Irresponsible Parents...VENT

[JulieBaby]

Sorry but I just have to get this off my chest. I cant believe people are so friggin irresponsibl with their children, and knowingly risk their lives. My main gripe is carseat safety. They brush off carseats saying 'Oh carseats are for cops' or 'Were just going down the street'

Just yesterday I saw this woman shoping with a precious baby girl in a sling. So she gets in the van, straps her older child in (the carseat has no cover) and the lady she is with gets in the drivers side. The woman with th baby gets in the van, with the baby still in the sling.

I couldnt help staring in shock, and I guess the mom noticed because she started to stare back so I pointed to the sling and said 'Thats not a carseat you know' She just shrugged her shoulders and said 'Oh were just going down the street'

Then, just this morning moms SIL asks if I can give her two kids a ride from preschool to her house. I told her I couldnt because I had to pick up my DS and my little brother, and only 3 seats fit in my car. So she tells me 'Thats fine, just put one of the kids in the front, nothing will happen to them on the way andbesids, carseats are for cops''

When I said no she got all angry and walked away. I just saw her a few minutes ago and she didnt even look my way. WTF?

I hate when people are so irresponsible and expect me to applaud them or do the same thing. I hate when people look at me like I am weird because I insist my kids be strapped in. THEY are the weirdos who are knowingly putting their childs lives at risk!

[Teresa64]

Yep...people are stupid.n

Yesterday my MIL wanted to hold ds2 when they took the boys to school...in the car.

No what really happend was my MIL was taking the boys to the STORE....and wanted to hold the baby the whole way.

I think I am loosing it.

[jessiehannan]

It drives me nuts too. MY Dh's exboss' grandson would have his under a year old daughter running around the truck, and his wife would let him.

[colleen0419]

Sorry but I just have to get this off my chest. I cant believe people are so friggin irresponsibl with their children, and knowingly risk their lives. My main gripe is carseat safety. They brush off carseats saying 'Oh carseats are for cops' or 'Were just going down the street'

Just yesterday I saw this woman shoping with a precious baby girl in a sling. So she gets in the van, straps her older child in (the carseat has no cover) and the lady she is with gets in the drivers side. The woman with th baby gets in the van, with the baby still in the sling.

I couldnt help staring in shock, and I guess the mom noticed because she started to stare back so I pointed to the sling and said 'Thats not a carseat you know' She just shrugged her shoulders and said 'Oh were just going down the street'

Then, just this morning moms SIL asks if I can give her two kids a ride from preschool to her house. I told her I couldnt because I had to pick up my DS and my little brother, and only 3 seats fit in my car. So she tells me 'Thats fine, just put one of the kids in the front, nothing will happen to them on the way andbesids, carseats are for cops''

When I said no she got all angry and walked away. I just saw her a few minutes ago and she didnt even look my way. WTF?

I hate when people are so irresponsible and expect me to applaud them or do the same thing. I hate when people look at me like I am weird because I insist my kids be strapped in. THEY are the weirdos who are knowingly putting their childs lives at risk!


Okay, I don't even know what to say to this other than, I've been there. I know countless people with good intentions whose children are improperly restrained. I've also called the police when I was driving once on a station wagon with mulitple children unrestrained and jumping around the car. I have seen way to many MVA's. The children are the victims here.

[WalkingTittyBar]

I hate the "it wont happen to me" attitude regarding carseats and seatbelts. Some people are just plain stupid and naive.

[Earthmama]

I saw a child sitting on the passenger's lap in a car the other day. I was soooo mad. I thought about getting my spare car seat & leaving it on top of their car - but I couldn't tell for sure which car it was.

I ended up selling our spare car seat today to a family for $5. They were SO grateful. They paid me in 3 ones and 8 quarters. I could tell they were afraid of how much they'd have to spend now that their son was outgrowing his carrier seat.

I also got a woman's e-mail address for sending her the youtube video about why children should rear-face until 2. She babysits for a little girl who is 11 mos old & was talking about turning her forward facing, but was completely eager & willing to know about the latest findings on the safety of that transition.

[colleen0419]

I saw a child sitting on the passenger's lap in a car the other day. I was soooo mad. I thought about getting my spare car seat & leaving it on top of their car - but I couldn't tell for sure which car it was.

I ended up selling our spare car seat today to a family for $5. They were SO grateful. They paid me in 3 ones and 8 quarters. I could tell they were afraid of how much they'd have to spend now that their son was outgrowing his carrier seat.

I also got a woman's e-mail address for sending her the youtube video about why children should rear-face until 2. She babysits for a little girl who is 11 mos old & was talking about turning her forward facing, but was completely eager & willing to know about the latest findings on the safety of that transition.


Good for you, EM! Funny enough, I just showed a girl I work with that video. She was wanting to turn her LO BEFORE age one b/c "her legs are getting squished"

[Sunnie]

Never go to southern Italy. No one uses carseats here. I swear I have a permanent twitch whenever I go off base.

[Sputterduck]

Never go to southern Italy. No one uses carseats here. I swear I have a permanent twitch whenever I go off base.


You're in Italy?? OMG what's it like living there???

