I must rant because I held in my anger earlier

Gabrielm80

I went to the gym earlier, but forgot my shorts. Which wasn't a big deal because I barely fit in my XXL gym shorts anymore. Perfect excuse to leave head down a block to a sporting goods store and buy a pair that doesn't feel like its about to fall off. As I was leavin two cute kids in their car waved and said hi to me. I didn't think anything of it. Went to the store bought the shorts came back. Took 20 minutes give or take. Running back in passing same car and I hear, "hi" in a little voice again. It was than I noticed these kids where waiting in the car as their parent worked out. The AC wasn't running, but the windows were down. Now this is Texas and cars here get hot real fast. So hot people for fun have baked cookies on their dash boards. And these kids were young. One looked younger than my 3 year old the other seemed to be 4 maybe 5. Texas has laws about leaving children in the car unattended due to the fact we have children baked to death every year. When I see these deaths on the news I always wonder how does that happen. Haven't everyone in town seen atleast one news story of a toddler dying in the car due to over heating? The funny thing is the gym has free child care, yes free. I usually mind my own business but I reported this to the gym and suddenly every manager present stormed the parking lot to care for the kids. Once they were on it I minded my own business and didn't call the cops myself. I did notice the children happily playing with my daughter in the day care when I picked up my youngest so atleast the kids were no longer left in the car. I am hoping that this was a wake up call. I was so close to calling the police I am still shaking at 4 am stressing over it.

PlayerHatinDogooder

Some people just shouldn't have kids . . .

Still sounds like you did the right thing.

jfauci

You definitely did the right thing!! I would have called the police too. Some people are too dumb for words.

Gabrielm80

I have gotten people in trouble before over moral issues and have always felt guilty afterwords. Like catching an old lady stealing soup when I worked as a food stocker. I really hate to be the reason someone's life gets flipped upside down even when it was their fault but I lack a shred of guilt over this. I think even if I did call the police I wouldn't of thought twice afterwords. I know I was right, one of the few certainties in my life.

SkimFlatWhite68

You absolutely did the right thing! That is disgraceful parenting and the parent should be charged.

hhayes06

You absolutely did the right thing and next time (because there will be a next time) don't hesitate to call the police yourself. I think all states have laws against leaving young children in cars by themselves, endangering a child and all. I have been working when we have been called out to a gym where a woman had accidently locked her 1 and 3 year old in her car and we broke a window ( I work dispatch for a police department). In this case the mom called us herself but we get calls more often than I like about kids in cars outside grocery stores. It's a sad thing in this day when people will purposely leave thier young children alone in a car out of convienence for themselves. :explode:

Alta2000

You did the right thing. You would have felt worse if something had happened to the children and you have not done anything. Personally I would have called the police. A visit by child services would have really shaken the parent to start thinking about his/her children's needs, because if they have done it for the gym they must have done similar actions elsewhere.

mockchoc

You have to do that. Thank you, they could be dead now! :flowerforyou:

SusanaLdn

I have gotten people in trouble before over moral issues and have always felt guilty afterwords. Like catching an old lady stealing soup when I worked as a food stocker. I really hate to be the reason someone's life gets flipped upside down even when it was their fault but I lack a shred of guilt over this. I think even if I did call the police I wouldn't of thought twice afterwords. I know I was right, one of the few certainties in my life.

I would never tell on an old lady stealing canned soup, people go through terrible difficulties. Maybe if she was stealing whisky I'd let her know I had seen it and asked her directly to put it back. Now in this particular case, I think you did the only thing these was to do. Calling the police would probably mean the kids could be taken into custody which, lets be reasonable, would be psychologically worse for the kids than being left in a car with the windows down. I think you did the right thing.

LeanneGoingThin

I have gotten people in trouble before over moral issues and have always felt guilty afterwords. Like catching an old lady stealing soup when I worked as a food stocker. I really hate to be the reason someone's life gets flipped upside down even when it was their fault but I lack a shred of guilt over this. I think even if I did call the police I wouldn't of thought twice afterwords. I know I was right, one of the few certainties in my life.

I would never tell on an old lady stealing canned soup, people go through terrible difficulties. Maybe if she was stealing whisky I'd let her know I had seen it and asked her directly to put it back. Now in this particular case, I think you did the only thing these was to do. Calling the police would probably mean the kids could be taken into custody which, lets be reasonable, would be psychologically worse for the kids than being left in a car with the windows down. I think you did the right thing.

