Parking Lot Perils

A little story from the "Trenches of Motherhood" from a friend of mine:

I've done it, and I'm sure many of you have done it too: My friend needs to pop into the store. It's PISSING rain, so she parks right at the front of the store, and leaves her 2 kids under 2 SOUND ASLEEP in the back of the car, and rushes into the store.

She's inside not 2 minutes when she hears "would the owner of a black blah blah blah with the licence plate what-the-fuck-ever please return to your vehicle immediately!" She freaks out, thinking there's something wrong with one of her kids, and rushes out to the car.

2 "gentlemen" have moved their cars to block her in. There is a bleach blond bimbo who starts tearing a strip off of her, about how she is a horrible mother, and how could she ever leave such precious cargo where they could get stolen, or worse. There is another woman, on her cell phone, placing a call to Children's Services. People are freaking out, left right and centre on her head about what a horrible mother she is and how her children should be taken away from her.

And her children? Horror of horrors!! They're...wait....they're WARM and DRY and out of the rain, still SOUND ASLEEP in the back of the (locked) car!!

There's a few things to address here. First: Where leaving your children in the car alone is "not recommended" by the lawmakers of the land, it IS NOT illegal. I believe waking up 2 children under the age of 2 to drag them into the store for two minutes to buy a box of cereal is ALSO not recommended if you have any common sense, or respect for the holy grail that is naptime. If you were leaving the kids in the car, and "popping inside" to have a 1/2 hour manicure, or a "quick cut and colour" it may be a different story, but a walk there and back from the cereal aisle? Hardly cause for alarm in my opinion.

Second, one may reconsider waking said children if it were, say, 30 degrees outside (that's 85 degrees F for all you stateside Mamas) or minus 30 degrees (-22F) outside, but when it's PISS POURING rain, it may be better to leave the kid recovering from an ear infection, and the kid with chronic asthma where it is warm and dry!!

Thirdly, maybe an assessment of the situation would be warranted BEFORE getting all hot and bothered and on your cell phone to CAS. Are the children in distress? Are they being abused in some way, shape, or form? Is there a sticker on the window pointing you to their kiddy p*rn site? No, no and no? Well then Sweet Mother of Mary, mind your own EFFING business, people!!

She basically tells them all to suck eggs, and maneuvers her way out and heads home. She spends the rest of the day, and most of the night feeling suddenly guilty, waiting for CAS to come a'knocking, and questioning her goodness as a mother, just because some stupid people in a small town with too little to do decided to get all uppity on her.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Motherhood....oh, the glamour!!