[Sunnie]

You just realized that? LOL I've been here over a year.

It's nice, when I get away from Naples. We spent a week in Rome this summer and I just fell in love with Rome. I'm dying to go back. It's just a fantastic city.

[Sunnie]

dude, my av sputter. it's me and my two older kids standing in front of the Coliseum. ROFL

[colleen0419]

You just realized that? LOL I've been here over a year.

It's nice, when I get away from Naples. We spent a week in Rome this summer and I just fell in love with Rome. I'm dying to go back. It's just a fantastic city.


We are cruising the medditeranian next summer

Barcelona
Naples
Capri
Rome
Forence
Nice
Marseilles

Any advice?

[Sputterduck]

I'm so jealous :p

[Sunnie]

You're gonna be in Naples? Meet me? LOL

Rome? if you want the best meal of your life, there's a beautiful resturant across the street from the Catacombs Di San Sabisitino called Ritorante Cecilia Matella. Best meal of my life. Seriously.

[colleen0419]

I'm so jealous :p

It's been planned for a long time.....got derailed a little bit with DD being born, but that was totally worth it of course. There are 8 of us total. My sister has DD for the week, I refuse to leave her longer than 7 days. I will be working lots of OT before trip for sure!

[colleen0419]

You're gonna be in Naples? Meet me? LOL

Rome? if you want the best meal of your life, there's a beautiful resturant across the street from the Catacombs Di San Sabisitino called Ritorante Cecilia Matella. Best meal of my life. Seriously.

I was hoping you would say something like that :hugegrin:

Thanks! Any other great ideas send them my way, I have a little while to go and lots of planning to do!

[Sunnie]

A week? That's not going to be enough time. Not nearly enough. A week just in Rome wasn't even enough time.

[colleen0419]

A week? That's not going to be enough time. Not nearly enough. A week just in Rome wasn't even enough time.


ITA, but I didn't want to leave DD that long. Also, I would have been happy NOT doing a cruise and just going to a few countries, but my parents are going with us and really pushed for the cruise. They are 69/70 so I want to spend as much time as I can with them while they are still able to travel. We were originally going to do the Greek Isles but they are mostly 10 day cruises. Oh, I should mention the reason my parents are so insistant on the cruise is b/c last year we cruised Alaska and had a marvolous time. I def. want to visit Italy when DD and any other potential children are a little older so they can appreciate it.

[Sunnie]

I'd bring her with you and go longer. I have a one yr old and we take him everywhere. Italians love babies.

[colleen0419]

I'd bring her with you and go longer. I have a one yr old and we take him everywhere. Italians love babies.


Something to consider.......

[GirlsMama]

A few days ago at the commissary I saw a little boy in an infant carrier in the shopping cart, his head was halfway past the top of the seat. I said, "Hi there little guy, you sure are big enough for a new carseat aren't you, you're so cute" the dad made some comment about how he was getting big and i said "Yeah, they grow fast, and when their head is 2 inches from the top you just know they have to get the bigger seat"

A few days before that I saw a lady with the infant carseat almost vertical in the seat of a shopping cart, i said, "Hi, you know how that seat has to be at a 45 degree angle in the car, well, it needs to be in the shopping cart too so it doesn't cut off her air" the lady was like, ok, thanks and changed it.

I feel like an ass but I usually can't stop myself from saying things to people... I should take the class and get certified so I can at least show them a card or something. I sometimes don't say anything because I feel too annoying or the people look like they may punch me.

Sunnie, is the typo in your sig line part of the quote?

[Sunnie]

no. I just now realized I have two "is"

Sigh

[GirlsMama]

Lol.

[Meredith]

Never go to southern Italy. No one uses carseats here. I swear I have a permanent twitch whenever I go off base.

That's what I was going to say. I've never been overseas before, but at my babywearing group, we had a discussion about babywearing and traveling. We talked about carseats and car safety in other countries. In one country we discussed (I think maybe China? I can't remember), they don't usually have seatbelts in the cars, even.

[MissionaryMomma]

Never go to southern Italy. No one uses carseats here. I swear I have a permanent twitch whenever I go off base.


Here and in Romania, too.

[Babyblue]

just yesterday while dh and I were out, we say 4 little kids walking home from school, two maybe 6-7 year olds with two 5-6 year olds, they split up at the intersection.

I was shocked that parents would let their very very young dds walk home let alone and cross such a busy street that grown adults have gotten killed crossing recently.

[jessiehannan]

A week? That's not going to be enough time. Not nearly enough. A week just in Rome wasn't even enough time.

I have to agree, a week isn't enough. My sister was there for four and a half years, and didn't get to see everything. :) The shopping is fun too. I still have the handcrafted stationary with gold leaf that my sis sent me for my 16th birthday. I have been saving it for something special. :)

[chickabiddy]

A few days ago at the commissary I saw a little boy in an infant carrier in the shopping cart, his head was halfway past the top of the seat. I said, "Hi there little guy, you sure are big enough for a new carseat aren't you, you're so cute" the dad made some comment about how he was getting big and i said "Yeah, they grow fast, and when their head is 2 inches from the top you just know they have to get the bigger seat".

One inch.

