PearlWatson
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Do you think it is inappropriate to leave a kid(s) in a running car while you go into the store real quick? Have you ever done it?
Question about parenting
- Thread starter PearlWatson
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Chad Feldheimer
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Depends on how old the kids are.
So that the AC works.
PearlWatson
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What age do you think is okay?
Chad Feldheimer
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Well kids could be all the way up to 18 right? 18 is when you become a legal adult?
I don't see a problem leaving a teenage child in the car for a few minutes with the heat/ac on. They can lock and unlock the doors or honk the horn if there is a problem.
8-13: would probably really depend on the child I guess.
Under 8 is probably a bad idea.
LogGrad98
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That sounds reasonable.
Only if you like fried kid...
I wouldn't trust an air conditioner in a stalled car for more than 5 minutes on a hot summer day... but you're probably safe if it's under 70 degrees though.
I was gonna make a joke about evolution and survival of the fittest, but I figured dead kid would be in bad taste.
I wouldn't trust an air conditioner in a stalled car for more than 5 minutes on a hot summer day... but you're probably safe if it's under 70 degrees though.
I was gonna make a joke about evolution and survival of the fittest, but I figured dead kid would be in bad taste.
Bad taste has never stopped you before. Why start now?
Rep, mostly... I could give a flying **** about whether you're offended or not... but gotta keep rep up, internetz is serious business.
kwb
Well-Known Member
You have a car that does that? Sounds like I need to get into the insurance industry or at least do a better job than what I'm doing now in said industry. haha!
I mostly agree with this post.
The only thing I would add, is that it really depends on the kid. There are plenty of teenagers I would not leave in a running car, in fact I would make a point of turning the car off and taking the keys with me.
Chad spelled out some good general rules, but you have to adjust them based on the kid.
Chad Feldheimer
Well-Known Member
Well generally speaking. Of course there are exceptions. Like you probably wouldn't leave your autistic kid alone in the car at any age and such.
If it's a short visit, having the AC off for a short time won't be a huge detriment. If it's a long visit, and there are no other drivers in the car, they shouldn't be in running car.
PearlWatson
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That's what I thought was reasonable too but a relative of mine got approached by some dudes who thought she was just a horrible parent when she did this with her 2 kids in that age group.
LogGrad98
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Someone will always think you are doing things wrong no matter what. We used babysitters that were between 13 and 17 years old when our kids were young, so when my oldest hit 13 we thought, great, free babysitting! My mother-in-law read us the riot act for not getting a babysitter and letting our "baby boy" be in charge. So I should have gotten a 14 year old babysitter to take care of a 13 year old and his siblings? Weird.
This is something you cannot escape. It really only becomes a problem when people try to take action on it.
When my oldest son was almost 2 I had a weird experience in a grocery store. I entered the store with my son, put him in a cart child-seat and went about shopping. We were stopped by the store manager and a very angry looking woman. The manager started questioning me about if this was my child or not, and the woman could barely contain herself. I had no clue what it was all about as they got into the realm of molestation. I was deeply offended and made it clear and left the store. On later reflection I remembered seeing her before and I realized what caused the hubbub. As I was walking into the store, I had been carrying my son. I put him down to let him walk and one pant-leg was pushed up on his leg and looked weird, probably from carrying him. I tried to catch his little hand but he thought it was a game so he tried to run away from me. I almost bumped into this lady as I reached out for him, caught his hand and pulled him back to me. At the same time, a little bit exasperated, I said "JJ come back here and let me pull your pants down". I obviously meant his pant-leg, which I did. She went straight to the store manager to report me as a heinous child molester brazen enough to yell at a 2 year old in the middle of a busy store exactly how I was going to molest him, apparently.
I can appreciate the feeling that we need to look out for children, and can temper how I felt about that, but it really pissed me off. I wished I had told her to stay out of it, it isn't her business, and that she was full of ****.
It does raise an interesting question along with the car issue Milsapa brought up. At what point do you feel we have a right and/or responsibility to "step into" someone elses parenting, or to report them for neglect or something similar?
This is something you cannot escape. It really only becomes a problem when people try to take action on it.
When my oldest son was almost 2 I had a weird experience in a grocery store. I entered the store with my son, put him in a cart child-seat and went about shopping. We were stopped by the store manager and a very angry looking woman. The manager started questioning me about if this was my child or not, and the woman could barely contain herself. I had no clue what it was all about as they got into the realm of molestation. I was deeply offended and made it clear and left the store. On later reflection I remembered seeing her before and I realized what caused the hubbub. As I was walking into the store, I had been carrying my son. I put him down to let him walk and one pant-leg was pushed up on his leg and looked weird, probably from carrying him. I tried to catch his little hand but he thought it was a game so he tried to run away from me. I almost bumped into this lady as I reached out for him, caught his hand and pulled him back to me. At the same time, a little bit exasperated, I said "JJ come back here and let me pull your pants down". I obviously meant his pant-leg, which I did. She went straight to the store manager to report me as a heinous child molester brazen enough to yell at a 2 year old in the middle of a busy store exactly how I was going to molest him, apparently.
I can appreciate the feeling that we need to look out for children, and can temper how I felt about that, but it really pissed me off. I wished I had told her to stay out of it, it isn't her business, and that she was full of ****.
It does raise an interesting question along with the car issue Milsapa brought up. At what point do you feel we have a right and/or responsibility to "step into" someone elses parenting, or to report them for neglect or something similar?
Chad Feldheimer
Well-Known Member
The best approach is to always tell the mother how horrible of a parent she is. Especially by strangers. That's guaranteed to go over well.
So you advocate leaving kids in the car with no AC/heater running during prolonged trips into the store? Interesting...
I promise you, nobody loves their kids more than I do. I have no problem running into the store and leaving them in the car for a few minutes while I get milk or a Dew. If it's more than a few minutes, and if I don't have a clear view of the car, then they come in with me. No problem.
I'd probably lose it on someone if they accused me of being a bad parent, because I am a bad *** parent.
I'd probably lose it on someone if they accused me of being a bad parent, because I am a bad *** parent.