The age old Mommy Dilemna

To leave…or not to leave your small children in a car while you ‘run in’ somewhere…..

It is, by far, my biggest, baddest ‘mommy temptation’…and by that I mean, the thing I want to do oh-so-very-badly, but just can’t seem to do it.  How many times have you made it to the parking lot of the grocery store…and even put the kids in their carseats…just in time to remember you forgot milk?

What type of loser-mommy forgets MILK when they have 2 small children?

Yep, me.  Raising my hand right over here.

And it always crosses my mind that I could just ‘run in’.  But I can’t do it.  Definitely not anywhere that I wouldn’t have a full visual of my car THE ENTIRE TIME.

I have, however, jumped out to put a movie in the Blockbuster slot (car off) and walk 2 full feet to hand the dry cleaning lady my clothes. 

Today, I was at the post office with Coop.  I was number 69….there was one teller open, and they were on 64.  I was struggling to keep Coop entertained when I see a man walk in the door and start motioning outside while talking to another lady.  I don’t know what he says to her, but I can see her starting to get panciky. 

She walks up and asks if she can go ahead of me because she has left her twins in the car…with the air conditioner on and the car locked…so, she says, ‘they are fine’, but the man’s comments (about the audacity of someone leaving babies in a car outside) have gotten her riled up.

I let her go.  I know it is hard.  I don’t even have twin babies. But….oh..it makes me nervous.

Here’s why:  When I was a news reporter years ago…there was a story out of Kansas City, MO.  A woman left her 3 year old son in a running car to ‘run in’ and pay for her gas.  Her car was carjacked.  Her frightened son managed to get himself out of his carseat and get the door open, but he got tangled in the seat belt on his way out of the car and was dragged to death as the car jacker tried to get away.

This is the story that comes to mind every time I want to ‘run in’.  It reminds me that my ‘inconvenience’ is little compared to my child’s safety.