I commented on a story posted by a Swedish father about a U.S. situation where a mom was arrested for leaving her child asleep in the car while walking 30 feet away to donate money to the Salvation Army. He basically called it ridiculous to arrest this mother for leaving her child in a locked car.
My comment:
I am a mom who lives in the U.S. and I just want to clarify that this wasn’t about the safety of the child’s environment. You pointed out yourself how foolish and crazy people can be in your post about the baby left to die. We’re not boring like Sweden. People do crazy things, hence the rising number of child abductions in this country. So to leave a child vulnerable in a car for even a split second is very dangerous. Even with the doors locked. How many mothers have I heard on the news saying, “I was only gone for a second” or “I only turned my back for a minute”? Too many. Too many for me to ever leave my child unattended in any way, shape, or form. People in the U.S. are just too crazy. I live in a safe, suburban, small town ad wouldn’t dare test the mental stability of anyone. So you may call us idiots or think that the police were too harsh, but if you lived here and saw what we see everyday, I think you would have a different opinion.
March 28th, 2008 at 3:50 am
You have such a cute kid!! I’ve lived in US half my life and have also lived in other places in Europe and Mexico. I have a lot of international experience and many countries and situations to compare with.
I think it’s great that you and others, like me, care so much about kids and make a real effort to keep them safe. I’m one of teh most pro-safety fathers around but I think people are failing to put this situation into a larger perspective.
Leaving a child in a car for a split second is not “very dangerous”. It’s actually extremely safe. Doing it for 30 minutes in a hot car is idiotic and should be punished, a couple of minutes while 30 feet away is incredibly safe regardless of where you are in the world.
There are many abductions each year but an overwhelming percentage is done by family or someone that knows the child. Having someone snatch your child from a locked car in a good neighborhood while you’re standing next to the car talking to someone is beyond incredibly rare.
It’s ironic that many care so much about abductions but not about everyday things that are far more dangerous. Like traffic accidents and using a car seat for your child.
Have a great weekend
AD