Anonymous
Post 02/04/2015 08:02     Subject: Re:DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Anonymous wrote:I had my car window punched out in NW for an iPhone on the seat. No kids though.

These a-holes leave their kids plus their phone??


+1. Maybe because I come from a country with high crime rates, I would never in a million years excuse these parents' behavior. Apart from the cold factor, I cannot fathom how one could leave little kids (babies really) unattended and risk someone breaking into the car, harming them, stealing the car with the kids inside or kidnapping them. It's just unthinkable how not one, but two individuals came to the conclusion that this was somehow acceptable.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2015 07:44     Subject: Re:DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:did you really just compare this to bev hills 90210??


No -- not this; I compared the hedge fund families in Greenwich leaving their kids with nannies 24-7 to 90210. Dylan was a grown ass man, these kids are 2 and 3 strapped in a car. WTH - read closer next time.


OP with the CT hedge fund story, I LOVED that you referenced Dylan McKay. I totally know people like that as well. We had a neighbor from South America who couldn't understand why my mother was sending my sister at boarding school "when she JUST starts to get interesting."
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2015 06:40     Subject: Re:DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
One of the most vocal "free range" parent advocates has written a piece decrying the fact that the parents didn't get their kids back immediately. She defends them on the basis of the IPhone (which was "giving the kids an open connection to" the parents!) and argues that the police should have tried "teaching them that this wasn't a good idea and telling them not to do it again" instead of arresting them." Because "seizing their children" is "acting as if they were deliberately cruel."

Unbelievable.

http://reason.com/blog/2015/02/03/parents-who-left-kids-alone-in-cold-car
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2015 06:19     Subject: DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Striking to me that the little boy wasn't crying.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2015 05:29     Subject: DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Good parents can make mistakes sometimes. Perhaps these people only meant to leave the kids in the car for a few minutes, got caught up in the party and forgot about them. It happens.

And people who get so crazed about other people's parenting errors are often terrible parents in other ways, so "he who is without sin..."

I'd never leave a kid in a car in this weather though.... Now that is pretty stupid.

I'd like to be charitable to these parents, though. It seems they are being judged very harshly. Everyone makes stupid mistakes, even very smart people.



No, it doesn't. Good parents would have the sense to not leave the kids alone in the car in the first place.


it was a wine tasting. not an emergency or an urgent errand.


MORON! You never leave a kid by themselves, even running into cvs. You are a jackass just like them....

+1. This isn't -- I ran inside to CVS to pick up a prescription and didn't want to move a sick sleeping baby, and it took 5 extra min bc the line was huge OR I saw a few things on sale and ended up grabbing them too and that added 5 min. People feel guilty and nervous enough when they do that as they are picturing something awful happening to their kid. An HOUR? Just chit chatting with others and drinking wine and not wondering at all what may be going on with your kids? And I saw this as someone who isn't even a kid person and think people tend to blow kid safety issues out of proportion these days.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2015 02:20     Subject: DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Anonymous wrote:Now, this is neglect: toddler in freezing car for 5 hours with just a t shirt and pants on
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/01/12/toddler-freezing-car/21621071/


This is ALSO neglect.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2015 01:03     Subject: DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Now, this is neglect: toddler in freezing car for 5 hours with just a t shirt and pants on
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/01/12/toddler-freezing-car/21621071/
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2015 00:32     Subject: Re:DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Anonymous wrote:I just read the police report. So much for 'Jennie's stupid DH was told to watch the kids but he didn't'.
Ugh.

What is wrong with people these days?



So many things but I think one of the main factors at play will be the fact that these people had kids -- bc they felt "obligated" or wanted to or didn't want to feel left out as their friends had kids -- but then didn't want to give up or compromise on their pre-kid life in any way. Might be that they didn't realize how much 2 toddlers would need them ALL THE TIME. Though unlike all the "normal" people who go through this -- they have means, which is what makes this completely bizarre. They could afford anything from a HS babysitter a few hrs on a weekend to a weekend nanny to WH nannies for this particular event.

DCUM notwithstanding I think people are generally good (or at least ok). When the single mom in Arizona was arrested on child abuse charges for leaving her 2 yr old and 6 month old in a car in the heat to go to a job interview bc her childcare fell through and she desperately needed work, over 12k people signed petitions to get charges dropped and ultimately about 100k was raised to help this mom. Here -- since the story has gone national -- I don't see anyone defending these fools bc they didn't do what they did out of necessity, they merely wanted to get away from the kids and hit up a party.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2015 00:20     Subject: Re:DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
I just read the police report. So much for 'Jennie's stupid DH was told to watch the kids but he didn't'.
Ugh.

What is wrong with people these days?

Anonymous
Post 02/03/2015 23:56     Subject: Re:DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Anonymous wrote:did you really just compare this to bev hills 90210??


No -- not this; I compared the hedge fund families in Greenwich leaving their kids with nannies 24-7 to 90210. Dylan was a grown ass man, these kids are 2 and 3 strapped in a car. WTH - read closer next time.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2015 23:45     Subject: Re:DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
did you really just compare this to bev hills 90210??
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2015 23:30     Subject: DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think they really thought their kids were safe and that what they were doing was OK. They were watching them, right? Never mind those frigid temps or the cold noses or freezing little fingers and toes. I want to cry.

