To think this was really rude? Kids left in car!

[Twistedpantsagain]

So I popped to a friends earlier who lives on a busy road full of double yellow lines unless you have a drive just to add some perspective.
As I was leaving, a neighbour was welcoming her child back from a play date, all done at the doorstep may I add.
Must have been a one minute conversation at the most before the little girl then realised she had left her jacket so both mums and the girl head back down the slight hill towards the car.
A woman is standing beside the car ( not sure if on phone to police? ) but is circling around and looking in the window.
Mum had obviously decided not to get out the 3 other children she had with her in order to drop one child home which I wouldn't have given a second thought, they all looked at least 6 years old up to about 8/9.
However as the mum got in to drive off this woman gave her a massive mouthful, about parking on double yellow lines which are outside HER house, which I do understand but also said she is a neglectful mother " to top it off "
I guess from where she was stood as its downhill she may not have been able to see the mum but I would have thought she would have heard them as only 2 doors down.
Mum left crying after asking if she was ringing the police to be told " she would find out "
Just felt it was really OTT but as soon as I said it to hubby he said the kids shouldn't have been left so she was in the right! What do you think?

I agree, taking unnecessary risks in an already risky world is daft!

It just seemed unnecessary at the time and the woman so upset and sobbing made the whole event look awful.

I have to agree with this. No need to upset anyone. Although, some people get overworked easily and then lash out.

Leaving typical 6-9 year olds in a car for 2 minutes is is a tiny risk. The risk of them randomly and unexpectedly releasing the handbrake is one that you can judge - do reducing the risk further. If you had a child who wasn't safe to leave you would take them. I have an 18 year old I wouldn't leave in reach of a handbrake unattended - his brothers have been safe and sensible enough around handbrskes for a few minutes since about the age of 4. I'd have the car in gear on a steep hill anyway.

I misfuelled my car once and none of us could work out how to release the handbrake without turning the car on. Annoyed the garage as I was blocking a pump. The car I drive st work (different make) is the same. I see loads of those cars around.

For all we know the eldest kid who looked about 9 could have been actually been 12, it was only a glance so my guess at ages could be completely inaccurate. It was just the screaming that I thought was so OTT, by all means be annoyed and tell her not to park there, double yellow lines clearly for a reason and what not but the screaming made her look like a bully.

Parking on double yellows is a shit thing to do. Often the lines are there for reasons of visibility and the woman parking there could have meant that a driver on the road wouldn't have seen someone pulling out of their driveway and vice versa. She could have caused a collision.

Well here's where MN gets silly. Sending you're kids to play outside when they're 18 months is not the same as leaving 2 fairly big kids in a car for a few minutes. My point is we take unnecessary risks ask the time. No need to drive anywhere, you can live off what's local. No need to go on holiday at all. No need to even leave the house. You choose the risk based on the pay off. I bet this mum thought the pay off of leaving the kids rather than getting everyone out, unstrapped, waiting at door, was worth the minimal risk of leaving them in the car. And no, I would never choose an airline based on their safety record! They're all safer than driving!

They're back to being double yellow lines this morning?

Did someone paint another one overnight ?

Gosh sorry said the wrong lines, it's not really a big issue though is it? She shouldn't have stopped there whether one line or 2 as the other poster has pointed out as it said no stopping between whatever time.
I'm relaying something that I didn't really take in at the time as it wasn't my issue! No need to nit pick really

Agree the line whether one or two are there for a reason. I have no idea what that reason actually is as they run half way down the road and then turn to no lines and everyone parks outside a house, but I'm not local to the area I was visiting so I'm sure there's a valid reason for the way they've done it, perhaps an accident has happened or something.

Well given the entire thing seemed to hinge on her parking on double yellow lines in the first place, and you "discovered" later that they weren't double at all, and now you're not sure what they hell they are... it does seem pertinent, yes

I corrected it when I realised the double yellow lines stop outside the shop but because of the lady who wrote the very informative post up above regarding all the rules I got them muddled up. When you're not directly involved it's quite easy to mix up what lines they were, I hadn't taken any notice of them at all until seeing this argument as they didn't concern me as a space was directly outside friends house as she has a drive!