Hold your child's hand!

[Summerfly413]

While I was working today I was gazing out the front doors during a break in customers. Along the sidewalk I saw a woman walking with her young son(no more than 5, but probably younger. I'm really bad at figuring out what age little kids are)
As they're walking, the kid runs excitedly into the street for no reason at all, as a car came around the corner! The mother doesn't even go to grab him or anything! He just runs back on the sidewalk. I don't know if she said anything to him or not.
Then they come inside and I see her ask at the service desk where the bathrooms are. During this, her child ends up going around the corner of the service desk. I'm on register 1, which is right next to it, so he was in front of me and I kept an eye on him. Where the mother was standing, she maybe could only see his leg. Then she just WALKED OFF, no backward glance or anything.
Once she was a good 20 or 30 feet away, the kid decides to turn around and run after her, and she sees him and stops. I think she may have told him something about staying with her, but I'm not sure.
Then a few minutes later I saw them leave, so she only came in to use the bathroom.
The whole thing made me really angry. I feel bad for the kid.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

When I see parents like this, ones who have just given up like that, I know I am making the right decision to practice birth control.

[boringscreenname]

My kid isn't walking yet, but when he does he'll be required to either ride in the cart, stroller, or hold an adult's hand. I will resort to a kiddie harness if I have to.

People who don't keep an eye on their kids really bugs me, kids can get hit by a car or kidnapped in a store or a lot of other bad things can happen, when you take your eyes off them for a minute and don't keep them close.

[PepperElf]

yeah. my own nephew is just 6 when i'm with him in the mall i do not lose track of him. in fact when he has to use the bathroom, i bring him to the bookstore and tell him i'm going to be right outside, and then i do exactly what i say... i wait outside until he's done. and i let him check the bathroom first to see if he wants to wait to use it (in case someone else is inside who creeps him out)

it's all about making sure he feels safe and actually making sure he is safe too

[Summerfly413]

I didn't want to start a new thread in the SC section, and it relates to my original topic anyway---

I had a woman come through my line yesterday with her young son. Maybe 4 years old. Since it's not MY job to keep track of other people's kids, I didn't pay much attention to him, and finished with the transaction.
I look up and look out the front doors and I see a little kid there. I thought he looked like her kid. Her kid wasn't around from what I saw. So I asked her "Um....What color shirt was your child wearing...? Was it red?" She said yes, and I told her he was OUTSIDE(in a busy parking lot, with a lot of people going in and out of the store), and what did she do? Go rush to get him? Oh no. She just calmly finishes the transaction, making comments about how he does stuff like that all the time or something.

Really? He was OUTSIDE of the building. Keep track of your children! Someone could've pulled up in a car and taken him!
Now I have to be a babysitter and a cashier

[Jack7957]

This is why child harnesses were invented. My brother had one when he was little.

[AriRashkae]

When I was pregnant with our first, my husband was adamantly against a harness, saying they were "demeaning" and treated the child like an animal. (Um, heeelllooooo? What 2 year old isn't? ) after all, all you have to do is hold the kid's hand, right?

Yeah, he's almost 6', walking next to a toddler. Didn't last long. I never heard a peep against them since.

[Anakah]

I kind of like the ones that are a little animal backpack and have the tail that the parent holds onto.

[Kogarashi]

I kind of like the ones that are a little animal backpack and have the tail that the parent holds onto.

I love those. My daughter has the monkey one made by Eddie Bauer, and it looks adorable on her.

(Target, if anyone wants to know where I found it.)

[DesignFox]

I kind of like the ones that are a little animal backpack and have the tail that the parent holds onto.

I think those are soooo cute. Damn, when I was a kid all we had was the wrist leash. (yes, my mom used one on me, why do you ask? *wanders away to look at the shiny thing)

[CaroPhoenix]

If I could, I'd keep getting larger and larger ones for my daughter. She's always trying to run off in search of shiny, flashing, interesting objects. I think she was a Kendar in a past life.

[Becks]

I should get some wrist leashes to keep in my purse for when I'm out and about with the herd aka my nieces and nephews.

[WanderingSaint]

This always bothers me especially when the child is small and there are lot's of tiny objects to end up in their windpipe nearby. That, and at my fathers wedding recently I ended up hearding children since I noticed they'd all suddenly disapeared (all under teh age of 7) into the woods where there is a fast running river close buy (you can hear the rushing water in the backyard even though you can't see it).

Found the kids parked precariously on the edge of the rocks right over the rapids. Nearly had a heart attack since three of them were only four and perfect 'floater weight'. They wanted to go swimming. This is not swimming water.

Where were the parents? Already drunk, even before the vows took place, and one pair had already left so the wife could change her dress. No one was watching the kids. There weren't even supposed to be kids THERE. We do not have a fenced yard!

My father, his new wife, and I agreed to make reservations adult only for any future parties had there. Sure, we're close to a hospital, but ou have to find the body first!