A few days before that I saw a lady with the infant carseat almost vertical in the seat of a shopping cart, i said, "Hi, you know how that seat has to be at a 45 degree angle in the car, well, it needs to be in the shopping cart too so it doesn't cut off her air" the lady was like, ok, thanks and changed it.

Carseats shouldn't be in shopping carts at all, but non-newborns don't have to be at a 45-degree angle.

[3girls2luv]

I have always been a "car seat nerd". That is why I had to become a CPST (I was valaditorian of my class might I add;)). Anyway it just drives me crazy to see parents/adults be so laid back about car seat safety. I can not emphasize it enough in my child birth classes how forward facing is not a stepping stone for your one yr. old. I tell them that I am not looking forward to the day I have to front face my toddler. Heck after seeing the Youtube video, I wanted to rear face my teen and pre-teen dds.

[blessedbythree]

My in-laws had my two boys for the night a couple weeks ago and we always put the car seats in their cars for them. Well my oldest is in a high back booster and they can obviously transfer that one from car to car without an issue (I thought). They live about 35 mins away, most of which is freeway driving. When my FIL show up with the kids my husband goes out to get the seats. Anyway my FIL says "I put DS#1 in the front, he said it was okay." I'm like no it's not okay he needs to be only in the back. I explained why although I'm not sure if he really got it. Then my dh says "What are you thinking taking the word of a 6 yr old anyway"? I think my FIL felt a little embarrassed then and we got our point across. I'm just so grateful nothing happened on that drive and I found out before it happened again.

[Bumpy]

I think the problem with the parents and inlaws is that they are used the laws from way back when, and don't totally know why the laws are in effect or why it is so important. I have just learned to let my mom know what they can or can't do with the carseats before hand, and what the consequences can be if you get caught. This one mom was not allowed to live with her children for a few months because of endangerment to her children. There were previous problems with the family, but still do you want to risk it.

Also my mil was in an accident with her daughter when 28 years ago when carseats were not required and they still had one anyway. She had taken out her baby to nurse and was just putting her back into the carseat(in the front seat, lol, how the laws have changed) and they got hit by a truck. She was slammed against the dash board. If her baby was there, she would have never made it, NEVER. My mil was okay, (broken ribs and some severe bruising) forutunatly.

And on a funny note, the law here says that you have to be in a booster seat until you are 4'9". My mom is 4'11". She would have been in a booster seat until she was like 15.

[3girls2luv]

My parents hit a bull while my mom was holding me in the front seat and my bro who was 18mos was sleeping in the back of the station wagon. The bull spun on the hood of the car before it fell off. This was in the 70s when car seats were not required by law.

[Ilovemonkeys]

My parents were in a car wreck while my mom was holding me on her lap, in the front seat, I think I was 3 or 4. I don't know how she was able to hold onto me, but she did and I wasn't hurt.

The windshield cracked and they never figured out if it was my skull that cracked it, my mom says I flew up, but I wasn't injured.

They still didn't put me in a carseat, or even a seatbelt, but that was the last time I was allowed to ride in my mom's lap.

My aunt was an early 80's carseat freak and had my cousin in her carseat until she was 4 so she was always on my dad's ass to put me in a carseat and she taught me to always wear my seat belt.

[3girls2luv]

People always say "hell I never was in a car seat as a child and I survived". Not all children did and it is now the number one killer of chilren 0-14yrs. Hell my mom smoked when she was pregnant with me but that does not mean its ok since I am fine. Well I have asthma and had a lot URI's as a baby but I lived.

[Babyblue]

my mil is always goign on about how with their oldest dd they drove all over with the newborn sleeping on the floor in the back seat.

this is the same women that let dh and his two older brothers have free range to guns-every boy had a 22 at least, explosives-they blew up a lot of pumkins and other random things, vehicals-every boy was allowed free range of cars, trucks, tractors and back hoes, and nasty farm animals- really who wants to see how long you can ride a pissed off boar? all while the oldest boy was not yet 15 and ds was 7 or so.

[Ilovemonkeys]

and I wasn't saying "I wasn't in a carseat and I survived!" I was saying that i'm lucky to be alive and that lucky that I wasn't seriously injured.

[xobehs]

Never go to southern Italy. No one uses carseats here. I swear I have a permanent twitch whenever I go off base.

That must be painful. Holy carp, you see that shit about all the damned time!

[leosmommy]

You just realized that? LOL I've been here over a year.

It's nice, when I get away from Naples. We spent a week in Rome this summer and I just fell in love with Rome. I'm dying to go back. It's just a fantastic city.


My co-worker just got back from 3 weeks in Italy, we saw gorgeous pics of Portofino (spl?) I was jealous!

[jessiehannan]

I got lucky with my mom. She is a car seat enforcer, after she rear ended some one, and the accident blacked both of my sister's eyes when she was 2. But, they didn't require car seats then.

[3girls2luv]

and I wasn't saying "I wasn't in a carseat and I survived!" I was saying that i'm lucky to be alive and that lucky that I wasn't seriously injured.


Oh of course, I was one of the luck ones too thats why I was saying that. Others feel that since they survived their DCs will too. This is the excuse people use for not buckling them up.