Kmart shopper arrested
Mary Caroline MacDonell, 37, is charged with felony child endangerment for allegedly leaving her infant locked in a car in the Kmart parking lot with the air condtioning running, according to the Daily Progress. Police were notified at 2:06pm August 6, and had the car unlocked and the baby out by 2:22pm. McDonell returned to the car at 2:30pm. The baby was fine and released to its father from the hospital.
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77 comments
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Anyone else find it interesting that the Hook went with the headline "Kmart shopper arrested" without stating the charges? If this woman had been shopping at someplace that doesn't carry the "trailer trash" implication in its name, would the Hook have used the headline "Foods of All Nations shopper arrested"?
Anyway, if what happened to Gasbag's daughter played out as he's described it, then I agree that it was horrible and I would like to see the cops involved held responsible. And I know that's not going to happen. But that doesn't change the facts in this case. The police officer saw a child left alone in a car on a hot day. He thought there was enough evidence to charge her with the crime, and he did. It's the court's job to sort out whether she's guilty of the crime and, if so, what her punishment should be. She'll have the opportunity to bring up mental illness, her individual circumstances, etc., when she goes to court.
BTW, the article indicates that Ms. MacDonell left the child alone in the car for at least 24 minutes.
The judge can decide whether the cop "made a mountain out of a molehill." But if I were him and saw the same circumstances, I would have done the same thing.
Here is the deal. First you say you traced people and had judgments against them. Then when you are challenged on it, all of a sudden it becomes the president that is being threatened. Than it is a case you post, which has merit. No one said it is not possible, just very hard to do. You make it seam as though you have a "red phone" you pick up and some special agent on the other end tells you who called you a name. If we lived in a society that prosecuted everyone for name calling, we would not have a society.
If someone says something about what you post, take it like a man. Do not threaten anybody until you have all the facts.
You don't leave an infant unattended in a car. I don't care if the AC was running or not.
I really hope the posters who think she did nothing wrong don't have kids.
I stop, pick up lunch and drop in here while eating.
Now I have a sudden craving for whine and cheese. :)
But, anyhow, Mr/Mrs/Miss GSOE, I do have what you might call a "red phone". An explanation is given out on a need to know basis only, and you don't need to know what my "red phone" is. :)
In identifying several people in Internet forums, I never had to issue the first court order for records and IP addresses. Were my sources correct and my methods accurate? Sure were. Neither party denied their actions after being served with lawsuits. The court gave me judgements, plus interest until paid paid in full.
This reminds me of an hilarious tale too by the way. One defendant called her local police when the process server showed up at her door to serve her... she was an ex cop in Pennsylvania, fired for beating a handcuffed prisoner. She reported a burglar thinking the cops would show up and chase him away. Her little plan backfired in her face. Once the cops showed up and identified this mysterious "burglar" as a process server to her, and his reason for being there, she could not deny knowing about the lawsuit. Even after numerous letters from the judge, she failed to respond. The judge now had no reason to not judgement and interest against her.
naysayer, I actually felt you had better things to do with
your time, and I agree it’s best that you get back to them.
Bye.
Just saying it's a joke that the Hook is deleting other people's posts because they don't like the content, including a dig at the Hook, but GSOE goes unscathed time and time again. Like GSOE's never run afoul on this site. I have better things to do with my time so it's best I get back to them; that will leave GSOE plenty of time to continue his crusade against the people who serve and protect in Central Virginia, whom I have no doubt GSOE has said worse about than 99% of what people write on this site.
