Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Fuming....

Let me preface this by saying that I do not normally personally involve myself in how others choose to parent their kids. Yes, I may utter snarky comments to my husband while in Costco about people being "bad parents" for letting their 2 year old jump up and down in the cart... or when we are out and I see people giving their toddler ICE to suck on... or soda... or when we're at the park and kids are running around BAREFOOT and crap - wtf?

There's this short little show on Playhouse Disney... we always kind of roll our eyes and snark about... Lou & Lou Safety Patrol. These two know-it-all kids are always up in everyone's business about "Safety Violations."

But, today, I had to get a bit involved. I had just finished doing a Target/Starbucks run with the kiddos... and was getting Travis buckled in. Then, I put Ashley in. While I was doing that, Travis un-clicked his chest buckle. Thankfully, he can't un-do the rest of his harness himself. I chewed him out for it, and made him buckle it back up. Then, I re-opened his door to double-check that he was secure.

I got in myself, and put my seatbelt on. Then, I started the engine, and was scrolling through my iPod.

Directly across from me, a couple was parked with their windows down. They had a little boy in the back seat, who looked younger than Travis. He was clearly not buckled in. He was leaning way forward, and was rocking the booster seat forward with his weight.

Then the dad started the car, and the parent's seat belts auto-engaged.
Thene dad started to back out of the space. I called out of open window to the van. "Excuse me!! Excuse me!!"

No response. I unbuckled, and stepped out of the van.

Louder: "Excuse me! Sir! Your child is not buckled!"

He stopped, and looked at me. I thought he perhaps didn't realize his kid was unbuckled. And that he was stopping to fix it. But then, he started shining me on...

"Thanks, but I'll take care of it in a minute."

I continued loudly: "It's illegal to drive that way, it's not safe!"

He resumed backing out of the space.

I realized he just was not going to fasten his child in...
I shouted after him:

"PLEASE! If you care about your child BUCKLE him UP!"

He drove off... and an older lady standing outside her car looked over at me, and shook her head sympathetically. I felt like I should have done something further... but they had no front plate on the car... so I couldn't even write down their license number to call in. I mean, short of following them (which I was NOT about to do with two little ones in the car) there was nothing else that I could have done. But, seriously - what the eff is wrong with people?

It's one thing to have no regard for your PERSONAL safety... but quite another to blatantly put your CHILD in danger.

I just hope next time that family gets into the car, they stop and think about the lunatic woman waving her arms at them and shouting in the Target parking lot, and actually do the PARENTAL thing, and take just a few seconds to take responsibility for the well-being of their child.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hate hearing stuff like that, it makes me so mad. I am glad you said something, even though the parents didn't take it to heart. People are just so reckless.

Kmommy said...

UGH! Unbelievable! And to be so blase about it! Some parents are just plain awful!!