Anonymous wrote:I'm sure it's a misunderstanding. The parents seem like outstanding, highly educated professionals. There must be a simple explanation. Maybe they expected to take their kids into the wine tasting and were told they couldnt. So what do do? Maybe one parent checked on them every few minutes and kids were probably asleep.

And you are basing this judge of their character on what exactly? The fact that they have advanced degrees? So therefore they have "outstanding" character?
Are you related to the couple? Or perhaps you are the couple?
Nothing else explains anyone defending this insane behavior.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a single mom who is with her kids waiting for the bus in 20 degree cold with her kid? And the bus doesn't come for half an hour? And then getting off the bus and having to walk 20 mins home to their apartment in the freezing cold? The kids in question were in a locked car.

Uh, what?

It's just that everyone's saying the poor kids were cold, so cold, so freezing, frigidly cold. Children are exposed to the elements all the time. These kids were sitting in a car.

Anonymous wrote:What about a single mom who is with her kids waiting for the bus in 20 degree cold with her kid? And the bus doesn't come for half an hour? And then getting off the bus and having to walk 20 mins home to their apartment in the freezing cold? The kids in question were in a locked car.

Single moms are not idiots. Like most moms, they will try to find a bus stop that is near some sort of building you can walk into when it's that cold, if they are with the kid.

Anonymous wrote:What about a single mom who is with her kids waiting for the bus in 20 degree cold with her kid? And the bus doesn't come for half an hour? And then getting off the bus and having to walk 20 mins home to their apartment in the freezing cold? The kids in question were in a locked car.

Uh, what?

Anonymous wrote:What about a single mom who is with her kids waiting for the bus in 20 degree cold with her kid? And the bus doesn't come for half an hour? And then getting off the bus and having to walk 20 mins home to their apartment in the freezing cold? The kids in question were in a locked car.

Hon, that's any parent who takes the bus, not just a single mom.

And the difference, of course (since you're an idiot and seem to need it to be pointed out) is that in your scenario, the child is supervised at all times by the parent and can have immediate help if need be, which of course these kids (abandoned in their car) could not.

What about a single mom who is with her kids waiting for the bus in 20 degree cold with her kid? And the bus doesn't come for half an hour? And then getting off the bus and having to walk 20 mins home to their apartment in the freezing cold? The kids in question were in a locked car.

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure it's a misunderstanding. The parents seem like outstanding, highly educated professionals. There must be a simple explanation. Maybe they expected to take their kids into the wine tasting and were told they couldnt. So what do do? Maybe one parent checked on them every few minutes and kids were probably asleep.

Why would it be acceptable for the parents to "check on the kids every few minutes"? In between checks what would the kids be left doing? Freezing and without supervision? These are babies. And if they were sleeping, why would that matter? You don't do this. The fact that they were highly educated and it's a misunderstanding makes it worse in my opinion, not better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I'm an empathetic person and usually feel bad for people who have made mistakes but I just don't see any excuse here.

Emergency they had to attend to? Nope, wine tasting
Poor and can't afford a sitter? Nope, rich.
Young? Nope, 40s.
First time parents? Nope, 2 kids.
Single parent with no help? Nope, both parents there.
Mild weather that night? Nope, cold.
Dumb? Nope, advanced degrees and good jobs.
Quick trip into store? Nope, hour+

I just don't understand!

THIS THIS THIS.

PP, you summed this up brilliantly.

A wine tasting at Ris is not an emergency.

Also, cars gets cold really fast. i sometimes have to wait 20 min for my DD to pick her up and I leave the car on, b/c even with my coats, I am very chilly in 20 min. So, stop pooh-poohing the cold.

Agree 100%
I hope they did a drug test upon arrest.

That must have been one spectacular wine to risk the custody of your children (sarcasm)

I cannot believe the people that are bending over backwards to find excuses for this well off couple. Ridiculous.

And the ones saying all's well that ends well - it ended because THE POLICE came. There's no "nothing bad happened here" story to tell.

On the other hand, I really hate in situations like this that the mother tends to get a disproportionate share of the blame. I tend to interpret these things as the mother holding her family together, dad is asshole who wants to be able to do things he used to do and bullies mom into going along with his demands. But that's my bias. (and of course a professional woman in her 40s should not be bullied into child neglect by her husband).

But all in all - those poor kids. Those stupid, stupid parents.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I'm an empathetic person and usually feel bad for people who have made mistakes but I just don't see any excuse here.

Emergency they had to attend to? Nope, wine tasting
Poor and can't afford a sitter? Nope, rich.
Young? Nope, 40s.
First time parents? Nope, 2 kids.
Single parent with no help? Nope, both parents there.
Mild weather that night? Nope, cold.
Dumb? Nope, advanced degrees and good jobs.
Quick trip into store? Nope, hour+

I just don't understand!

THIS THIS THIS.

PP, you summed this up brilliantly.

A wine tasting at Ris is not an emergency.

Also, cars gets cold really fast. i sometimes have to wait 20 min for my DD to pick her up and I leave the car on, b/c even with my coats, I am very chilly in 20 min. So, stop pooh-poohing the cold.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how they tracked down the parents at Ris.

One of the parents came out to check on the kids while the police were at the car?

I am so disturbed by this story. What would possess two people who should know much better to do this?? One parent stays home with the kids. Or you get a babysitter. Or you make your own fun wine tasting at home. Or you go to a wine bar/restaurant and take the kids in with you. Or you just say "too bad it didn't work out for this weekend, we'll plan ahead for the next one." So many other things they could have done. I cannot imagine leaving my 2 yr old alone in the car ever, let alone on a freezing cold day. What effing selfish idiots.

http://wtop.com/news/2015/01/parents-leave-kids-car-wine-tasting/

According to this, the police went into Ris to arrest them. Crazy, crazy. Saturday afternoon was really cold!

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how they tracked down the parents at Ris.

One of the parents came out to check on the kids while the police were at the car?

I am so disturbed by this story. What would possess two people who should know much better to do this?? One parent stays home with the kids. Or you get a babysitter. Or you make your own fun wine tasting at home. Or you go to a wine bar/restaurant and take the kids in with you. Or you just say "too bad it didn't work out for this weekend, we'll plan ahead for the next one." So many other things they could have done. I cannot imagine leaving my 2 yr old alone in the car ever, let alone on a freezing cold day. What effing selfish idiots.

Anonymous wrote:

I'm sure it's a misunderstanding. The parents seem like outstanding, highly educated professionals. There must be a simple explanation. Maybe they expected to take their kids into the wine tasting and were told they couldnt. So what do do? Maybe one parent checked on them every few minutes and kids were probably asleep.


I guess they are so busy with their prestigious careers and wine tastings that they don't keep up with news stories about other parents being thrown in jail for similar incidents???

I'm guessing that this is the case as well-- thought they could bring their kids in, and then found out they couldn't. I disagree with the misunderstanding part, because when they found out kids wouldn't be allowed to come in, they should have gone back home. Leaving two little kids in the car is inexcusable.

I think if they "thought they could bring kids, then found out they couldn't" we would have heard of this by now. One of the restaurant employees or another patron would have come out saying "Yeah, all 4 of them walked in here and then were told it was adults only--so when they came back a few minutes later without the kids we assumed they had a friend pick them up."

Anonymous wrote:Americans are so uptight.

said the gypsy.

Anonymous wrote:Americans are so uptight.

pfffffft staahhhp