Do You Leave Your Kids Alone in the Car?

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

Would you leave your child alone in a car while you hit up the slot machines at your local casino? How about if your little one was sleeping snuggly in his car seat; would you consider leaving him alone in your vehicle while you ran into the market to buy a few essentials, or into the office supply store for a must-have printer cartridge?

In some states it doesn't matter whether you run into Wal-Mart for a pack of gum or spend time working out the kinks in your new roulette strategy--if you leave your kid alone in a vehicle, you can expect to spend time in police custody.

Just ask 26-year-old Naomi Bryant. The Pennsylvania mother, and devoted poker player, left her two children alone in her vehicle for two hours recently, so she could "try to make money to feed them" at her local casino. According to police, Bryant left her 6- and 8-year-old daughters in the car while she went into the casino to play a few hands of five-card stud.

Long story short, a passerby noticed Bryant's kids alone in the vehicle and called police. A few minutes later the gambling mama was escorted out of the casino and charged with two counts of child endangerment.

Ditto for the Wisconsin mom, who left her sleeping infant son alone in her station wagon last winter while she tried to score with a one-armed bandit at a local casino. I spoke to the officer who arrested her (for another one of my jobs) and he shared that while the baby was unharmed (apparently, the mom placed a couple of blankets over him to protect him from the 38-degree night), she still spent time in the slammer for neglecting her kid.

The same outcome awaited the Milwaukee dad who left his 14-month-old son in a truck while he shopped at a local hardware store (apparently the man felt it was "easier" to browse the toolbox aisle without his curious toddler distracting him), and the Iowa father who left his 6-year-old daughter in the car while he browsed through the "New Releases" aisle at his local Blockbuster store. According to police, the dad insisted that the child was coloring in the car and didn't want to come out.

Both dads claim they were only gone for 10-20 minutes. Police didn't care and arrested both on the spot.

Now, before you pass judgment on the aforementioned parents, ask yourself how different they are from the moms and dads who only leave their kid in the car when:

*The weather is not too hot or not too cold

*The car is in sight at all times (apparently these parents have an extra set of eyes--one set to focus on the task at hand and another to watch the car at all times)

*The parking lot is empty

So, is it okay to leave your kid alone in the car while you enter the gas station to pay for your fill-up; run into the bank when you must, must deposit your paycheck; or pop into Starbucks for your daily Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Creme?

A local lawmaker I spoke to (who authored a new bill to crack down on parents who leave their children alone in a vehicle) made and interesting point in regards to moms and dads, who argue that if they are only going to be gone for a few minutes, their children will be fine by themselves. He noted that it takes less than a minute for an unforeseen event to take place. What's more, he wonders what would happen to a child whose mommy can't return to the car because she suffers a heart attack or fainting spell while in the store.

I'm not sure what the odds are of that happening, but it does provide food for thought the next time you are tempted to leave your child alone in the car.

How often do you leave your child alone in your vehicle?

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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