Cars and Kids

Soapbox Alert!!

I read recently in the Chicago Tribune that a woman left her one-year-old in the car while she and her four-year-old ran into a grocery store. What was she thinking? Honestly, I can see the logic, in a way, I'm just running in for milk or whatever, I'll just be five minutes...but besides the fact she brought her other child with her, I wouldn't leave my child unsupervised for more than five minutes in the house...let alone leave her out in the open...out of my sight....in a situation that could easily take twice or three times the amount of time. I don't leave my kids in the car alone...except for about the 30 seconds it might take to put one in and run back to the door to get the other one. And never with the car on. Its not safe...in so many ways.

I think the greatest invention for families is the pay-at-the-pump system at gas stations. Before all the stations had that, the temptation to leave your kid in the car while you ran in to pay was so strong. I can't think of a more dangerous place to leave a child in the car unattended. So, now it is so great that you can gas up the car, pay, and never leave your little ones. Drive-thru windows are also fabulous...especially at the pharmacy and coffee shop.

Besides leaving your kids in the car...my other big pet peeve is not using a car seat. In Illinois, children must be in a car seat up until age 8. It is recommended that they stay in until they are 4ft 9in and at least 80 lbs. We kept our daughter in until she was almost 9...she won't be that tall and that weight for a long time. But she plead with us to get into a regular seat...she wasn't a baby anymore. However, she must sit in the back seat until she is at least 12, in a seat belt. Of course, our other little ones are in car seats. It drives me crazy when I see kids, not only not in car seats, but not even in seat belts! Where are the police? Not only is it physically safest place for the kids but I couldn't handle the kids all over the car. There is enough to deal with while you are driving without having the notion that your kids could (and probably would) move around the car, open the doors, hang out the windows....

Anyways. You have kids...be responsible with them...keep them safe.