BEFORE WE THROW STONES AND PASS JUDGEMENT ON A FEW PARAGRAPHS IN A MEDIA FRENZY, LET ME PAINT A DIFFERENT PICTURE FOR YOU. This is a cry for help from a mental health crisis point of view. I too have lived the nightmare. It is called mental blocking, in anxiety,depression and other phsyciactric episodes, it usually occurs. It is a state similar to short term memory combined to a postpardum and lack of sleep and overall health. I read between the lines on this one. I was shocked to see the face and name match in disbelief, as she is a friend of mine. Not only is she a friend, a mother, and a terrific wife and hard worker,she is someone who acted out of character in the most bizarre way that has everyone up in arms. Virginia has the strictist laws when it comes to this. If this was a doped up mother who abused her kid I would say throw the book at her, this not being the case.There is more to this story than what we know. This is not a normal pre anything,it is a mental health issue that may or may not come to full circle. Until then,you so called parents,experts,and angry citizens might start doing some homework with your local hospital if this or other stories hit too close to home. You might be shocked at the statistics and high risk you too might be at for a number of issues. She needs not your critisism, shes going to do that every time she looks in the mirror. Who the hell are we to judge, this is a mental health issue, not a beer run or blue light special as one reader suggested. it is a form of mental blocking. READ IT. My prayers tonight with Caroline and the family.
Your a joke GSOE s real joke.
she is the owner of the Artful Lodger, the furniture store at the Downtown Mall, went to Kmart to get new ideas of classic furniture
The mother was wrong. The child has no defense of there own against the unforseen. EG car stalling and heating up inside. What we have to remeber is that a child is not asked to be brought into this world, we bring them in. It is our job to care for them, even while shopping.
It was not to long ago a child died over at the law school parking lot. With this in mind people are aware of there surroundings.
I just hope she was in K Mart getting diapers and not cigarettes.
Dear Albemarle Mom,
You read the confused post who used colorful language, and apparently not my own.
A rushed young Mom might MISTAKENLY believe that her new car (Volvo or any other commonly puchased one) with excellent air conditioning might be a more comfortable and safer alternative for a sleeping child for five minutes, than being taken in a shopping cart through a 100 degree heat parking lot. This however is fallacious logic,as my post indicated. For a college town, many of you folks don't read well or comprehend well. You need a refresher in reading comprehension. My post was pretty clear.
In response to:
Albemarle Mom's post
Even a ââ?¬Å?cool Volvo” can overheat in 90+ weather, especially with the a/c running. Or other mechanical problems can develop, causing the car to shut off. If that had happened, this baby would’ve been dead in a very short time. This mother showed EXTREMELY poor judgment, and I’m glad she was arrested. At the very least, it might make her THINK. Good grief!!!!
Heck of a thing if this mom ends up being a convicted felon. Hopefully lessons will be learned.
i think that she shouldnt left the baby in the car alone i really cant believe that she would actually leave a inocent baby alone someone could of just took the baby out of the car and,and went on their way what would she have done then said someone hijacked her and stole her baby and of course it was a black man,who have been following her for days dont ever do this again i hope you learned your lessonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
Nothing couldve been that important to leave the child,Idont if this mother has a tv but charlottesville has not be all that safe lately,things like this are wake up calls for people that have done this and got away with this so if this is u then stop or you will be next.
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JK
" a cool volvo".... dear god. what if the car was a 1974 Gremlin? You should never leave your 'effing kid in a car alone EVER.
Clearly she went into Kmart for a Blue Light Special, and got one in the parking lot as well!
(Seriously, how did the rest of you miss posting this joke?)
White babies fetch big money these days on the black market. I'm surprised somebody did'nt grab the lil 'un.
"The mother clearly thought about what she was doing and left the AC on."
Seems more like there was no negligence and the matter should never even be heard in a court room.
Ive heard there was someone else in the car and she left them to watch child. Maybe they left the child.
To cookiejar and NancyDrew -
ARE YOU TWO INSANE????? Are you saying it is ok to leave an infant in a car alone? And Nancy would have sympathy for her if she just forgot the child? Since when did a child become a pocketbook or wallet that we occasionally forget?
As the parent of five children, I understand what motivates a parent to want to leave a child who may be sleeping in a cool Volvo, for as long as it takes to pick up a pizza. I get that.
But we live in a time in which very scary people would happily break that window and take that child, and no one ever takes as short a time as they think they will.
