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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Foolish parents and very young children in car parks

61 replies

NorthernLurker · 20/04/2013 13:56

So today I've been to the farm shop. It has quite a big car park and is very naice. It also has a petting farm/playpark place. Lovely. Very popular with families. As I came back to my car I saw a family parked nearby getting all their stuff together obviously for a trip to said playpark. They had got their very young son out (maybe 18 months at the most) and they got their pushchair and they got out a ball. Which they gave to him, he dropped and ran after and they sorted of carried on milling around. In no way was he under their control to be safe from traffic. Finally dad felt the pushchair was sufficiently laden and they set off towards the park in a straggly row of three with child completely free range - in fact he nearly walked in to me coming the other way and I sent him towards parents. Then a HUGE car drove in to the car park and they work up a bit and picked him up. He screamed. Car passed and dad put him down to continue his free range rampage. When last seen they were at the end of the car park, mum out of sight and dad at least two metres away from and in front of the child - who was walking right next to the boots and bonnets of the parked cars. None of the drivers of which would have been able to see him at all. All they would have seen is an adult male walking along two metres away.
AIBU to think these parents were fools who will be spending time in A&E with this child as a result of an RTA at some point. I really wish I'd said something to them Were we the only parents to have 'carpark rules' - always hold hands, don't walk right behind cars, stand very still whilst I unlock the car and if you're too young to do that you get held on to.

OP posts:

SantanaLopez · 20/04/2013 14:01

YANBU. It's terrifying to see.

abbathehorse · 20/04/2013 14:04

YANBU at all - just learning to drive and this is my nightmare, running someone over who I don't see.

WorriedMummy73 · 20/04/2013 14:04

First thing I always say when we get out of the car is 'get on the fuckingpath!!!

oldnewmummy · 20/04/2013 14:06

My son is 6 and I still insist on holding his hand in car parks etc.

kelda · 20/04/2013 14:07

YANBU. Car parks are probably the most dangerous places for small children, and they need to be constantly supervised.

KirjavaTheCat · 20/04/2013 14:08

Yep, hand-holding rule applies when in a car park. Common sense.

thebeastandbeauty · 20/04/2013 14:08

yanbu

ivykaty44 · 20/04/2013 14:10

You need a licence, a written test and an on road test to drive a car, you need a licence to own a gun, you need a licence to own a tv but you do not have to pass any type of test to become a parent or even get a licence - weird isn't it?

specialsubject · 20/04/2013 14:11

I'm thinking of the thread the other week about why you should reverse into parking spaces.

one of the many reasons is that you then have more of a chance of seeing the loose kid running about the car park. Or on the pavement as you come out of your house.

Crinkle77 · 20/04/2013 14:13

YANBU. If their child then got ran over they would probably blame the driver

MrsTerryPratchett · 20/04/2013 14:16

A man ran after me and stopped me in the street to talk to me. He was a retired pediatrician. Lovely man. He thanked me for having DD (2 yo) on reins. He said that he had seen too many children have accidents when they weren't under parental control. Then, another person heard the conversation and said his 3 yo niece had died in an RTA.

Keep your child up, hands held or reins.

StorFetHamster · 20/04/2013 14:23

YANBU.

It's scary, when I'm parking and I see a toddler off reins and running around heading in my direction. I don't like moving out in case I can't see them, but they're actually right there and I hit them, they're too tiny to be seen and it's so easy to get hit.

BlastAndDalmatians · 20/04/2013 14:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HobKnob · 20/04/2013 14:28

YANBU.

Mine are 2 and 4 and it's an unbreakable rule in our household- hold hands in ANY kind of car park.

Original poster

NorthernLurker · 20/04/2013 14:34

Wow - comforting to know dh and I are not alone. He was a perfectly adorable little chap too. I hope they keep him safe

OP posts:

TantrumsAndBalloons · 20/04/2013 14:37

It was always an unbreakable rule with no negotiation when the DCs were small- hold hands or carried in a car park. Don't walk close to the cars. Get on a path as soon as possible

You just cannot allow little children to wander around a car park.

Angelico · 20/04/2013 14:39

YANBU. It drives me mad that reins fell from favour for a while although thankfully seem to be making a comeback.

Pozzled · 20/04/2013 14:47

Yanbu. My DD2 is 22 months, and absolutely desperate to walk everywhere. She also absolutely hates holding hands. However, my rule is she holds hands or gets carried anywhere near cars, plus wears her little life backpack near busy roads etc.

This means that I spend a lot of time walking down the street with a frantically struggling and screaming toddler in my arms. But if that's what it takes to keep her safe, then so be it.

Original poster

NorthernLurker · 20/04/2013 14:53

'This means that I spend a lot of time walking down the street with a frantically struggling and screaming toddler in my arms. But if that's what it takes to keep her safe, then so be it.'

Absolutely. Our HV told us to treat dd1 like a piece of luggage under our arm if she was tantrumming. Waving arms out one side and legs the other - very funny but also restrained and safe.

OP posts:

Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme · 20/04/2013 14:55

I almost had this happen in my own driveway with my own child.

Dh was gardening as I returned home. I usually reverse in to get beside dh's car. Swung the car round and in and all of a sudden dd2 was beside the bonnet of my car as it came round. I slammed on the brakes and shouted at her and at dh for letting her go whilst I was trying to park. She's three. I couldn't see her over my bonnet.

She has form for running off. At school, at the shops, on the path on the walk to school. She is a nightmare. I'm the mum constantly hollering at the small girl, or dragging her along whilst she has a tantrum because she doesn't want to hold my hand. She is an absolute pain in the arse when it comes to walking anywhere.

AlexReidsLonelyBraincell · 20/04/2013 14:59

Totally agree Northern I have witnessed a couple of near misses where the bloody stupid parents weren't watching/keeping their child under control. Luckily nothing terrible happened.
I'm probably at risk of being over anxious near traffic/car park situations sometimes, rather that than totally blasé about it though.

PimpMyHippo · 20/04/2013 14:59

This is my nightmare as a driver, of not seeing a small child because they aren't tall enough to be visible - we used to live on a housing estate with lots of children playing in the cul-de-sac, and reversing out of the driveway was heartstopping when they were whizzing by on scooters without a care in the world and no adults to be seen!

buildingmycorestrength · 20/04/2013 15:21

Can I ask what people do about walking along the path? I was terrible at letting the kids scooter off in front of me, and now I look back and think they are lucky to have survived. People can just pull out of a driveway and that's it.

ArtemisKelda · 20/04/2013 15:24

My son is 6 and I still insist on holding his hand in car parks etc.

Me too, we've always had car park rules.

MrsDeVere · 20/04/2013 15:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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