Unatended kids inside car during summer (legal, parent, playing, children)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In my way back from summer camp, I had to do a quick stop in the grocery store and my kids (4 and 6) were in their seats on the back and asked to stay in the car. It was in the evening, 80F, dry, with good winds, so I left both front windows partially open and went inside for like 3-4 minutes, definitely less than 5. When I left the store and got back to the car, kids were of course fine, playing with each other, but there was this lady taking a picture of my car's front plate and ranting about what I did. I tried to explain her that I was inside for just a few minutes, the windows were open, and it was not very hot, I'm know very well how dangerously warm the inside of a car can get quickly in the summer but this particular situation hardly posed any risk to my kids. I take very good care of them and would die if I ever put them in risk because of my acts, but in this case I knew what I was doing. Anyway, since I'm very non-confrontational, I just got inside the car and left and now wondering what could happen. Not sure what the lady intend to do with my car's plate photo. Should I be worried?
I'm know very well how dangerously warm the inside of a car can get quickly in the summer but this particular situation hardly posed any risk to my kids. I take very good care of them and would die if I ever put them in risk because of my acts, but in this case I knew what I was doing.
No risk?
A huge risk would be that someone would open the car doors (through those windows you left open!) and take your kids.
It's a very safe area and the windows were partially open, not all the way down, and the car alarm on on, doors locked. Definitively safer than leave the car running. It was really 3-4 minutes at most, it's a very small grocery store, no lines in the cashier.
This is a stupid thing to risk, period. If it took you 5 minutes without the kids, then it will take 10 with. Big deal. While the risk might be small, the potential consequences are not. You made a giant mistake. Hopefully your need to be "worried" will wake you up.
Yes, you should be worried. The woman probably intends to send the photos to the CPS and/or police. Each state has it's own law about leaving kids unattended in cars. Depending on your state's law, you may wind up hearing from the CPS and/or police. Even if it is legal in your state, it's really a bad idea to leave kids that young unattended in a car (as the previous posters have pointed out).
This is a stupid thing to risk, period. If it took you 5 minutes without the kids, then it will take 10 with. Big deal. While the risk might be small, the potential consequences are not. You made a giant mistake. Hopefully your need to be "worried" will wake you up.
I understand your point but I was hoping not to be judged and I have no worries about how I treat my kids. I was just wondering what the lady could do without any evidence that I actually did any harm to them. In fact, when I got to the car and start driving away quickly, trying to spare my kids from the rather offensive attitude of the lady, my older one asked why she was upset and I answered that it was because she thought the car was too hot inside and she immediately answered: no, it was not
Yes, you should be worried. The woman probably intends to send the photos to the CPS and/or police. Each state has it's own law about leaving kids unattended in cars. Depending on your state's law, you may wind up hearing from the CPS and/or police. Even if it is legal in your state, it's really a bad idea to leave kids that young unattended in a car (as the previous posters have pointed out).
And how exactly with just a plate photo she would prove I was doing potential harm? The officers would just take her word for it?
This may be true, but you don't know what others might be doing. I wish I could instill in every young parent the dangers of children being taken and being sold into --you name it-- sex slavery, forced labor in other countries, etc. Research the stats on how many children go missing every single year; I think it is in the hundreds of thousands. Please just take a few minutes to unbuckle that car seat and carry them in the store with you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