I feel bad for the Mom, but we must have some way of keeping children safe.
In the UK and other parts of Europe it has been routine to leave infants in their prams with the loyal dog tied on while mom went in to do some shopping. Kids were rarely nabbed. People weren't convicted as felons for child endangerment.
No, the babes were not in cars that could stall. I get that. But that says a lot more about our society, and how downright criminal and untrusting it is. That is a very bad sign.
I also think people need to get a reality check on their indignation. I see parents doing far more damaging things to their kids than leaving them in a pram by a door or in the car for a few minutes instead of roasting them in a cart.
This should be a warning to all. There is always some 'do gooder' snitch putting their nose in your business lurking around every corner.
I hope you are not a mental health exert. If so, we are all in trouble. A "doped up mother" who you want to throw the book at, has more mental health issues then your friend does. She was wrong for leaving the child alone in a car. You know she will not get the maximum penalty. As a victim of abuse, I hope she learns from this.Good luck.
naysayer, I would be very careful about who I was calling a lunatic if I were you. Like most people on the Internet, you probably think you can't be traced. I can give you the names of two women who found out differently in the form of courrt judgements plus interest until paid. One of them posting in forums from a public computer in a public library. And the other posting in forum where I had Administrative tools and could actually read her e-mails asking othes to conspire with her. :)
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You will let someone post absolute lies about tracing people and bring them to court. (GSOE)But when post the truth about the matter, you take down my posting. I do not understand your reasoning. The truth is, it would take a high court to trace someone. New York Times V Sullivan is a real case. You know in your mind that you are wrong. Maybe it is because you want to have people think thay can be traced, I do not know. I had a lot of respect for The Hook. It just went down a great deal.
Like the person said" READ NEW YORK TIMES V SULLIVAN". you are talking in circles, which is nothing new.
Dear Give me a break,
Thank you so much for your extensive grasp of the law. So I guess you were a witness to this event and know exactly that the police report and newspaper articles are correct. If not it must be wonderful for you to have all the answers.
As I appreciate your suggestion to get a life might I say the same for you. To the rest of the people adding hostility and negativism might we focus on the real issue, moving forward from here. If you are all so concerned about this child, as you say you are, what would be the true benefit to this child to be separated from it's mother? This child is being WELL cared for. As stated previously this was more a case of bad judgment vs. negligence or criminal. We might all take a moment to look at ourselves and ask have we ever made a mistake? Would you take it back if you could? Was someone looking over your shoulder when it happened? All I ask is that if you feel compelled to post your comments you try to be helpful not hurtful. There is nothing to be gained by added your constant barrage to this situation.
Correction to my comment above: she may not have left the child in the car for 24 minutes, but that's only because police intervened. She was in the store for at least that amount of time and presumably did not know (unless she saw from the window) that the police had gotten her child out.
Stop whining.
Better yet, test the system. Go to the public library, use a public computer, and issue a death threat to the President. I promise you will be in custody in less than 45 minutes.
I, The Hook, or any other individual could probably identify 90% of the posters here simply by their IP address. The other 10% would involve a few more steps. You are NOT anonymous on the Internet.
Here's a good joke too while we are telling jokes. :)
$11.3 million award - internet defamation in Broward County Circuit Court, one of the largest awards ever for Internet defamation, after a jury found that a Louisiana woman had posted negative messages against the businesswoman and her company, calling her a "con artist" and "fraud".
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/101106DefamationAward.html
Voice of reason, the facts are in the story. Police come on the seen, a child is locked in the car. The car door is unlocked, the child is taken out. There is no parent around.
It is black and white. It is public record. It is a fact, 99 percent of the time police are called in this country, there is a crime being committed.The police have no reason to lie. IT IS ABUSE CUT AND DRY. There is no way to weasel out of it.
Yes it is our duty as citizens to butt our noses in abuse. What are we suppose to do, pat her on the head and say it is OK. Why not just let all the child sexual abusers walk free?