I wonder how long the daughter was sobbing hysterically - if she'd been doing that the whole time, part of the time, or just when a big crowd gathered around the car staring at her. Poor baby.


Perhaps not long? Perhaps this is the reason the husband came out to the car?

But the police report said that the person who called police said he'd been watching the car for 10 minutes, and no one came out to the car during that time. But it did not say that the child was crying until the police approached the car. So perhaps the child just started crying, the father heard the crying on the phone, and rushed out to the car to deal with the kids.

None of it really matters since it's such an outrageously stupid thing to leave your two toddlers in the car on a winter day on a city street! I can't imagine what the parents were thinking?

But some parents really do see their kids as accessories, and a nuisance. And perhaps these parents really don't interact with their kids that much. They leave them to the nanny all week, so weekends are a PITA for them? It's possible.

I know a couple who adopted a baby, hired a nanny, then kept on with their weekends in the country, leaving the baby at home with the nanny!! It was truly appalling, but they really didn't want to change their comfy lifestyle for this little baby, who was basically an accessory to their very comfortable, wealthy life. All their friends had babies, so they wanted one too! Ghastly. That poor kid.

These people have a million dollar house. Can't they come up with the cash for a babysitter?

And what a stupid idea to "babysit" their kids with their cell phones! I still can't get over leaving one's children in a parked car on a city street! In the winter! They aren't stuffed animals.



This. I'd love to hear from someone who knows them as I'd be curious as to what they're like as a family. For some reason, my guess is that they hit their 40s, wanted kids bc everyone else in their cohort has kids, so they had 2 back to back before the fertility window closed and now they're remiss to give up their sleeping late, long weekends or parties whenever they want type of lifestyle in exchange for dealing with sick, cranky, whiny toddlers who need to be fed on time and have naptimes etc.

I know a few very wealthy families (think CT hedge fund folks) who have 7 day a week care for their kids. Multiple shifts of nannies during the week and also on the weekend. The parents will do one photo opp type of activity once in a while -- pumpkin picking; Christmas tree decorating; cookie baking; whatever -- and then promptly hand the kids back to the nanny so they can hit up a cocktail party or a ski weekend or whatever. They mainly wanted kids for "later" in life -- meaning they think they'll enjoy teens and sending them to the best private schools in town, the ivys, throwing lavish weddings etc. but don't want to deal with the day to day of parenting young kids. Sure it's bad that the kids fit in like accessories, but at least they've set up a life where they don't have to worry about who is going to watch the kids -- they have care available at all times. It reminds me a bit of Dylan McKay from 90210 -- all the money in the world but dad had his own life (and his own white collar crimes going on) and when he visited his dad in prison he made it a point to remind him of all the Christmases he spent alone with the maid because dad was off skiing the Alps with some new girlfriend.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2015 23:20     Subject: DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Anonymous wrote:To 23:05 > Do tell! What's going on with that family?


So the funny thing is I had A LOT[u] to say before I saw the pic that is supposed to be the mom. I am glad I didn't look at the picture on FB until today b/c it felt good to get it off my chest.
Now I just want to know if that is really her. Trust me I am thinking a million things. My brother also knows the little girl and he is visiting this weekend. I am sure we'll talk about the family and the incident.

But in case it is not the right person I don't want to say anything about the parents here. If we see a mugshot or another official pic and I can confirm it is the right person maybe I'd feel better posting something about them but I am not sure.

That said I am glad that my son and I have unique names so we won't ever accidentally get mistaken for a criminal. There are plenty of Jennie Chang's out there.


Anonymous
Post 02/03/2015 23:10     Subject: DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
To 23:05 > Do tell! What's going on with that family?
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2015 23:05     Subject: DC parents leave kids in car for wine tasting
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Good parents can make mistakes sometimes. Perhaps these people only meant to leave the kids in the car for a few minutes, got caught up in the party and forgot about them. It happens.

And people who get so crazed about other people's parenting errors are often terrible parents in other ways, so "he who is without sin..."

I'd never leave a kid in a car in this weather though.... Now that is pretty stupid.

I'd like to be charitable to these parents, though. It seems they are being judged very harshly. Everyone makes stupid mistakes, even very smart people.



No, it doesn't. Good parents would have the sense to not leave the kids alone in the car in the first place.


it was a wine tasting. not an emergency or an urgent errand.


+1. This isn't -- I ran inside to CVS to pick up a prescription and didn't want to move a sick sleeping baby, and it took 5 extra min bc the line was huge OR I saw a few things on sale and ended up grabbing them too and that added 5 min. People feel guilty and nervous enough when they do that as they are picturing something awful happening to their kid. An HOUR? Just chit chatting with others and drinking wine and not wondering at all what may be going on with your kids? And I saw this as someone who isn't even a kid person and think people tend to blow kid safety issues out of proportion these days.


+10000
This is NOT a stupid mistake. This is a case of neglect. Who knows how long those kids would've been in the car if the cops hadn't been called? Another hour? At what temp does hypothermia set in for a toddler in a below freezing temp car? What if they had passed out and the dumbshit parents thought "oh good, they're sleeping now, we can stay for another flight". I can never ever imagine making the decision these two made. Those kids deserve a loving and safe home. Full stop. And it's not with these two wingnuts.