Parental Paranoia Bit me in the Butt Today

A little while back, we had the opportunity to judge Lenore Skenazy's parenting judgment, well it's now your turn to judge me because the cops showed up at my door to check on me and my kids.

I think it's all indicative of this paranoia we have as a society where things that were once perfectly acceptable are now horrific things that could cause our children to spontaneously combust if we're not careful. :-( Yes, I exaggerate.

Here's the story (and it's kind of embarrassing for me to share because, no doubt, some people will think I'm terrible for what I did):

After picking the kids up on this rainy day (I slide that in, so you know it wasn't hot out in any way, shape or form), I stopped at a local drug store to get a heating pad to ease the rib pain of this third-trimester pregnant body. The kids asked if they could wait in the car after I clarified with them that I was only in there to buy a heating pad and NOTHING else. Since I could see them from the window, I decided it was fine.

My kids are 5 and 7 and knew exactly where I was and where to find me should they run into trouble. They are perfectly capable, intelligent people who are entitled to a little independence now and then. However, I felt a twinge of guilt as I left them there. Not because I thought anything bad would happen, but because of what others looking into the car might think.

I go into the store. As I'm in line to pay, I see there is a car running in the parking spot beside my car, so I keep an eye on it. A lady is outside her car, pacing back and forth and talking on a cell phone. I pay for my stuff, having some idea what's going on, but not interested in a confrontation. As I come up, the lady goes into her car and closes the door and sits staring at me. I looked at her a couple times, but what the heck am I supposed to say? So I just drive home.

Soon after, there's a knock at our door and a police officer is there. He asks my husband if I'm home. My kids and dogs are running around happily and the cop sees this. I come to the door and am told that someone called 911 because they were concerned about the kids being left in the car. The cop essentially tells me (I paraphrase, of course):

"I really shouldn't be here, but we have to follow-up on complaints. It's not a hot day and obviously, you just ran into the store to grab something."

We talked a bit and I asked if I did break any laws at all and he assured me that I did not. He also said (I don't think he was a parent) that as a kid his mom would do the same thing and that "these days people are so worried about everything." --- Hmmmm...smart man.

He collected more information just so he could close the file or whatever you call it and was on his way.

How I Feel:

I'm not really sure. On the one hand, I'm annoyed that someone would think I was doing something terrible to my children. On the other, I'm kind of glad that there are people who pay attention and do take the time to make sure things are OK.

I also admit that I've seen kids in cars and felt a twinge of concern sometimes too (yes, hypocritical, I know...but I'm a victim of paranoid society too!). But I've always just kept an eye on things and made sure parents came back...not actually felt compelled to call 911.

What Would You Have Done?:

Now, it's your turn...what would you have done from both sides of the fence? Do you ever leave your kids in the car, even if it's just for a few minutes? If you were that woman who saw my kids, would you call 911?

Be as honest as you want. If you think what I did was horrible, please go ahead and say so. Constructive criticism is always welcome in my book.