CHILDREN ARE PRODUCTS OF THERE ENVIRONMENTS ABUSE LEADS TO ABUSE, IT NEEDS TO STOP.
Get a life.
This story does relate to my story. For that I do not apologize.
The same people who endangered my daughter's life charge somebody for the same exact thing! It's hilarious!
In 1997 they also charged a woman working at Hardee's for allowing her 11-year-old daughter to sleep in her car while she worked inside. Just a few days after what they had done to my 4-year-old daughter.
If you don't like the show, change the channel. :)
steve shifflett hijacks another thread with his rant. wasn't a cover story good enough? why doesn't the hook just post a link to that at the end of every single story? seems they all relate to his story somehow.
When I was a kid, someone wore a shirt that said "you cannot argue with a sick mind". They must of been foreshadowing. Because GSOE deserves a shirt like that.
Peter Chang is cooking at the grille at Kmart!
"Infant abduction isn't rare."
Obviously there's been an epidemic of infant abductions in Charlottesville that I somehow missed.
Dial down the hysterics, people. Statistically, the kid was in far greater danger of dying in an accident on the way to the store than it was of being "abducted" in the parking lot. Yet nobody's suggesting we ban cars.
"She should be put on probation and have to do a hundred hours of community service giving talks to high schoolers about what happened."
And what happened, exactly, to make this worth thousands of hours of high school students' time? "I left my kid in the car with the AC on and somebody called the cops and they came and broke into the car and eight minutes later I came back and they arrested me. Now, let that be a lesson to you young 'uns."
I'd like to think our high school students have better things to do with their time.
What in the world was this woman thinking?!! U don't leave a child under 11 in the car for no reason! I don't care if the air was on. She is an unfit mother and should be treated so. Are the parents to this child still together? If so, does that mean when shes bailed out that she goes home to that baby just to be able to do it again? Our justice system should protect the child not the mother!
. I blame the school system. They after all are responsible to raise our children. The school system obviously dropped the ball in this case.
It is a shame that there isn't someone else that we could have raise kids so they grow up smart enough to not leave an infant in a car that could blow a fuse for the a/c, overheat, get car jacked or have the engine stall.
I remember we used to have this thing where people were raised by ... oh what did they call them.. oh thats right ... "parents"
I am sure this poor girl has learned her lesson. She should be put on probation and have to do a hundred hours of community service giving talks to high schoolers about what happened.
We all make mistakes. (51% of us if you count the people that voted for Obama)
This is what I love about our local criminal justice system. They criminally charge people for doing the same exact thing they themselves do. A couple of them should have been charged when they left my then 4-year-old daughter unattended in my car on the side of a major 4 lane high speed highway.
edit to add to above: "for 45 minutes"!
Dear "?",
As the parent of 5, I never did, even when it wasn't illegal to do so.
The comment concerning "a cool Volvo" was not understood by you. A new Volvo with a functional air conditioning system may be perceived by a hurried young mom as a safer alternative than a brief sojourn to a store through a 100 degree parking lot. However it isn't safer. Infant abduction isn't rare. Even if your child doesn't bake in the car, he might not be there when you come back.
________
responding to:
JK
” a cool volvo””Š. dear god. what if the car was a 1974 Gremlin? You should never leave your ââ?¬Ë?effing kid in a car alone EVER.
yeah, with a loaded shotgun. Some parent....
Edward makes some valid points (but I'm not sure she's learned a lesson). I am shocked and appalled. She should not be trusted with anyone's kids. They let you pose with sunglasses on your head for a mugshot?
Thank you, Geez! I forgot to add that very important fact too. Let's see if I can get it right this time. :)
April 29, 1997, my then 4-year-old daughter left unattended in a car with a loaded shotgun for 45 minutes. The shotgun was in the car because this was the vehicle I drove to and from work at the Greene County Sheriff's Office at the time.
The cops are extremely lucky she did not get out of the car and roam out into the heavy traffic leaving the ball games at the Darden Towe Park.
