I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Please let me know if you disagree.

My mother was watching my 3 year old yesterday morning ...did some errands with her then drove over to camp/school to pick up my 5 year old son. My DD fell asleep in the car so my mother decides to leave the car running with AC and locks the car with my daughter sleeping in the car seat. She said she parked right in front of the school and ran in to get him. My mother is 70 ...she has not run in ages and had to walk down a long hall and turn a corner to pick him up at the classroom.

Do you think it was wrong what she did? She said she can't carry my daughter, did not have a stroller and did not want to wake my daughter. In my mind, if I did this I would get caught for leaving a child unattended.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

At 3 years old, she should have just woken her IMO. I don't think it is safe, but I also worry someone would have called the cops.

I do not feel this is safe... child in car

She was 110% wrong.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Sorry. Completely unsafe and irresponsible

Who knows what could have happened and it's not worth the risk.

She needs to keep a stroller in the car then

I do not feel this is safe... child in car

sorry but your mom was wrong.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

oh boy, I was getting heart palpitations just reading that. Please urge her to wake your 3yr old up- she can walk by herself or you can buy her a very cheap, lightweight, easy open/close, umbrella stroller. Running into the school & going down a hallway where she looses sight of the car is just not good.

Message edited 8/14/2015 9:17:51 AM.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Totally unsafe but honestly my mom is 70 and I know there is no way she can physically manage my young children. If I just woke up my three year old, he would not necessarily be compliant and happily agree to walk. Not at all justifying what she did, but there are limits to what a 70 year old can physically manage. However, she has to know that times have changed and you just cannot do that anymore - in this climate you can be arrested!

Message edited 8/14/2015 9:21:02 AM.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

If you had said she just walked to the front door to meet your son, and never lost site of the car for a second I'd say- ehhhh, MAYBE.
I wouldn't do it, but MAYBE.

But not where she had to go inside and walk down a hallway.

No way.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

I also remember a story posted where someone made the split second decision to leave their kid in the car for a few minutes just to run in to get something in a store for 5 min and someone called the cops and her life was pretty turned upside down.
It's not worth it.

ETA- here is the story.
It really stuck with me after I read it

The day I left my son in the car

Message edited 8/14/2015 9:23:54 AM.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

She was 100% wrong. She should have called the school and asked if someone from the office could walk your 5yo out to the car for her. I wouldn't do that everyday but given the combination of sleeping baby and her age I would use that in moderation.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

This is what I am dealing with ...stupidity .... this weekend is the last weekend that her and my father are taking care of my two kids and my sister's kids at their house ... mind you my kids are 5.5, 3 and my sister's kids are 5 and 1.5 ....

She gets insulted... picks fights... then refuses to help you out with anything. What cracks me up is that my sister who is a nurse at Cohen's Children's Medical Center will agree with her just to kiss her a**.

I do not look forward to having to take the car key away from her one day when she is too old to drive.

I do not feel this is safe... child in car

I agree with the others... back when we were kids, our parents wouldn't have thought twice about doing something like that (I can remember it happening all the time). But it's different today. The world just isn't the same. I would suggest she always have the stroller with her so this wouldn't come up again.

ETA (typo - we were never KINDS, lol).

Message edited 8/14/2015 9:54:34 AM.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Just wondering though .. . does anyone know where to find the law that enfroces this? I want to show it to her because she claims she knows everything....
It is one think if she gives my son a few sips of diet soda when I tell her not to .... but what she did is totally unacceptable. Also, what is the safe age ( if a child is under 18) to leave them in the car alone for a few minutes .... if there is?

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

I can understand her thought process in this. That she truly cannot carry her so made the decision to keep the car cool AND locked while she ran inside. However, it's really not safe even with those precautions. Especially since she had to go inside the building where she would no longer be within eye view of the vehicle. It doesn't sound like she was trying at all to be negligent, but rather doing what she thought was best. So I definitely wouldn't jump down her throat or anything about it, but I would tell her that it's unsafe and why she should avoid that in the future. Next time, simply wake up the child. They'll survive missing out on a little sleep, ya know? It's simply not worth the risk. She may not realize the danger in what she did.

Message edited 8/14/2015 10:12:51 AM.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Posted by Garden-of-Eden

I can understand her thought process in this. That she truly cannot carry her so made the decision to keep the car cool AND locked while she ran inside. However, it's really not safe even with those precautions. Especially since she had to go inside the building where she would no longer be within eye view of the vehicle. It doesn't sound like she was trying at all to be negligent, but rather doing what she thought was best. So I definitely wouldn't jump down her throat or anything about it, but I would tell her that it's unsafe and why she should avoid that in the future. Next time, simply wake up the child. They'll survive missing out on a little sleep, ya know? It's simply not worth the risk. She may not realize the danger in what she did.

Message edited 8/14/2015 10:32:19 AM.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

I would flip! Like legit flip.

I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Completely not acceptable. She should have either woken her up or called into the school and asked if someone can walk your child out to the car for the day.

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Wow I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. She was 150% wrong!!

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Here is the law, it is under age 8, but it is very ambiguous with the wording about significant risk to health and safety.

Law

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car

Was it wrong based on 2015 standards? Yes, absolutely.
BUT, your mother is a 70 year old Grandmother. Her thought process for those types of things is completely different and to call her stupid because of it is absurd.
You need to explain to her why she can't do something like that, and why things that were perfectly normal to do when she was raising her family could get you thrown in jail today - I'm SURE if she thought about any of the reasons that WE all think of re: why she shouldn't leave your 3 year old in the car, she wouldn't have done it.

And did I read correctly that your 70+ year old parents take care of FOUR very young kids? That is a LOT of work for them, and a HUGE help for you and your sister.
I get that they are your kids, and it should be your rules - but tread lightly on this one, like - VERY lightly

Re: I do not feel this is safe... child in car