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Original poster

guess what i saw today in morrison's carpark?!! (hint: very ignorant parent!!)

165 replies

purplemonkeydishwasher · 18/06/2006 20:17

RIght beside our car in the Parent and Toddler area there was a car parked.
There was a small boy hanging out the window (which was half rolled down so he was hanging over the glass)
Inside the car was a small girl (crying), a toddler and a baby.
4 children under 5 left alone in the car. Where were the parents?
She came out a few minutes later with a couple of pot noodles and a ready meal.
You know those moments when you feel like the worst parent in the world? Just think of that woman!!

OP posts:
kitty4paws · 19/06/2006 12:53

I was junged on this exact thing myself,

I left 4 kids in car to pop into post office, IMHO it is more dangerous to drag out 4 kids, 7,5,3 and 1 across a buzy main road than leave them in the car for literaly a minute or two.

I do however leave a baby monitor in the car and am able to listen to what they are up to when away from the car,

I was judged by someone as a "bad mother" she did not say this to me directly, she did not know I was in line of sight of the car at all times and that I had the baby monitor,

I truly believe that my children are SAFER in the situation I create than if I draged them across a main road, every day a child is either killed or seriously injured on our roads, dozens more are hurt,

Like others have said I think we need to realise what is really a danger and also walk a mile in someone else's shoes before we judge.

pops3 · 19/06/2006 12:56

well said PLUG. I hear that living on the whole quite a dangerous business

kitty4paws · 19/06/2006 12:56

Opps meant Judged not junged Blush

I haven't been junged sincer before I was married Grin

Next · 19/06/2006 13:05

Not saying anyone is a bad mum!

If you feel happy that your kids are safe alone in the car then thats your choice. I know that I wouldn't be able to pick up some shopping because I wouldn't be able to concentrate on what I was getting as I woulkd be fretting about them crying/opening windows etc.

As for the statistics etc about driving them around in the car, yeah you are right. its about choices though. But if a child is snatched while playing in the street, statiscally that should not happen, but theres always that small chance. I would much rather have my kids getting on my nerves in the supermarket than leaving that small chance to happen.

Itsmeindisguise · 19/06/2006 13:06

I'm starting to feel like organising a poll, name changes allowed asking why you don't leave your child at the car to do the shopping.

  • The main reason I don't leave him in the car is that I fear some one will contact social services. That's it. It is unlikely he will disapear from the car (although he's becoming good at un locking the doors), he will not die of a heat stroke as in other parts of the world could be. I wouldn't live him there for hours but for a few minutes, anyway.....Oh! and if he could eat pot noodles I would be the happiest mum in the world, because that would mean he is no longer severely food allergic.
Next · 19/06/2006 13:10

Well my reasons are as follows:

Theres too many wierdos about, able to get in car or not - my kids are in there with just a window seperating them.

A few minutes can seeman eternity to a child and would not like to think of mine crying when I cannot see or hear them.

If they managed to get out.

Itsmeindisguise · 19/06/2006 13:11

Thought of mentioning something that happen to us when I was 12 years old. My mother told us to my sisters and me to stay in the car while she just did a quick check on her sister that was in the hospital about to give birth. 8 hrs later she came out saying that she had to stay for the birth. By then we have been wandering around the hospital for a few hours and where calmly sitting at one of the waiting areas with a security guard guarding the lifts in case we wanted to do a second check around the building! Grin

morningpaper · 19/06/2006 13:12

Dior if you, as a six-year old, didn't know basic road safety, then that's far worse than leaving you in a car!

plug · 19/06/2006 13:12

Exactly. And she's made a choice for probably very sound reasons, just as other people make theirs. People on this thread are driving their children around knowing that they're much more likely to be injured or killed doing that and yet feel the need to judge someone doing something much less risky.

Don't understand it myself.

morningpaper · 19/06/2006 13:12

my kids are in there with just a window seperating them.

