hi,
i just want to know other peoples thoughts on this. I am shocked by the amount of people who feel it is acceptable to leave very young children in a car whilst they do their weekly shop. Now is this just me and it is normal or are there others out there that do not agree with people doing this,i would never leave my girls ever in a car alone,i mean is it even legal, also the other day i was parking the car at a supermarket and this man put his child outside the car in the rain whilst he sat inside smoking !! what the hell is wrong with people
what are your thoughts
jo

There is a Mum at our school who straps both of her children in one of the two front seats of her sporty little car .  I have seen this 3 times now and will be telling our local Bobby next time i see him .
Some people obviously just don't care about their children .

Nothing suprises me these days.

When I was living in NZ it was in the local paper that the police had stopped a vehicle with a couple in it.  They found the dog on the back seat restrained with a car seat harness and the toddler stowed in the foot space in the passenger side between it's mothers legs.  It really doesn't make any kind of sense.

omg that is terrible, why do people do it, i would never do it to my girls or anyone elses,maybe i am too much of a worrier, or i love them too much,i would never leve them for a minute,let alone t least 30mins to do a full shop, i wonder if they would be in trouble if a police man saw,

> also the other day i was parking the car at a supermarket and this man put his child outside the car in the rain whilst he sat inside smoking !!

At least he put the kid outside!

Normal people I would have thought  :(  Although a bit more thought than some, most would spark a burn with the kid still in the car :(

I mean he's you're average joe, ain't that what most folks do?

Afterall it's a kid wearing an all in one suit what harm can it do and anyway if I need a fag I need a fag, and if I don't get a fag when I'm waiting for the Mrs outside this bl***y supermarket I'll get stressed then the kid'll get stressed no what I mean like!

Sorry, but thats how a lot of people think, they don't have your ideas and values and you could beat yourself blue in the face trying to teach them but they don't have the capacity to learn :(  Sadly

>

i still think it is terrible,i just thought how bad it looked and how bad it was, he should have had his fag outside the car and let the kid sit in the warmth i know every one is different and have different ideas and thoughts on children and how to bring them up, but i just could not do it,i am so careful with my girls,maybe a bit over protective sometimes,but i love them  and they fill my life with so much happiness and love,itis most wonderful feeling ever, and i would never do anything that could put them in any danger, be it leave them in a car whilst i do weekly shop, i just think of all the things that could happen and it is not worth it,  its not down to me or right of me to preach, it is just interesting on other peoples ideas on this post and to see if they are different and by how much

Sadly not all have your values on child rearing :(  I wish they did.

A lot are the tee shirt and legging brigade with fag hanging out of their mouths yelling f*****g get here! (At least they are slightly aware of the childs where abouts as it trots towards a road whilst they down a gob ful of white lightening)

Society can be very sad to view, I don't like to look :(

i have seen mothers like that,although not the white lightning bit! i remember one (i assume it was the mother)screaming at her little kid in a shop,next minute there was a massive slap and the kid was crying,it makes you feel sick,either do the shopping or whatever quick or dont take them,another example was, it was snowing(very rare down here)and this woman went into the supermarket in the most gorgeous thick coat with two filthy looking kids in t shirts behind her, i know that my girls can be little Heller's about wearing their coats, but if it aint on they aint going!!i am not overly strict or protective or strung up on discipline but i just want my girls to grow up to be happy healthy respectful people,society is scary,all i can do is my best and hope that a loving family upbringing where they feel able to talk to me without fear of a smack(never ever hit my kids)will do it
jo

> whilst they down a gob ful of white lightening

What is white lightening?

>What is white lightening?

White Lightning is about the cheapest cider you can get, that's very popular with teenagers and alcoholics.

Aaaah!  Lightning!  Not lightening!  Thank you.

I embarrassed my OH at Majestic by overhearing someone complain about the spelling of 'Summer Lightning' beer, suggesting it should have an 'e' in it. I came over all teacher-ish, set her straight, then was dragged from the shop ...