This is ten times worse than what the lady above in this story did.
Even a "cool Volvo" can overheat in 90+ weather, especially with the a/c running. Or other mechanical problems can develop, causing the car to shut off. If that had happened, this baby would've been dead in a very short time. This mother showed EXTREMELY poor judgment, and I'm glad she was arrested. At the very least, it might make her THINK. Good grief!!!!
But this was not about you....
Wasn't Gas going to Radio Shack during the mentioned incident?
Oh well, I'm sure that the loaded gun was safely stowed in the locked truck of the vehicle.
The lady in question was acting in ignorance. And what if the AC quit working while she was doing whatever? Leaving a vehicle running with an animal or child inside is just plain dumb and just because you get away with it a few times, who knows about the next time. If being arrested and having to go to court is needed as a wake up, then so be it.
Get a life "jeezlouise". I bet your the type to smoke cigarettes in the car with your windows rolled up and your kids in the back seat. You better not let me see you abusing your child. I will turn you in and leave my calling card so you stop by my house when you think you have what it takes.
Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty. No one knows all the facts but the people who were there. All those of you with your condemnations must enjoy such a perfect life. How easy for you to scrutinize actions of others. It must be wonderful to go through life without making any mistakes. Maybe if more people spent more time looking at their OWN children and lives and less into others we might have a chance to become more civilized. Cheers to the Old Timer. To those of you that have harsh words for the mother what is with all your hostility? Do you really think that is helpful? Why can't we learn from mistakes and be kinder to our fellow man... what a pipe dream. People have become to self-involved to really care about one another.
"I will turn you in and leave my calling card so you stop by my house when you think you have what it takes."
Sure you will tough guy. Say hi to L and R for me.
"For those of you who think the person who turned in Ms. McDonnell is a snitch, have a lot of growing up to do. This is not hop scotch, or dodge ball were playing"
Yet another example of one of those lurkers I told you about.
"CHILDREN ARE PRODUCTS OF THERE ENVIRONMENTS ABUSE LEADS TO ABUSE, IT NEEDS TO STOP."
Yes when it is abuse. I bet most of you commenting do not have children but you did stay in a holiday inn express last night.
C'mon, no one is condoning any abuse of children in anyway like some of your are indicating. What this woman did was wrong, per the law. She should be arrested, per the law. What her punishment is will be dictated in a courtroom. If you let this slide, it will happen again. By putting this in the public eye, it will hopefully remind you to take care of that most precious.
As people mentioned, the car could have stalled, a/c could've stopped, car could be stolen, child stolen or what if something had happened to her in between leaving the car and coming back? Who knows how long the child would've been in the car if she had had an accident with no way of telling people her child was out there. There are too many variables and the one you definitely can control is keeping your child with you.
And before coming in with "you must not have kids," I have a 3 year old and 1 year old. Even if I am just picking up take out and I can see the vehicle the entire time, I will unstrap both from their car seat and take them inside with me. Picking up the food takes less time than unstrapping them, not to mention putting them back in, but that is what a responsible parent does.
I think its amazing that this is news in the first place. With that being said, the real news is the post in these blogs and the ignorance associated with it. Maybe the journalist behind this could have taken a more thought provoking approach, however, since she hasn't, let me try-
Does is bother anyone how subjective this is? Lets put the baby in the car aside for a moment. If I'm walking down the downtown mall and I see a mom slap her child, I could call the police and depending on that officers perspective, the mother could be arrested for abuse. She could have defend her punishments to child services, hire a lawyer, defend herself to a jury, etc. All of this based on an officer's perspective. Regardless if it is right or wrong. The majority of the posters here seem below the age of twelve and are probably too young to know that forty years ago teachers had rulers and were able to slap knuckles or parents use to take belts to their children. Again, regardless of whether it is right or wrong, its subjective. Some parents still spank, some don't, some officers would arrest a parent if they saw that. Are we ok with the government deciding how we should handle our children?
