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Say what you will, I stand by what I said. Thirty or so years ago, people would leave their children in the car all the time for paying gas or grabbing a quick item in the store, and no one thought anything of it. And no, I do not believe "the world has changed," it's people's THINKING which has changed, ready and almost eager to pounce on a parent--or use the government to do it for them because they're too chicken to speak to the parent themselves--all because someone parents differently than they do.
Mind your own business, I say.
Things are out of balance, we've gone from one extreme to the other. The old extreme was that a parent could do anything they wanted, anything, no matter how evil, and there was no intervention. That was wrong. This is the other extreme, butting in and second-guessing every parenting decision we don't agree with, and getting the government to do our dirty work because we're too chicken or lazy to talk to a parent ourselves, and it's just as wrong as the old extreme was. The proper response should be somewhere in-between those two unfortunate extremes.
If this parent were leaving her kids in the car for hours while gambling, or shopping, or in extreme heat, then I'd be the first one to advocate intervention. However, to do so in non-extreme situations is tantamount to sticking your nose where it doesn't belong--and to be really blunt, while it would be wrong to promote violence, I will nonetheless say that if such a person found their nose socked by an indigent parent's fist, I wouldn't much feel sorry for them. I'd say they asked for it.
All parents do their thing in different ways, and it's their right to do so. Some parents teach their children to swim, or have them taught formally, others restrict their kids from being within 30 miles of the water until they're practically middle-aged. Some parents let their children play video games all the time because they fear their child becoming harmed from the elements, some boot their children to the outdoors to play and just check on them periodically, some do something in-between. Some parents strictly forbid their children from eating any chocolate until they're like 11 or so and think any parent who would give chocolate to a child is being indecent, others indulge their children in such treats very early and think parents who don't allow their children such treats on account of being, in their minds, overly strict are being awful parents. Some want their children in every organized activity their school offers and think parents who don't do so with their children are doing them a disservice in terms of social interaction, others think their children will do fine without them and want them in very little such activities so they're not running around all over the place. Some parents spank and think other parents who don't are awful parents, some use time-out and think any spanking is abuse. Still others deny or revoke privileges--some of their friends will agree with that, others will think they're being mean to deny their children whatever they're denying them.
It's called parental sovereignty. As long as we're not talking about locking up in a basement, or molestation, or starvation, denial of medical care, whipping with a bullwhip, parents should be able to parent however they feel completely unrestricted and without someone hovering all over them acting like God. We all parent differently, and that is our inherent right--yes, even when you think someone's parenting is dangerous, it is still that parent's right.
If you are talking about extremes like beatings with a chain or locking in a dark basement, then I completely agree--yes, I COMPLETELY AGREE--with legal or societal intervention. No parent should be allowed to be evil or awful, that's wrong. Short of such extremes, however, how a parent chooses to deal with their children is that parent's prerogative. I consider it so wrong for one to interfere, I even think there should be legal consequences for doing so--harassment charges or the like.
The bolded part of your post pretty much sums up my childhood. And yeah, 30 years ago it was the norm. The car was my babysitter, regardless of weather. If I was lucky, she'd let me roll the window down an inch if it was 100 degrees outside. When I was tiny, it was short trips into stores. Then it became easier to just leave us in the car, because she'd already done it so much and nothing had happened. I was actually glad when I turned 7 and she decided I was old enough to stay home alone.
I'm glad most people now do a better job with their kids. Everyone talks about it like those were the good old days, but crappy things happened back then too. My mom's favorite trick to scare us into behaving was to pull the car over and put one of us out on the side of the road, then drive home and just leave us there. I used to have to walk along the highway (couldn't get home when she ditched me at the grocery store without walking over the overpass bridge) and no one ever stopped to see why a little kid was out there, except the men who would ask if I wanted a ride. Now, if a 7 or 8 year old was walking along the highway, somebody would stop to see if they needed help. Maybe we've become a more nosy society when it comes to raising children safely, and maybe that's not a bad thing.
I completely agree. I think she is just as guilty of a crime as the thief is. At least the thief had enough sense to remove the baby from a perilous situation while the mom didn't.
The thief simply didn't want kidnapping etc. Added to the charges. That's another ballgame...
The thief simply didn't want kidnapping etc. Added to the charges. That's another ballgame...
While I agree that was the case with the thief (didn't want the added charges)... He STILL ended up doing the right thing. He was able to think ahead when the Mother didn't consider her actions at all.
I think parenting is definitely getting worse and worse. The way we are using technology within households is pitiful... iPads are becoming nannys... It's obnoxious.