A few years ago I worked in a large supermarket.We got used to the tannoy operator asking for people to return to their cars.In the summertime ,besides dogs being left in cars,One of the man reasons was for babies  & young children left asleep in their childseat in the car with no windows open. Children had woken up and had got into a right state screaming and making themselves even  hotter.The other one was some one who used to come shopping in their BMW convertable and left the young child strapped in with the roof down and then taking their time with the shopping even though their number had been annonced quite a few times.The security guard and female member of staff stood by the car until the mother came back -she could not see what all the fuss was about!

> she could not see what all the fuss was about

Of course not - she had trained them all to babysit while she took her time! 

oh Pinky I am not sure whether to laugh or cry at you description of our society !!

One summers day, while my children where at school, I had a new acquiantance pop in. We sat in the garden having a cool drink chatting. I went in to the house for top ups and became  aware of my neighbours mother rushing up and down the cul de sac in a bit of a state, I went out to see if she was OK. She was in a turmoil. Outside her daughters house was a car with a screaming toddler in it. The child was bright red in the face and her hair plastered to her head.We were trying to decide what to do, the child was in a lot of distress, we didn't know the car! After a minute of two my new acquintance came out the house..It was her car,her child...I was amazed, I was stunned, apparently she did it all the time, outside shops, while she went into the hair dressers, even while she had horse riding lessons.... the children were used to it!!
This was an extremely well educated, professional and quite a mature woman. Our friendship never progressed needless to say. But after that I often saw her car parked with the children locked in side. In the end I contacted Social Sevices.

This was nearly 20 years ago so certainly not a new thing!!

> This was an extremely well educated, professional and quite a mature woman. Our friendship never progressed needless to say. But after that I often saw her car parked with the children locked in side. In the end I contacted Social Sevices.

I agree Bilbobaggins, social circumstance doesn't make poor mums, unfortunately ignorance and arrogance does! I was a poor single mother on a council estate child by the age of 20 (which is still a baby).  I never drank white lightning, nor did i ever leave my children in cars whilst i busied myself doing other things.  I had a lot of friends in the same circumstance,  we all worked and looked after each others children and made ends meet.  We all still keep in touch and we have all educated ourselves and have achieved a great amount with our lives.  I now have 4 children who want for nothing!!! They have a great respect for this world, people animals and are fantasic individuals.  I thank my roots for making me and my family what we are today. 

There are people from all walks of life and social classes who make poor decisions and are poor parents.  

> I had a lot of friends in the same circumstance,  we all worked and looked after each others children and made ends meet.  We all still keep in touch and we have all educated ourselves and have achieved a great amount with our lives.  I now have 4 children who want for nothing!!! They have a great respect for this world, people animals and are fantasic individuals.  I thank my roots for making me and my family what we are today. 
> 

That is fanatastic..

Same here(21) and every day I feel pride in my children and the children of those friends I made then,(and have kept),we all grew up together and share each others sucesses and shared a few tears as well.

I also had the luxury of a OH and a very supportive family. But wasn't it hard being a Mum so young .

Very commen around here im affraid, theirs a guy at my sons old primary school who packs 8 children aged from 5 to 11 years old into an old small Nissan Micra, i was :-O, when i see this then i went to the supermarket srtaight after school and their he was geting out of the car and he left all 8 kids inside while he went inside the shop,
when i came out the kids had the car doors open and were out running around the car , i told them their dad was coming and to get back in their car as its not safe to be running round in the car park, glad to say the listened,
dont know how long they were waiting for dad to come back as i left for home, but i was in the supermarket with my son for a good half hour thats a long time to leave as many kids sitting alone.

> Aaaah! Lightning!  Not lightening

Not only can I not drink it I can't even bloomin spell it  ;) , but I'll bet the tee shirt brigade think it's   'lightening' after all it takes them to another place  i.e. pissdom :( whilst in charge of children