Leavng dcs in the car?

[Imsosorryalan]

Ok following another thread where someone said they would never leave their dcs in the car while they 'popped' to the shop/garage.
My q is do you / have you ever done this?
If im totally honest, i have. It really has only been for a few minutes and i always lock the car, both are always happy for me to go and I wouldnt dream of leaving them if they didnt want me to. Am i a terrible mother?

I leave my two in the car at the garage or outside the local shop if I'm running in for milk/bread/paper only.

They are 3 and 1 and have always been fine with it. I wouldn't do it if they were distressed about it but it saves a ton of time and stress and seems totally reasonable to me.

I do it too! I always try and do pay at pump, but if I can't there is no way I'm dragging DS2 across a forecourt with me! He's a Bolter so it would require twins as well a the struggle fight to get hkm back in his seat again.

I try to never have to do missions with him in tow, we have only one, crap, shop within walking distance, so everything is done at the evening or delivered or with another adult or ds1's help. Ds1 is 6 and always been very sensible, but he rather stay in the car if I have to run errands.

I have always left mine in the car on the garage forecourt while paying for petrol even when tiny - I don't think I have ever been in a garage where you can't see the car while paying. Similarly if I am pulled up outside local shop / post office and can keep an eye on the car I'm happy to leave them all. I don't tend to leave my youngest (aged 3) in the car anywhere else, partly because I don't trust him not to get out and wander off to try and find me and partly because he usually wants to come with me. DDs, aged 7 and 5, I'm happy to leave for a bit longer - they know to press the internal lock button on the car and not to open the door for anyone. There is no way DD1 would come into Sainsbury's with me - she stays in the car and reads a book. The other two still enjoy careering around the aisles driving me mad. It sort of depends on the type of parking area though and how open and visible it is (e.g. at Sainsbury's where I go the parent and child spaces are right up next to the store with big plate glass windows so as I go up and down the aisles with two children in tow I periodically peer out of the window and see DD1 still sitting there (not quite sure what i'd do if she suddenly wasn't there....).

I have terrifying memories as a child of my mother always leaving my brother and I in the car with instructions to fob off the traffic wardens if they came by (she would never have paid & displayed), my brother and I were very happy about staying in the car but terrified at the thought of wardens and used to hide! I don't think we ever got a parking ticket though......

I do for petrol.

BUT I did go in and ask for the parents of two strapped in kids (one about 2 years, the other about 4), one of whom was hitting the other, who had been left in a car in a Tesco Extra car park for about 15 minutes. They put a voiceover the tannoy.

I leave them if I can see them (eg petrol, or our local co-op if I just need one or two things as it has glass windows so I can see the car)

I dont leave them if I cant see them ( for instance when I drop DS1 at out of school club - it would be much easier/quicker to leave DS2 in the car but a) I dont want to frighten him by leaving him in there alone, even for 5 minutes and b) I get really anxious at the thought of leaving him alone even though its 8am and theres barely anyone about - still can't do it )

Only if I can see the car from where I am.

I leave my 23mo DD and 18mo nephew in the car every day to drop my 3yo nephew off at preschool. I only do this because the car park is enclosed and because I can see my car from inside.

I try not to take them when I get petrol, but I do leave them if I have to.