Thursday, April 9, 2009
Children in the Car
So I am craving a diaglogue with my mom friends. But they are on vacation or far away and I am insane and planned way too many activities for spring break to gather some moms for conversation. Maybe you can tell me your thoughts here. Can I leave my two girls in the car while I run into a store for a quick errand? Thirty years ago the answer was yes. I remember being left in the car while mom picked up a few groceries. How old was I, mom? I knew enough then that I would get a little worried if an unkempt man walked too close, because in my mind all kidnappers were male, unkempt, and smelly. My kids are trained, as much as is possible. They know about stranger danger, they know how to get in and out the car, and of course I consider the temperature and don't leave the keys in the car. The safety basics are covered. But in this crazy world, in this current time period, can anyone leave kids in the car alone? And if yes, how old do they have to be? Can I run in for 1 minute? or five? What about ten? Can I only run in if I can see the kids from the window of the store, like at UPS or if I park strategically at the post office? Is this a practice from the olden days that can't continue? A practice that can only continue in small towns? What do you think? Do you shake your head shamefully if you see kids alone in the car?
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4 comments:
You'll want to see if your state has a law. California passed one that says that no child under the age of 6 could be left in car without being supervised by someone else age 12 or older.
It doesn't look like Michigan has a law that is explicitly about cars. But if something happens to kids to unattended kids in cars while a parent is shopping, they may consider it child abuse by a new proposed law in Michigan.
You can go to: http://www.kidsandcars.org/ and look under legislation for more info.
Remember when you could ride in front seat at age 3 without a seatbelt? :-)
I've wondered the same thing myself, especially with the post office where the car could be visible at all times. At this point in time, though, I think it's just something that can't be done at all. Not where I live, anyway. We have the added complication of the sun/heat issue in the high desert, but mostly it's just about social convention now. If I left my kids in the car I wouldn't be at all surprised if somebody called the cops about it, and to be honest, I'd probably call the cops myself if I saw little kids left alone in the car. Even if it's only for one minute or five minutes, a passerby has no way of knowing how long it's been.
I was thinking about generational differences in another way recently. I realized that if I heard about one of my peers spanking their kid with a wooden spoon I'd probably consider it borderline abusive, but I don't consider it remotely abusive that *I* was spanked with a wooden spoon!
I am too scared to leave mine in the car - even for a minute. But you know me - I over worry about everything. I remember a time when I was younger and my mom left us in the car while she ran into the pharmacy/store. While she was in there, it was robbed and they were all held at gun point. She said she was so worried one of us would wonder what was taking so long and come in looking for her. She never left us in the car again.
omigosh Jackie. You consistently win the award for the most incredible stories. So I won't ever leave my kids in the car now!Plus Jackie, you aren't an over worrier in this case... you kids are so little. Hadley is a full 4 years old than Jacob. Maybe in five years you'll be able to say, well I did consider it once!
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