow for such a serious lapse of parental responsibility.

 

Don't have 'em if you don't feel like taking care of them, folks!

I hope the sheriff can still give her "a talking to".

 

I can't imagine leaving children that young in a vehicle alone. I won't even leave my 12 yr old in the car alone, maybe I'm over protective, but it makes me feel better not doing it. My kids' father used to pick on me because I would go to the full service station for gas, but it was allot easier than taking two kids in to pay for gas (this was pre-credit card at the pump), and I would no way leave them in the car alone. I remember a story on the news about a woman that did that, and someone stole her car with her kid buckled in in the back seat!

 

Another they should not be allowed to have children:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061023/us_nm/crime_football_dc_1

 

Honestly, i agree that a childs safety is very important. But those parents are responsible for their kids. They are in charge of what they doing while "parenting" so i think minding ones business is the correct way of going about the situatuion, but also watching oput for them as you did. I personally would sit and watch to make sure those kids stay safe just as you did. But when it comes to saying somethign, I am not that chjilds parent, and they may have a different waty of going about the situation. Of course that parent is going to be angry at you for saying somethign! Its her kids, and someone else is telling them what to do, and the fact she knows its wrong.....and she was caught

 

Minding your own business is how kids get abducted and killed.

It takes a village..........

 

That is against the law. I know a girl who left her son in their car while it was running. Her son knocked the car aout of gear, it rolled across Hwy 42 and into some gas pumps at another gas station across the street. She was charged with child endangerment.... That's what she gets!!!
i could never leave mine in the car.... too many crazy people around. It's pretty simple to break a window and grad a kid . You should have smacked that lady when she cursed at you. The sheriff would have been on the way.

 

I am usually not a the nosy type BUT SAFETY, people! I agree with Jen's statement completely!

For goodness sakes, I freak out when my MOTHER wants to stay in the car by herself in the passenger seat while I run into a store. There is just too much that goes on now days!

 

Frugal, you did the right thing! It's too dangerous nowadays to leave your kids in the car, not even for a minute! Too bad she was PO'd, better that than to have her kids gone! Some folks have to be beat over the head before they learn.

 

It's not my responsibility to babysit somebody else's kid in the parking lot. It is however, my civic duty to call the law when I see it being broken, and children put at risk.

 

Amen sista Cleo!

 

People are idiots! These same so called "mothers" wouldn't be caught dead leaving their purse in the front seat of their car while they went shopping, but they'll leave their children in a heartbeat!

I worked this past weekend and had a sinus infection so I was constantly thirsty from the medicine the doc gave me. After getting tired of bottled water, I stopped at Mickey D's at 40/42 - the drive thru was insane, so I parked and went inside - the vehicle next to me had it's windows half opened even though it was a bit chilly and dark. There was a LITTLE girl in the front - too small to be in the front...maybe 4 - 5 yrs old and a BABY - as in unable to speak yet - in a car seat in the back. The car had an SC plate. I went in, washed my hands, got a cheeseburger and coke and after I got my seatbelt hooked and was ready to move along, the mother came out.

I was too sick to argue with her and to be honest, it would have been a waste of my energy - these people didin't just fall off the turnip truck, they know the dangers out there and either they think bad things will never happen to them or they just plain don't care, about the most you are going to accomplish is getting cussed out and they'll drive down the road thinking they really told you...

Calling the law is a good idea, however chances are good that in a place like Food Lion, The Party Store or the golden arches and places of the like, that the jerk parent will return before the law gets there. I hardly think the average officer is going to go trying to hunt them down after they take off driving.

One idea though, maybe make up a flyer that says something like

"During the time you abandoned your child today they could have been abducted by some sub-human trash and God knows what would have happened to them. Instead of saving the extra five minutes it would have taken you to bring your child with you, you could have spent the next couple hours/days/weeks/months/years or decades talking to law enforcement and pleading to get your child back.

This might be your only wake up call."

Tape it to the outside of their window, or better yet, hand it through an open window to the child so they can hand it to their mother.

 

Thanks for bringing this up Frugalmom ...

Last week I was with my children in a class at Centennial Campus for Wildlife Education @ NC State. Most of the moms stayed for the class ... one dropped off what appeared to be a four year old. At the end of the class she returned to pick up her child. Her child fussed because she wanted to finish a craft rather than take it home to finish. The mom gave in. About 15 min. later the mom mentioned to the instructor she needed to get going because her infant was sleeping in the car ... ALONE. Mind you we were on the ground floor ... visitor parking is up the elevator to the second floor, out the backside of the building.

I took my children to the restroom and headed out. That mom was still in the room on the ground floor! By then I guessed that infant had been in the car a good 20 minutes alone. I do not know which vehicle he was in but am hoping she at least left some windows open. Visitor parking was at the top of the parking deck and my car registered 85 degrees as we pulled out.

I could not believe a "parent" would leave a baby so far out of view for any length of time just to avoid maybe waking him. If nap time were that important ... they should have stayed home.

The other amazing part was another mom left her two year old sleeping in the car while she brought her daughter to the ground floor to drop her off. That mom was only in the building about five minutes before heading back out but ... what were they thinking?

My children are 4 & 6 and even now the only time they stay in the car is in the driveway if I have to run back in the house for something ... and even then my heart is pounding.

 

Guess Dad felt his son's potential to make millions a year in the pro games was threatened by his lack of exposure in sandlot games. :roll:

 

And then you see these women on the news screaming "somebody took my baby, why did this happen"???

Seriously?

 

I guess these people dont read papers, have tv's or radio's or maybe they live on the moon and just stop here on earth for supplies.

Great Post !!!!!

 

Zoo, I like your suggestion about the flyer! I think that would get the point across without having to confront the parent. :evil:

 

Wow, ncmom, that is an awful story about the infant in the car!

And Hugh - perfect example of parents who have no clue.

Zoo - I LOVE your idea about the note. It may not phase most people, but even if it has a positive effect on one "parent", the time is not wasted.

Thanks for your comments, all. Sad to know others have seen parents behave this way.

 

http://www.1270wmpm.com/wmpm_local_news.htm
Mom Who Left Baby In Car While Eating In Restaurant Will Be Charged With Neglect - The mother of a one-year-old baby girl will face criminal charges for leaving her daughter unattended in her locked car while she went inside a restaurant to have dinner. Smithfield Police said a concerned citizen phoned 911 after spotting the baby locked inside a car at Golden Corral on North Brightleaf Boulevard last Friday. Police confronted the mother, who reportedly told officers her baby was sleeping and she decided not to wake her up and take her in the restaurant. The Department of Social Services is also investigating. Police Lt. Keith Powell said charges against the woman are pending.

 

Call the police and let them take a report and advise DSS.
Let a knock on the door and an interview from them be an eye opener to the potential their actions could have.