Hope you don't leave them in a HOUSE then

Next · 19/06/2006 13:15

Yeah thats what I said Plug. I'm not judging the woman, also made it clear I wasn't calling anyone a bad parent. Perhaps I am an over protective parent.

Anyone else can do what they like!!!!

Dior · 19/06/2006 13:15

MP - I think I did know road safety. I was scared witless at being left in the car and ran to find my mum. Anyway, isn't 6 a little young to be totally au fait with road safety and completely trustworthy at crossing alone?

Next · 19/06/2006 13:16

Wow keep the quotes coming!!!!!

No I keep the curtains shut all day and even board up the letter box just in case, Mrning Paper.

Itsmeindisguise · 19/06/2006 13:17

oh well, I have some worries about living him alone in the house (find it more dangerous than living him in the car). A coworker of mine left her 2 kids locked in the house while she went to the supermarket, in the hour it took her to return the kids started playing with matches and managed to set a settee in fire. As they were scared they locked themselves in their room and hid under the bed. By the time mum arrived the firemen had just declared one of the kids dead of smoke inhalation and were transpoting the second to the hospital for the same reason, second child died on transit. Sad

plug · 19/06/2006 13:17

I bet there's a correlation between people who won't leave their kids alone in the car for a nanosecond and people who won't leave them in the house when they put the bins out. Grin

Interesting point Itsmeindisguise - I'm far more worried about somebody reporting me than I am about what may happen to my children alone in the car whilst I pay for my petrol. Sign of the times I guess.

ilovecaboose · 19/06/2006 13:18

A grandmother left her two grandchildren in a carpark for 2 minutes while she nipped over the road to post a letter. She was hit by a car on the way back. It was hours and hours b4 she regained consciousness and could tell people she had left the children in the car. The children were both under 5 and were left in that car with no way out for hours. They died. By the time they were reached they were severely dehydrated and the car had heated up in the hot weather.

Would you like this to be your children?

Itsmeindisguise · 19/06/2006 13:18

But the most dangerous thing of all is that I can not diferenciate between living and Leaving! please somebody fund me for a spelling course!

Next · 19/06/2006 13:21

The woman wasn't away for a nano second though, she had gone in a Morrsions, they are huge!

As for leaving them alone in the house while I go out???? Are you for real?

plug · 19/06/2006 13:21

Well I guess it could well be my children, couldn't it? And everyone on this thread who would have walked on by tutting and shaking their heads at the irresponsibility of it all could feel nice and smug, couldn't they?

By the way, my old grandad smoked 40 a day and lived to be 101. So as I've wheeled that anecdote out to support a theory, I trust you'll all tell your kids it's OK to smoke?

joelallie · 19/06/2006 13:22

"A few minutes can seeman eternity to a child and would not like to think of mine crying when I cannot see or hear them. "

I wouldn't dream of leaving a child who wasn't happy to be left. Mine are at the age where they prefer that to being dragged round a supermarket. A few years ago they would have been upset and I wouldn't have left them. I think it's dependent on the child to a certain extent.

I have also left DS#1 who is 9 at home for 10 minutes or so whilst I pop to the local store. But only if he's happy to be left (usually is) and the front door is locked - he can unlock the back door if he needs to.

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 19/06/2006 13:22

Ilovecaboose - that's a very sad story but if they were all together they may have all been hit by the car.

Next · 19/06/2006 13:26

Of course, if they are old and mature enough it is different, but the woman described if I remember rightly had left small kids and a baby in the car and they were hanging out the windows.

If she or anyone else thinks thats safe then "thats your/their choice"

plug · 19/06/2006 13:32

Maybe she didn't care, maybe she is indeed a rubbish mother all round. But some posters on this thread would have been thinking the same thoughts if it had been a well behaved 8 year old sitting quietly and reading.

Original poster
purplemonkeydishwasher · 19/06/2006 13:47

Right. Shall I just apologize to everyone involved for this thread? It really upset me seeing those kids out there. I should have just kept it to myself.

OP posts:
nailpolish · 19/06/2006 13:54

good god waht a horrible thread