What is up with fathers leaving their kids in the car unattended?

Question

I'm (pretty) sure mothers do this too, but I've personally seen and heard about it much more with fathers. What possesses a parent to leave their kids in a car unattended? I work in a small retail store, and yesterday a father left his 2 and 5 year old in the car. I urged him to bring the kids inside the store, and when he finally did (after 20 minutes) they were cute and docile. In this case, it was pure lazyness. He came back later in the day, did it again (left the kids in the car), and lamented that people judge him for it. This happens about twice a year, can I demand that people not leave their kids in the car?

Answer 1

Criminals ! Love of beer turns them onto blind morons when they rush out. They should be locked up for an year without any access to beer.

Answer 2

Its irresponsible and negligent bordering on evil

Answer 3

Yes, one can actually call the police and one should do this as a duty to future generations.

Answer 4

YA you should demand it..........It is realy crual and ........

Answer 5

Yes because you can not leave young children in a car it is the law. Was it sweltering hot? Or blistering cold? I can send him to court for bad parenting if you want. You can Email me if you want.

No parent should have a excuse even if s/he was leaving for a minute.

Call the police next time he does this.

Answer 6

Last summer here in the Bay Area there was a dad who left his infant in the back of his van all day and only realized what he'd done when the wife called to ask what was up because the day care had called to say that the kid hadn't been dropped off.  His excuse was that he was overworked and simply forgot... h**l I'm overworked and maybe I'll forget to do laundry or put the last two slices of pizza in the fridge, but I always remember to feed my pets, let alone take care of a kid if I had one.

It's not just dads though.  I've actually heard of a few situations in which a mother left her kids in the car while she went inside to take a nap for a little while (no, seriously) because she wanted some peace and quiet... stupid in the first place, even stupider when you live in Southern California or Nevada, where I recall hearing these things happen.  I also recall that a little over a year ago, a woman filed a broken property claim against the LAPD because they broke the window on her new Audi after a clerk noticed her two year old alone in a mall parking lot, waited fifteen minutes, called the cops, the mall made announcements, and the cops waited another hour before breaking it in.  Boo hoo.  Let's hear it for personal responsibility... so many parents nowadays are just idiots...

It's not even just a matter of extreme temperatures, which can kill or maim a kid.  Think about how many kids are kidnapped.  Think about how many cars are broken into.  Now put the two together... that's a child abductor's dream come true... in addition, asphyxiation is a risk.  The sort of things that kids do when unsupervized at home... there are lots of ways to cut yourself in a car, lots of k***s to choke on... just a bad idea all around!

Answer 7

It's illegal. Call the police. Laziness is not an excuse. Don't be a parent then. Isn't that what you want to see these pathetic human beings?  I watched an episode of Super Nanny last night. It seemed to end well but I was really upset about the cavalier attitude of the parents because clearly they were too lazy to raise their own kids. They were hyper critical of their teenage daughters. They could not fathom anyone's perspective but their own. This issue hits home to me.

I don't know what the deal is but something needs to be done. This should be unacceptable. That's good that society still expects certain things. If the dad doesn't like it then too bad. Do something about it and they won't be judging you.

I would call DSS. Dept. of Social Services. If you are too lazy then maybe you shouldn't be a father.  (to the father, not you, of course)

Good for you for speaking up. That takes a lot of courage. Kudos to you!! Thank you!

Answer 8

It happens a lot and women do it too. I would never leave my kids in a car unattended,there is so much that could happen to them.( kidnapped,death) It should be illegal everywhere.

Some ppl forget their kids are with them because they have a lot on their minds,and you got the lazy ones who just dont seem to care.

And lastly, if he does it again,you or a co-worker should call the police and report it for the safety of those kids.

Answer 9

I sometimes leave one or both of my daughters in the car when I want to run into a store to get something. However, I should mention that they're teenagers and they ask if they can stay in the car and wait for me. If they change their minds, they can easily get out of the car and come inside. I would never have dreamed of doing this sort of thing when they were little. Back then, they went inside with me whether they wanted to or not.

Answer 10

I've never noticed a lot of fathers or mothers leaving their kids in the car unattended. Either way, I'm pretty sure it's illegal. You could probably call the police on them.

I would have to agree with you, it's about laziness. It's more convenient for a parent to go into the store by themselves than with their children.

Leaving a 5 year old and a 2 year old in a car by themselves is ridiculous. I would never leave a child alone in a car unless they were 8 or 9, even then I would only do it for 5-10 minutes, like if I were to go pay for gas or something. I always bring my 4 year old in stores with me and if I do feel like shopping by myself I leave him at home with my husband!

Answer 11

It's illegal in Australia.

Answer 12

I agree:  I think they are just being lazy.

Answer 13

The word "wrong" for a reason comes to mind.  Since you do not have the ability to prove how long it would take for the police to get there then saying something is best.  Sure a person can, I'd of announced it over the loud speaker and called the cops.  I'm not sure why you didn't give him that option?  "Do you need me to call the police, yes or no?"

If the person literally insisted he should be able to leave his children in the car ask him to announce it to everyone, why just keep this "judgment" thing a secret right? Perhaps form a circle around his car and "oh, buy the way, could we have your keys?" and  "ya see, we know how hot it gets in a car ourselves" and "I'd like you to consider the fact also while your children are still alive as well".

Answer 14

anybody who leaves their young children in the car, especially in this heat, are bad parents. simple as that. 2 and 5 ? he's lucky you didn't call the cops on him. who knows what could've happened? there are a lot of bad people out there that get thrills out of parents like the one you described.

kudos to you for telling him to bring his kids in.

Answer 15

You can call the police

my mom left me in the car way back and the police gave like a ticket or something

she never did it again

Answer 16

Yes, you can actually call the police.

Answer 17

That's strange.  Around here, it's usually the mothers you hear about(or a day care sometimes).  Although, usually it's somebody who forgot their kids (don't ask me how), not somebody who did it on purpose.  Not that it makes it any better.

Be thankful if it only happens twice a year where you live.  It happens more than that around here, and since it's usually in the upper 90's in the summer it's often fatal.  

Yes, we should all demand it.  Because like I said, it can be deadly in the summer (or anytime it's hot).