Quote From: dthompson56I babysit 3 grandchildren the oldest is 4 ,and there is no way I can walk into a store to pick up a pizza etc. with the 3 of them. I have parked right in front of the window and walked in. I lock the doors, the children are in their car seats and the windows only cracked. I know something can happen in a second, but how can you always have all children at your side when you go pay for gas etc. to be away for 1 minute. I am very conscious of every second I am away from their side and they never leave my line of vision or if someone is too close to the car, I run back to it.
However in our city we have had 2 very educated women (1 a professor and 1 an assistant principal) who left their children in the hot car all day resulting in the children dying and nothing happens to them. I think it is time for people to be responsible for their actions and pay attention to what they are doing. I can't imagine not looking in your back seat to see if anything or anyone is there before you get out of a car. If people complain about this, I think people are afraid they will come up with riduculous laws, like stopping by a trash can to throw trash out and not taking the children with you, that you will get arrested.
I have 3 children under 5 and I would never, ever, ever leave them alone in the car to run in & get a pizza, pay for gas, for anything! In fact, when I have had all 3 of them with me to go in to pick up a pizza, more than once all of us have stood by a car at the red curb to wait for the parent/gaurdian of the children left in a car. I could not live with myself if I saw the children in that situation, something happened and I didn't do anything.
Yes it is a pain to get everyone unbuckled, walked safely across the parking, carrying pizza while watching out for them but so much better than the fear of what could happen in those few minutes that I am gone. Pay the couple extra bucks for delivery and save your piece of mind - and your grandchildren.
I will even wake them up from a nap in the car if it is a necessary short errand. As you said, it only takes a second for things to go wrong, why take that chance?