they are still doing it (parents leave child in car)

[lilly123]

popped to tescos express the other evening, i sent my hubby in for the goods i needed,whilst i sat in my car there was a group of kids (teenagers) not to far from the cash machine,there was a car parked beside mine in the car park there with a baby in the back in his car seat sleeping,the mother was outside of the car, the husband came out from tesco express and was watching the youths argueing suddenly the youths about 6 of them made their was around the corner of tescos, and to my shock and horror both the childs mother and father ran around the corner to see what was going on they were completly out of there cars view, and the poor child was left in the car would you belive with the back door left wide open,and people wonder why kids go missing.

[Mellors]

It was probably me. I keep hoping somebody will exchange the baby for some nice shopping, but no luck so far...if only there was an M&S Simply Food I could leave him outside.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I don't think people wonder why kids go missing - I think it's known that historically there is always a very very very small percentage of predatory, sick people who will take advantage of a situation (or as suspected in the recent case, target and plan an abduction)

Maybe they clocked you next to the car and thought the child would be safe with someone else near by

[*Bob*]

Nice bit of finger-pointy scaremongering.

Shame on those parents! Were they asking for it or what?! etc

[Michael Palaeologus]

Not THAT many kids go missing! When they do its tragic - but should that mean that the rest of the poor little blighters have to be imprisoned?

The actual rate of child abuse have not increased over time has not increased - however the awareness of the subject has increased dramatically, thus the perception of threat has increased.

[SeanMacGabhann]

If only the same were true of punctuation....

[Mark]

Lilly123, you should have taken the poor child from the car and hidden it from the cruel parents, that would have taught them a lesson eh?

[snorky]

I have just discovered that 3 doors down from me lives a Paediatrician - anyone up for a bit of protesting, window smashing & running the pervert out of town ?

[spadetownboy]

dirty bastards do nothing but mix with kids all day,set up the gibbet.

[James]

I reckon because Lilly seems middle-class and the parents were probably chavs everyone is having a pop at her for being judgmental. Would you all react like this if it were the other way round? Do we honestly think that Lily is the type to go lyncing paediatricians...? I am a parent and if I saw what she saw I'd be shocked too.

[Jonboy]

Not sure about the middle class status really. Shopping in a Tesco Express?

I understand about the Paediatrician though, and would like to add a thought about Paedalo's. I know we dont live anywhere near the sea, but these child bothering forms of water transport are a real threat. Look how they lured Freddy Flintoff out to sea - just think what they could do to a child.

[*Bob*]

I don't think that's the point anyone is trying to make at all, James.

I too am filled with shock and horror at parents these days. They regularly exceed the speed limit with a child in the back. They don't have smoke alarms fitted, or haven't checked them for years. They let their kids play in the sun without sun cream on. They smoke around them. They drink too much. Occasionally they'll have a few drinks on a family day out and then drive them home. They feed them crap food. They let them cycle in London. They keep dogs at home. They don't service their boilers and the electrics in their houses are 30 years old. They let them watch adult TV all day and play violent computer games. They make them go to church, let them play physical sports and leave matches in accessible drawers (contrary to the advice of 'Welephant')

But it seems that the REAL threat comes from leaving them unattended in the back of a car for a few moments. Which is odd, as I'm struggling to recall a single incident in the UK of a baby being abducted from the back of a car.

[Alan Dale]

Interesting prejudice James.

Whilst it is not clear cut I can see why you think Lilly might be middle class as she's using this blog, she 'popped' into Tesco and said 'hubby' instead of husband. Seeing as it was Tesco though then that may imply that she's lower middle class.

What I am confused about is why you think the child's parents are chavs. All we hear about them is that they shop in Tesco and they can be easliy distracted by fighting youths. Are you saying that middle class people would have fled at the first sign of trouble? I'm not so sure. Furthermore Tesco is not a particularly chavvy supermarket and the fact that the baby was in a car seat may also imply more middle class parenting than you are assuming.

What do you think? Did I miss something in the prose or do you know something I don't? If not then I think your prejudice is clouding your judgement.