I doubt the kids would be taken into custody. They might monitor the parents though.

Microfiber

I have gotten people in trouble before over moral issues and have always felt guilty afterwords. Like catching an old lady stealing soup when I worked as a food stocker.

Near Christmas, I saw a man stuff a frozen turkey down his t-shirt. I didn't report him as wondered if he had a family to feed. Nicking a tin of soup is not the same as leaving kids locked in a car.

Sandytoes71

Not only could they die from the heat, they could get abducted or get out of the car and get hurt etc... Good job not letting it go. I'm feeling alittle sad about the soup bandit though.

SusanaLdn

I have gotten people in trouble before over moral issues and have always felt guilty afterwords. Like catching an old lady stealing soup when I worked as a food stocker.

Near Christmas, I saw a man stuff a frozen turkey down his t-shirt. I didn't report him as wondered if he had a family to feed. Nicking a tin of soup is not the same as leaving kids locked in a car.

Yep :flowerforyou:

Oishii

You definitely did the right thing.

I hope the parent responsible is getting some help too. I can't imagine what would make someone put their fitness above the safety of their own children, especially when there was free childcare available, but it doesn't sound like what a mentally stable individual would do.

kelly101386

Absolutely appalling!! Thank God you noticed and did something about it by alerting the management!

roxylola

Why would anyone do that especially with free child care.

You might feel a little guilt for ratting on the parent but that is nothing compared to what you would feel if you had come out from your workout and found paramedics trying to resuscitate the kids.

Kreider86

I work in an childsupport office.. and SO many people should just be sterilized. Thank you for getting those kids out of the heat. :flowerforyou:

mizzie1980

Not only could they die from the heat, they could get abducted or get out of the car and get hurt etc...

That's what I was thinking! The OP said the windows were down, so the kids probably wouldn't have died from the heat, but if the windows were down, even a crack, someone could easily get in there and kidnap them.

OP, you did the right thing, for sure! Here's hoping the parents get at least a wake up call from this.

SDkitty

When I was younger I worked a home depot as a cashier and someone who was in the store for a long time buying remodeling supplies had left a toddler in the car seat in the car in the summer in San Diego, I told my manager who consequently called the cops when the person didn't come to the front of the store when called over the intercom. They ended up breaking into the car to get the kid out. And THEN the person came out eyes blazing. Frelling people. UGh.

crista_b

The parent in that situation disgusts me! :explode: I know that people don't really have room to comment on another's parenting style/choices in a lot of situations, but this is not one. That is a bad parent.

I'm glad you did something, and I'm especially glad that the gym managers took care of it right away. Sometimes you report something to managers, and they seem to kind of wave it off because it's "not their responsibility". Good on you and the managers here! You probably just saved some young lives. :flowerforyou:

yanniejannie

I would have called the police............there is NO excuse or justification for leaving those kids in the car and the parent richly deserved a trip through the justice system........more than likely the kids would have been placed with a relative, but even if they entered the foster care emergency placement system, is there ANY question in your mind that they would not have been better off? Death by heat exhaustion/dehydration ain't pretty.

Melissa11412

I had a similar situation happen last summer but it was with an animal....a dog to be exact. I was walking back from lunch and noticed that a co-worker was pouring water through a cracked window of a car. A pit bull was lapping up the water up by the window. The animal was locked in, windows open about 2 inches on both sides, and it was in the middle of July. In Houston. The temperature index can easily reach 107 or more (high temp and high humidity).

I work with law enforcement and went and told an officer but they said they couldn't do anything about it. Ugh. One officer would not approach because the dog was a pit bull. I waited for the officer to leave then forced the passenger window down, unlocked the vehicle and the dog bounded out. That dog was in there at least 30 minutes and the look on her face was so grateful, I will never forget it. I saw a leash on the floor on the passenger side, grabbed it and leashed the animal, then waited in the shade for the car owner to show.

Needless to say, about 99.99% of my language was peppered with ^*%^^(&!%%**^& because I was so ANGRY that this happened. Why not leave the animal at home, even outside in the yard...give the animal the chance to seek shade and not FORCE the animal to endure unbearable temps locked up in a car????!!

:explode:

affacat

while i agree with getting them into the daycare, i do NOT agree with some posters suggesting getting the cops involved.

Inviting Child Protective Services into any parents life can be life ruining. It is a drastic, terrible measure that has torn many good families apart. If the problem can be rectified in any other way (such as just getting those kids into the day care and informing the parent that the daycare is there) then that is a million times better.

