Husband left child in the car

OP if you have multiple children this is the only way to leave the house. One strapped in while another goes to toilet or whatever. It's not physically possible to put all children in the car at the same time and there are often emergency nappy changes.

A kid I knew got out of his seat and took off the handbrake which was a button and rolled down the drive.

Jesus I thought this was going to read he left a 4 month old in a multi storey while he went grocery shopping. YABU!

What on earth is wrong with that?! Please describe exactly what you thought could happen?

I'd be more pissed off about leaving the car running.

a rare poster who listens to advice

I think we a see things and think I wouldn’t do that but in the big scheme of things it’s ok and not an issue

Yep I can see why he thinks you criticise is parenting.

Calm down dear. It was fine.

@Marblessolveeverything

On an individual level that's sad.

But statistically the risk is low. Am I going to base all life decisions on a sad story in another country - no.

My 'Bravo' to you was proving my point about anecdotes so quickly.

Stop being a drama llama.

Just ask him next time not to leave the car running. All the worst case scenarios are massively unlikely but it’s not completely impossible that he’s escape his seat try to drive. Also it’s bad for the environment, and quite possibly illegal depending on where you live- on our street you could be fined by the traffic warden. Then you drop it and move on. Definitely not worth going nuclear or getting angry about.

I’d be angry about the idling engine. I hate that. Why did he do it?
Couldn’t care less about him leaving the kid in the car on his own damn driveway. It’s a non-issue.

I wouldn’t trust my preschooler not to escape their seat and cause havoc. This is so dangerous. Less dangerous to cut the engine and take the key with you, particularly if it’s flat and the wouldn’t roll if the preschooler managed to get the handbrake off. My kid might just be particularly bonkers but I wouldn’t do this with anyone else’s better behaved child either.

Total over reaction, I thought this would be about leaving a baby in a car during a heatwave to sleep

I assumed this post was going to be your DH left the kid in the car while he went to the shops. Not sitting in the driveway of your house for 2 mins. Massive over reaction and that's coming from someone with crippling anxiety!

I don't understand your bravo comment? A family went through hell the area was absolutely floored. I fail to see the laughing matter.

Your comment was disrespectful insinuating it doesn't happen well it happend in my county. Every parents worse nightmare, but hey if it is funny to you.....

Jesus OP, 4 minutes? On your own drive? Come on now

@Marblessolveeverything

Bravo 🤣🤣🤣

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/baby-girl-who-was-in-the-back-seat-of-car-stolen-in-north-dublin-is-perfect-her-mother-has-said/36482295.html

You're making a mountain out of a molehill.

The thought of child abduction by a stranger is terrifying, but it's very rare. Realistically, leaving your child locked in a car is probably more of a risk. But we can all live in fear of tiny risks, and end up damaging our children as a result. The epidemic of child anxiety disorders is in part due to parental anxiety. Taking a realistic look at situations like this is one step to protect our kids from anxiety later. As the saying goes, let your kids experience the world - it's a lot easier to fix a broken bone than an anxiety disorder.

Have a look at this, on Reasons you can't recognize your anxiety, especially for moms.

Yeah another one who thinks this is fine even if I probably wouldn't think to do it myself.

I agree with this. Although where I live, I'd lock the car to run back to the house only if I had managed to park right outside the house (because where we live there are no drive ways and it's all on-street parking in a city).

There's also the environmental impact of leaving the engine running, and the cost! Such waste.

Your child is far, far more likely to die or be seriously being hit by a car as a pedestrian or being involved in a car accident while you are driving than in the scenario you've described - either because they escape the car seat and drive the car themselves or a kidnapper lurking right there for the key 20 second period kills them.

So yes, this is not something that is high risk at all.

Cue lots of catastrophising stories about people you know once upon a time.