[Asset]

Jonboy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Not sure about the middle class status really.

> Shopping in a Tesco Express?

>

Spelling and punctuation bit off too. Another sure fire indicator. (BTW before anyone kicks off my tongue is my cheek.)

[Alan Dale]

> Asset Wrote:

(BTW before anyone kicks off my tongue is my cheek.)

I think you make a valid point- no need to be a wimp about it.

> *Bob* Wrote:

I too am filled with shock and horror at parents these days. They regularly exceed the speed limit with a child in the back. They don't have smoke alarms fitted, or haven't checked them for years. They let their kids play in the sun without sun cream on. They smoke around them. They drink too much. Occasionally they'll have a few drinks on a family day out and then drive them home. They feed them crap food. They let them cycle in London. They keep dogs at home. They don't service their boilers and the electrics in their houses are 30 years old. They let them watch adult TV all day and play violent computer games. They make them go to church, let them play physical sports and leave matches in accessible drawers (contrary to the advice of 'Welephant')

Nice one *Bob*. It seems you have condensed the entire ED forum for the last three weeks into a single user friendly paragraph. Good dog and god jibes in there too. Full marks.

[Asset]

It was me being a wimp.

[Alan Dale]

Asset Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It was me being a wimp.

Ballsy of you to own up! Road to Damascus conversion.

I've corrected my mistake.

[mockney piers]

God does everything have to boild down to class prejudice? sheesh. I think most people are making a point about the world of terror, and ignorance we live in, fostered and nursed by a ruthless gov't and a feral press, to quote my political hero TB, god rest his soul (in hell).

[Alan Dale]

mockney piers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> God does everything have to boild down to class

> prejudice? sheesh. I think most people are making

> a point about the world of terror, and ignorance

> we live in, fostered and nursed by a ruthless

> gov't and a feral press, to quote my political

> hero TB, god rest his soul (in hell).

God does everything have to boil down to Tony Blair and the ferral press? Sheesh- some people are trying to wage a class war for control of South East London you know.

[James]

In response Alan,

I was questioning the logic of counter-lynching Lilly for her supposedly "lynching" the parents who abandoned the kids. It seems to be some sort of weird pantomime whereby we all show off how enlightened and PC we are.

I think you are being prejudiced by assuming that working-class parents are ignorant & law-breaking by not using child seats! See, I can play your silly little game as well.

[spadetownboy]

well i personally think they were very responsible parents leaving the door wide open,who knows it could have been a hot day and we all know the dangers of leaving children and animals in locked cars with no ventilation.

[Brendan]

Leaving a baby in a car unattended is rather stupid. I do however think that being a parent is about training a kid how to be an adult rather than protecting them from the big bad world. To be a successful adult you need to know how to fight, compete and pick yourself up again after you?ve been knocked down without holding some kind of personal grudge or running home to mommy. This applies no matter which "class" you're from.

That?s my self-righteous, tuppence worth. Consider yourselves told.

[Jonboy]

It was likely to be a feral child anyway. More than capable of looking after itself.

[mockney piers]

I guess if the key was in the ignition and the engine then it would have been really stupid.

I seem to recall this happening a couple of years back, and when the thieves realised they'd nicked a baby didn't they drop it all off somewhere with something of a scrawled apology?

[Alan Dale]

James Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think you are being prejudiced by assuming that

> working-class parents are ignorant & law-breaking

> by not using child seats! See, I can play your

> silly little game as well.

Please be careful not to attribute assumptions to me that I have not made. In particular 'the fact that the baby was in a car seat may also imply more middle class parenting than you are assuming' does not equate to 'working-class parents are ignorant & law-breaking by not using child seats'.

That said you did have honourable intentions in defending Lilly from the onslaught so some credit should be given for that.

As regards the idea that people are showing off about how enlightened and PC they are then I prefer to see it as people highlighting prejudice in the views expressed that the holder of the view seems oblivious to.

Do you not agree that you made a large number of assumptions about the incident that were actually pure conjecture?