Seriously, avoid sic'ing the CPS on anyone unless the circumstances are so extreme there is absolutely no other option.

MzManiak

I would have called the police. This probably wasn't an isolated incident and, in my opinion, having CPS involved would have been the real wake-up call. Good on you for stepping up!

affacat

I would have called the police............there is NO excuse or justification for leaving those kids in the car and the parent richly deserved a trip through the justice system........more than likely the kids would have been placed with a relative, but even if they entered the foster care emergency placement system, is there ANY question in your mind that they would not have been better off? Death by heat exhaustion/dehydration ain't pretty.

" but even if they entered the foster care emergency placement system, is there ANY question in your mind that they would not have been better off? "

YES. This was a single incident w/o real context. Yes, it was a serious incident, but there are plenty of other solutions that don't involve getting kids thrown into the foster care system. Informing the parent of the free daycare (and the implied shaming) will hopefully be a wake up call for them. Ripping their kids away from them and putting them into the system over one incident where we have little context is simply over the top. I am not defending the parent's actions, simply warning against taking children away from their parents over a single incident.

i have known good parents that got CPS unfairly called on them, and it's... an absolute nightmare. 1000x worse than you can imagine. it is NOT a 'wake up call', it's a nightmare scenario that can ruin lives, where you're guilty by default and at risk of losing your kids in a heartbeat. yes, some kids do need to go to foster homes. but again, it should be the absolute last option.

Gabrielm80

Not only could they die from the heat, they could get abducted or get out of the car and get hurt etc... Good job not letting it go. I'm feeling alittle sad about the soup bandit though.

About the soup bandir m. Well target the company I worked for didn't press charges. They did ban her from the store but the store manager bought her a bag of grocery. Target has a really huge camera system. I didn't have a choice. I just had to follow protocol. The security was aware before I approached her. Bottom line is you can't cherry pick who you catch for shop lifting and who you ignore I could of lost my job if I did that, but that also doesn't protect you from feeling guilty from time to time when you feel bad for them.

RoseTears143

That makes me mad too. I see stories like this on the news here in VA. It's not even summer yet and I've already heard of 3 stories of kids being left in cars and dying already. I don't have kids, but when I see kids or dogs left in cars with the window barely cracked and it's hot out.. I get ticked off really quick too. WTG for saying something and not turning a blind eye like a lot of people would do so they "don't get involved". Those little ones could have ended up in the hospital with life-long brain damage or even dead.

terlyn20

You chose a good option to the problem. But, i would have not had any qualms about calling the police. This is child endangerment; its illegal and the guilty party should be arrested, charged and stand before a judge. CFS should be involved, this person needs to know people are watching them and that they have to be accountable to a higher authority since they did not exerecise good judgement and provide rudimentary care for their kids. I'm disqusted!

Gabrielm80

while i agree with getting them into the daycare, i do NOT agree with some posters suggesting getting the cops involved.

Inviting Child Protective Services into any parents life can be life ruining. It is a drastic, terrible measure that has torn many good families apart. If the problem can be rectified in any other way (such as just getting those kids into the day care and informing the parent that the daycare is there) then that is a million times better.

Seriously, avoid sic'ing the CPS on anyone unless the circumstances are so extreme there is absolutely no other option.

It's so hard to say. Kids die every summer from leaving them in the car. I am sure the parents love them very much. I have no idea what was wrong that day. Hopefully the due to the disabled vet plate I saw on the car it could mean since military the person hasn't lived in San Antonio long and is originally from a state far north where heat isn't as much as a danger. That said why there still is an abduction risk. And so I hope the parent listened to the gym personal when they talked to her

1ConcreteGirl

while i agree with getting them into the daycare, i do NOT agree with some posters suggesting getting the cops involved.

Inviting Child Protective Services into any parents life can be life ruining. It is a drastic, terrible measure that has torn many good families apart. If the problem can be rectified in any other way (such as just getting those kids into the day care and informing the parent that the daycare is there) then that is a million times better.

Seriously, avoid sic'ing the CPS on anyone unless the circumstances are so extreme there is absolutely no other option.

Seriously? that crazy Octomom gets CPS called on her wreck of a home regularly and they can't even take her kids away.

Mainebikerchick

This is EXACTLY why you should have to pass a test to be a parent. FAIL and you get sterilized. Future issues now averted.