A lot of things could have happened in the parking lot, oh well, they didn't. The only thing we found was a person we think we should prosecute because we think she made a bad decision. Lets say that the worse case scenario happened. A meteor comes out of the sky, strikes the ground beside the car, ignites the car on fire, and the child dies. The mother was negligent because she left her child in the car? The mother needs to be further punished from the loss of her child? Is that the role of government and laws, to punish folks for what could have happened. As mentioned previously, if that is the case we should arrest half the mothers and fathers in my neighborhood. They smoke with their kids in the car, they leave their two year olds wondering around close to the street, they let their six year old push the stroller, etc.
A felony warrant carries with it the loss of voting, prison time, and legal fees out the wazoo. We think that this is fair for a "could have happened"? Was it bad judgement? maybe. However, if we live in a country where I need the government telling me I need to be punished for what could have happened and not my husband, I should move to communist China.
And so if we can't inspire decent journalism with that, maybe we can talk about the fact that KMart got a shopper in the door.
Regardless of the child's safety, why is is that everyone thinks its OK to leave cars idling while they shop? I thought everyone was upset about corporate profits, oil spills, government taxation and small paychecks. Apparently some of us are OK with giving money to people we don't know (oil tycoons and tax collectors) in exchange for providing cancerous air to people we might know (other Cvillians near the car that is running). KMArt is air-conditioned, and if you have to shop at a cheap place, WHY ARE YOU THROWING YOUR MONEY AT RICH PEOPLE JUST TO LEAVE YOUR CAR RUNNING?? There are 3 cars idling at any given moment at every convenience store, post office, coffee shop, and bagel shop in Charlottesville, and we are just one town in a big country. Perhaps our idling cars consumption is equivalent in a years time to all the oil now in the gulf? If you pay for it, don't complain about it. Turn your car off as often as possible so you aren't supporting everything you claim to hate. Or quit complaining about taxes, corporate profit, oil spills, and your lack of money because if its too hard for you to turn a key in order to prevent funding your "enemies" and making your friends sick, running your mouth about how everything is someone else's fault must be awfully tiring...
dude, despite your narcissistic delusions you are not the show. you are much more the yapping little dog next door whose incessant barking during show time has all the neighbors wishing you would escape from the yard and into some traffic.
Some of you just keep coming back for more.
You whine about me hijacking a thread, but then you just keep feeding it like a stray puppy.
This ticks me off as a woman who is infertile! Parents, hold on dearly to your children because there are people out there that badly want one!
"Penalizing Parents In Tragic Cases: Justice or Excess?
A thoughtful look at whether or not parents should be prosecuted criminally after losing a child to accidental causes." Luckily this case didn't result in the child's death, but it could have. Life is fragile and we all make mistakes. Hopefully, this will remind everyone reading this to be more mindful of caring for children, and aware of the consequences, if we don't.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/penalizing-parents-in-tragic-cases-overki...
Should have, could have, would have. If, if , if, and if.
The child was ok. The child was not kidnapped. The air conditioning did not fail. An asteroid did not hit the car.
A sink hole did not open up and swallow kmart.
Sheesh!
I see kids wandering near busy roads everyday while their sanctimonius moms stand on the sidewalk talking on the cell phone.
They "think" they can get to them fast enough if the kid decides to make a run for the road but I would doubt it.
If I had to choose which parent to punish for putting their cjild at risk I would have to vote to put away the women on the cell phone.
Mr/Mrs/Miss naysayer, it took you how many years to figure this out? You would make good detective material. You're right on top of things, it wouldn't take you 12 years to catch a serial rapist! :)
Meritless lawsuits? I'm sorry the judges didn't agree with you. Before hearing the motions to dismiss my alleged "frivolous" lawsuits, the judges should have consulted with you!
discoduck, would anybody really notice if a sinkhole did open up and swallow K-Mart? :)
Back in the old days we would pop the lock on the door (takes about 2 seconds) and make sure the child was OK and the air conditioning was working. We would then notify the desk clerk at K-Mart to summons the owner of the car to the service desk on their PA system. Then the fireworks would begin when the owner showed up. A very stern warning, "don't do this foolishness again, we will take you downtown!"