While I agree that was the case with the thief (didn't want the added charges)... He STILL ended up doing the right thing. He was able to think ahead when the Mother didn't consider her actions at all.
I think parenting is definitely getting worse and worse. The way we are using technology within households is pitiful... iPads are becoming nannys... It's obnoxious.
Well, the mother likely thought there would be no consequences. The theif was pretty darn 100% sure there would be. I mean, you kidnap a baby, you're going to have a helluva bad time, because they WILL find you.
Oh please. The thief is a thief, period. Parenting had nothing to do with this as far as I'm concerned.
I think at times leaving a child in the car is more sensible than taking them indoors, and in fact in the past have done so myself. When it's cold, wet, rainy, and a child is sleeping, I think it's safer in the car where it's warm than it is to risk them being hit by a stray car or become sick from the wet cold, and to disturb them from their necessary nap. Doing so, say, while paying for gas or checking the mail in a small-town post office where you can practically touch the car from where your PO box, I don't see parental negligence in that.
The fault lies with the thief, period.
Granted, it would have been better had she locked the car, as I once saw someone do--she left the car running but she locked it with a second key. That would have been better. I watched her--she did this, went to the ATM, withdrew the money, and was back in probably 60-90 seconds. Had someone stolen her car, I'd considered her a victim, not a perpetrator of negligence. Still, she did show some due car by locking her car, and the mother here probably should've done likewise.
Otherwise, I do not fault this mother. This is not the same deal as those who leave their children in the car for hours while they're gambling or shopping, or to where the car is hot during the summertime etc. The fault lies 100% with the thief who couldn't keep his hands to himself and respect someone else's property. Period.
I hope and pray that you don't have children, and that you never have them. You NEVER, EVER leave a child alone in a car.
The bolded part of your post pretty much sums up my childhood. And yeah, 30 years ago it was the norm. The car was my babysitter, regardless of weather. If I was lucky, she'd let me roll the window down an inch if it was 100 degrees outside. When I was tiny, it was short trips into stores. Then it became easier to just leave us in the car, because she'd already done it so much and nothing had happened. I was actually glad when I turned 7 and she decided I was old enough to stay home alone.
I'm glad most people now do a better job with their kids. Everyone talks about it like those were the good old days, but crappy things happened back then too. My mom's favorite trick to scare us into behaving was to pull the car over and put one of us out on the side of the road, then drive home and just leave us there. I used to have to walk along the highway (couldn't get home when she ditched me at the grocery store without walking over the overpass bridge) and no one ever stopped to see why a little kid was out there, except the men who would ask if I wanted a ride. Now, if a 7 or 8 year old was walking along the highway, somebody would stop to see if they needed help. Maybe we've become a more nosy society when it comes to raising children safely, and maybe that's not a bad thing.
You should have been removed from your mother's "care" early in life. What she did to you and your siblings was criminal.
Those of you talking about 7 or 8 year olds commuting alone don't seem to comprehend that there is a difference between an 8 year old and an INFANT. A 10 month old is completely, totally, 100% dependent upon others.
This story angers me as much as warms my heart about the happy ending. True. The thief turns out to be a better parent than the mother. But what a world...
I just can't believe anyone would think it's a good (or even 'acceptable') idea to leave a defenseless child alone in an unlocked car. We live in a world where children get kidnapped and worse. Fortunately, the criminal was not a pedophile or murderer. Hopefully, that mother learned a lesson because next time (gambling with the safety of her child), she may not be as fortunate.
The bolded part of your post pretty much sums up my childhood. And yeah, 30 years ago it was the norm. The car was my babysitter, regardless of weather. If I was lucky, she'd let me roll the window down an inch if it was 100 degrees outside. When I was tiny, it was short trips into stores. Then it became easier to just leave us in the car, because she'd already done it so much and nothing had happened. I was actually glad when I turned 7 and she decided I was old enough to stay home alone.
I'm glad most people now do a better job with their kids. Everyone talks about it like those were the good old days, but crappy things happened back then too. My mom's favorite trick to scare us into behaving was to pull the car over and put one of us out on the side of the road, then drive home and just leave us there. I used to have to walk along the highway (couldn't get home when she ditched me at the grocery store without walking over the overpass bridge) and no one ever stopped to see why a little kid was out there, except the men who would ask if I wanted a ride. Now, if a 7 or 8 year old was walking along the highway, somebody would stop to see if they needed help. Maybe we've become a more nosy society when it comes to raising children safely, and maybe that's not a bad thing.
O I'm so sorry for you!!!
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