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

[purplemonkeydishwasher]

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!!

I think this thread has got a bit out of hand! I don’t agree with leaving children in the car to go shopping but who are we to judge her? We don’t know her or anything about her life.
And what’s this about not being very mumsnet?
I hate Morrison and avoid going there but If I wonted to go to Waitrose I would have to catch a ferry, and what dose it matter what shop she was at.
My kids don’t know what a pop noodle is but if I had 4 under 5s I think I would use the occasional ready meal
Maybe she is a terrible mum or maybe she was just having a bad day

NEXT - life is not SAFE ....the world can be a harsh place - nothing new there ...
some people need a reality check - watch a few documentarys on how REAL people with REAL worries live

I have been told today to ask my 3 yr old not to run in the gym as one kid was running the other day and smashed his face against a wall....

Wouldn't be easier to assume the child had learned now why to stop in time, rather than to blame the wall and control the activity of the other children.... I guess the time will come when we would not even walk with our children for fear of them falling down and killing themselves.

Yep. Life is not safe and by making mistakes we are teaching them how to cope with major problems in the future.

I'm really glad things were different when my kids were little. I used to leave all 4 of them in the car at the supermarket (not for a weekly shop but for bits) because by the time I'd got them all out, and all strapped in again I could have been round the shop and back out. My friend with 4 used to do the same. In fact I think most of the other mums with same-age children did it. This paranoia is a recent thing.

I will add that it wasn't a supermarket as we know them now- it was a very small building with windows floor to ceiling at the front of the shop and in the week you could park right by the windows. You could practically watch the car all the way round the shop and definitely from the checkouts.

if the woman has four children udner the age of five, al ittle compassionta understanding is more in order.

"I like to think I would always take my children with me (when I have more than one!)"

ummm we'll see Elf, we'll see....

'al ittle compassinota' is the best typo I ever did see. Fab.

You know wish I'd never posted on this thread. I put my hand up I have bad parent days too - shout, yell, tear my hair out, leave child in car to rush into shop when they're having a tantrum. Chastise in public - stopped eating pot noodles though :o. Let's all agree that none of us are perfect parents - I don't believe it's possible to do it right every time. As long as our children learn right from wrong, respect, manners and have a reasonably healthy diet we're starting them off on the right path in life.

Handlemecarefully - I did say I would like to think I would do, I didn't say I would be, a lot can happen in the future and I cant say what is going to happen.
I did say I have only one child so taking her with me isn't a problem. And I didn't judge the woman who the original post was about.

I ALWAYS take my 3 with me and never leave them in the car - that's just the way I am. I find it hard to even let anyone babysit unless it's my Mum, although that is probably because one of my kids is autistic. I have friends who would leave theirs though. We are all different, there are still people who leave their babies in Prams outside shops. Different Strokes for different folks!

"al ittle compassinota " is an opera by Verdi I think?

Am loving the anecdotal quotes on here.

I remember standing in front of a lift once with DS1 in the pram and thinking "I could just push the pram in, let the doors close and run..."

Think thats a fab idea Soupy actually, just push the right button and off he goes

There will always be a "concerned member of public" at hand if he wasnt okay......

Having thought about this - i see where you are coming from Soupy, i do. But the thread title has included in it "(hint: very ignorant parent!!)"

Thats what has got peoples bearded mountain goat - mine included.