How much work would have been involved in a cop walking inside and asking K-Mart to get on the intercom and find the owner of the vehicle for them?
But no, law enforcement has to make a mountain out of a mole hill. And as I said above, it's not a thing more than they have done themselves in the past! That's the part that irks me so much!
"But no, law enforcement has to make a mountain out of a mole hill. And as I said above, it’s not a thing more than they have done themselves in the past! That’s the part that irks me so much!"
Doesn't it just depend on the individual cop? Some might have acted as you have suggested, others may have been more outraged. Plus, it was an extremely hot day when this happened, right? That might have pushed the cop involved to take more drastic action.
I hardly think this lady is a very good mother if she could just leave her kid unattended like this in public. I couldn't imagine deciding to leave my child alone in the care, let alone when he was an infant. What else goes on in this family?
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How old was the infant?
Who shops at Kmart?
We are all guilty of unintentional distraction in the care of our children, but this was not such a case. The mother clearly thought about what she was doing and left the AC on. If she had not done this, and it had been a case of forgetting the child was in the car, and the child had died, I would have more sympathy for her and argue against prosecution. This was a clear case of premeditiated negligence and should be treated as such by the court.
For those of you who think the person who turned in Ms. McDonnell is a snitch, have a lot of growing up to do. This is not hop scotch, or dodge ball were playing. This is a child's life were talking about. We have laws in this country. We are a pragmatic society. Our laws are usually based on trial and error. There are laws that say you cannot do this to a child, it is abuse. Why are these laws in effect? Because past experience tells us that children die in these circumstances. That is why we have laws. To protect those that cannot protect themselves. We are suppose to be a civilized society. Let her learn from this.
I'm with Old Timer. I too have seen parents doing far worse and damaging things to their children than to leave them in an air conditioned and locked vehicle while they run into Kmart. I'm not saying I would leave my own baby in a locked air conditioned and locked car...not with the world we live in. BUT, I've seen and heard worse. I've witnessed abusive "mothers" and "fathers" roughly yanking their little kids' arms with their faces all twisted and ugly, getting nose to nose with their kid, threatening them or just berating them in general in this angry, hateful way. The look on the kids' faces said it all. It's like watching a piece of the kid's soul die right in front of you. And if that's how the parent behaves in public, in front of other people, you know how much worse it is behind closed doors. Another time I was strolling through the Irvine Spectrum in SoCal and passed by a 40-ish stone cold reptile woman and her son who was probably about 12 or 13, and I heard reptile woman say in this low, even keeled but sinister voice, "Do you want me to punch you as hard as I can in the face?" I whipped my head around like, WHAT?! Did I just hear what I thought I heard?!?! The look on the kid's face though said it all. He had this frozen, wide eyed look of fear on his face. I didn't know what to do because part of me couldn't believe I just heard that. I slowly turned back around, confused, and walked away.
I have stories, that's just a couple. I once went after a woman in a mall in Connecticut when I was 16 after watching her yank around and scream at her little three year old boy, who, by the look on his face, indicated this wasn't the first time. Security had to get in the middle of that one, but that didn't deter her. She just began ranting and raving at me and security like a mad woman. Can't even imagine what she did to that kid at home if that's how she was in front of security. I've seen child abuse prevention websites that warn about what's going on out there, showing pictures of abused babies and toddlers with horrific injuries, I won't even describe them. There's terrible things going on behind closed doors every day. So much worse than this case. This was poor judgment, but not child abuse by any means. People will disagree, but I think they need to get a basis of comparison.
Agreed gasbag...they don't have to read your posts! They can change the channel!! Let em feed it! It's more entertaining than Survior!!
LOL LOL And we keep feeding him. I think he has the last laugh!