General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: PARENTS are responsible for the safety of their children. [View all]magical thyme
(14,881 posts)when you have all 4 kids with you. Or hire a babysitter for the youngest 2, and take just the older 2.
At the very least, you put the baby in a stroller, freeing up your hands to hold harnessed & leashed kids if necessary.
What you don't do is go walking down busy streets, or to bus stops or subway stops, or other places where an escaped toddler could end up in big trouble, without all the kids under control. Because the outside world is *not* going to be in bubble wrap for your benefit.
Years ago, I ran in front of an oncoming car to save a runaway toddler, whose mother's arms were both occupied with shopping bags when her daughter took off.
I literally felt that woman's panic when I risked my life to save her child's. I have empathy for the terror she felt as her daughter started out into the street with a car coming up the steep hill who could not possibly see the little girl over the hood of her car.
Lucky for that driver that I saved her from a potential devastating accident.
Lucky for the mother and little girl that somebody was willing to risk their life to save hers.
Lucky for me that the driver stopped literally just in time with her bumper crushing my purse against my hip.
I feel for that mother, but she had no fucking right to take a toddler out in public without keeping her under control. You have a runner? Keep a hand free to hold theirs, or put a harness and leash on them, or shop with a friend and ask them to hold some of your bags so you can hang on to your child.
Would I do it again? Probably not.
This mother took a huge risk when she took 4 small children to the zoo without a way to control all of them if any one decided to act up. As I wrote above, she's lucky her 4 year old didn't run out in front of an oncoming car while she was distracted with the other 3 kids.