To feel bad for this parent? [daily mail link]

[GraysAnalogy]

Shocking picture shows baby boy sat behind the counter in McDONALD'S because his mother couldn't get childcare

-Photograph taken by diner in Cambridge shows baby eating meal in between a bin and fire extinguisher

-Customer Jesse Wright says staff quickly took child and highchair away when they saw him taking picture

-McDonald's has spoken to staff and told MailOnline it is 'never acceptable to bring a child into the kitchen'

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3175996/Shocking-picture-shows-baby-boy-sat-counter-McDONALD-S-mother-couldn-t-childcare.html

No parent would do this if they had any other choice. It seems she tried to do her best and ended up getting it wrong, I hope her managers are sympathetic.

And I am at the person who thought it was okay to take a photo of someone elses baby and upload it to the internet!! (Daily mail blocked the face out)

Posting it on the Internet was definitely the wrong thing to do, but I do think that the customer had to do something - that is hardly a safe or suitable environment for a baby.

Yeah I agree, I think perhaps he could have just taken the manager to one side though. People are just so quick to get their cameras out aren't they.

I would have thought the manager knew the child was there anyway. If he didn't that is even worse.

Cruel to put this on the Internet.

Clearly someone was struggling for childcare and/or money. Although not ideal and probably not in line with the rules, the baby is not in danger and no harm was done.

Says less about the morals of photographers and more about the state of the country to be honest. How desperate are people? How mean can employers afford to be, knowing you can't walk out and find another job easily? The I don't care you'd better be here thing is horribly familiar to me. With zero hours contracts and cuts to tax credits, this may sadly be a glimpse of the future

I think the baby was in some danger. I have worked in MacDonalds and had some very terrible burns from splashed oil, for example. I feel desperate for the parent driven to do this though.

YANBU. I imagine this was a case of having to chose between a not ideal situation and not being paid enough to support the child.

I feel sorry for the mum who must be having a tough time to have to bring her baby into work. I also feel heartened that a manager would be willing to break the rules to help a member of the their staff. I hope the store manager doesn't get into too much trouble with their area manager.

Well it will bethe manager who is in trouble for this. Will be against McDonald's health and safety and the insurance wouldn't cover the kid being there.

And the mother will likely face a disciplinary too

The poor parent was probably trying to do his or her best in difficult circumstances.

Our company policy is you get parental leave for last minute lack of childcare.... Thought that was standard

And the mother will likely face a disciplinary too

I do hope not. The parent was obviously desperate, what happens if they loses their job? A single parent family may have no other income and I'm sure I've heard of benefits not being paid out straight away if you're sacked.

What point would there have been in taking the manager to one side?

The child hardly had an invisibility spell on it, rendering it invisible to the manager!

Agree with everyone else saying it should be unacceptable but is, unfortunately, almost inevitable.

I've taken dd in to work with me. She's too old for a childminder now and INSET days are a headache.

That was NOT an acceptable place for a child to be, though. Shame on the manager.

Our company policy is you get parental leave for last minute lack of childcare.... Thought that was standard

My old company had parental leave, it was unpaid. Leaves the parent in the same situation as if they hadn't turned up.

Does make you wonder though, how many children will be left at home or in unsuitable childcare arrangements as tax credit cuts hit.

I do feel sorry for the parent BUT they made a bad call, a serious error of judgement - as did whoever allowed it (assuming they themselves were not the manager/supervisor in charge). What if someone had tripped over the highchair, or slipped on food the baby dropped? what if the baby had had an accident. The company's insurance would have been invalid.There are all sorts of reasons why it is just not sensible to have a child, never mind such a young one, in a very busy working kitchen! Presumably at some point the kid needed a nappy change? so there are all sorts of public health issues as well as the safety of the baby and the staff.

Why post it on the Internet or worse go to the daily fail? It could cost this women her job.
Why didn't she report it to the manager and then the head office at least that way words could have been had and the policies riterated with no more said. However now they may sack this women because of the negative publicity. The photographer was cruel and only after her 5 minutes of fame. I very much doubt the mum wanted to bring her baby to work but may have had little choice.

I think it would have been a lot more understanding of the manager to let the parent take a day off. A kitchen is just not safe for a child.

I think I loathe the DM. How can they run a story like this and continue their campaign of hate against the poor?

If you're desperate though you don't think in terms of 'what if someone tripped'.

You think 'where on earth will I get money to pay the rent from'

They would have let her take a day off but it wouldn't be paid.

Paid sick leave is a luxury for professionals on fixed term contracts, not low paid zero hour ad hoc workers.

Yes I feel for her, she is trying to work whilst having a small child and she's being bashed, if she doesn't work she will be bashed too.
The child isn't in harms way.
People can't win sometimes

What point would there have been in taking the manager to one side?

To make them more aware that it's a problem that has been noticed by the customers, explain how you think it's a danger? Instead of as soon as I was noticed taking this picture, the McDonald’s staff quickly took the child and highchair away. I'm pretty sure having a word would have had the same effect as taking a picture - without having the child plastered all over the internet.

Horrible for the poor mother and the manager too. I hate to see children put in danger, but when the parents are between a rock and hard place, what choice do they have?

If you don't work and stay at home on benefits, bad. If your child goes hungry or without shoes bad. If you leave the child home alone, bad. If you take the child into work, bad.

Well that's where we are as a country these days. Full time workers needing food banks to feed their families, parents with no options but to take a child to work or lose money. Someone should feel ashamed but not the mum of this baby.

There was a case recently here in the U.S. where a single mother who worked in a fast food place had no childcare for her 9 year old daughter during the school holidays, so left her in a park across the road from the restaurant. When another parent at the park realised the child was alone they called the police. The mother got in to a lot of trouble and I think her daughter was taken away. So sad.

I agree that taking a photograph and posting it on the Internet was low. It seems obvious that having your baby in a busy, dangerous kitchen or leaving your child unattended in a park are desperate last resorts.

Exactly Hedgehog