Woman here in -15 degrees Wisconsin leaves two kids in car...

[Archae]

UPDATE: Wis. Mother arrested after leaving kids in cold car

BELOIT, Wis. (AP) - Beloit police arrested a mother after two young children were found alone in a cold vehicle in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Authorities say the children, ages 18 months and 5 years, are OK and were left for about 10 minutes Monday night when the temperature was minus 12. Police say a citizen flagged an officer down in the parking lot about 7:30 p.m. to report the unattended children. As the officer investigated, the mother walked up to the Subaru.

http://www.wbay.com/story/24384637/update-wis-mother-arrested-after-leaving-kids-in-cold-car

[Mr Dixon]

1. SMH

Madness

[Kaleva]

2. Mother probably thought she'd just be in and out of the store..

and it'd be a hassle to take the kids in with her.

[HappyMe]

4. That's no excuse.

[Kaleva]

6. No it isn't but I'm just guessing at why she did what she did.

[hobbit709]

5. That is stupid even if the temp was warm

You don't leave kids unattended in a car period.

[cyberswede]

8. Exactly.

I don't even like to leave my 11- and 13-year olds in the car.

[joeybee12]

10. Yup...this is crazy...

Woman needs a good talking to.

[3catwoman3]

22. Ever...

...ever, ever, ever.

[Mr Dixon]

7. what?

Since when can you go into WAL-Mart and get in and out quickly?

[cthulu2016]

9. In practical terms, was probably not notably more dangerous than bringing them inside

I know we are supposed to get our hate on here, but the story says "for about 10 minutes"

The world is full of risk. Carrying a baby and a toddler over an icy parking lot in dangerous temperatures is also a risk. The odds of injury to a child seem higher in the parking lot scenario, assuming that Mom was not going to leave them in the car for more than a few minutes.

That doesn't mean it is RIGHT to leave them in the car, it means that the net horror of the crime here is trivial.

Okay, what if mom had suffered a heart attack in the store? Then the kids would have froze.

And what if mom suffered a heart attack driving? Something bad. Kids do sometimes suffer when mom has a heart attack.

This is just not a sensible outrage story.

It has the form of that "babies locked in freezing car for 5 hours while mom partied" but it is not that story.

Mom was probably running in to buy some fucking food.

Being a mom is hard.

[yellowcanine]

13. Bad logic - False choice.

The choice isn't "leave the kids in the car" OR "carry them unsafely across the icy parking lot"

Only if it was a genuine emergency is this the choice. No indication that it was. "Buying some fucking food" does not qualify as an emergency.

The choice is "leave the kids in the car" OR "properly look after them." If she can't safely go into the store then the choice is to not go into the store.

"Being a mom is hard." Yes, but somehow millions do it without leaving babies and toddlers unattended in a car.

[HappyMe]

14. Holy crap!

So much fail!

Being a mom is hard, being a dad is hard.

Being a mom doesn't mean leaving your kids in the car for any reason, in any temperature. Take them into the store with you, or stay the fuck home with them.

[gaspee]

16. Especially

With no support network. If she had someone to help, she could have left the kids at home or left an adult in the running car while inside.

[snooper2]

17. Or maybe she is just lazy?

[gaspee]

20. Definitely a possibility

But I can also see other possibilities that include empathy - maybe I prefer to try to think of understandable reasons because I would never do that if I had a choice.

[HappyMe]

19. I was a single mom of twins.

I NEVER even considered leaving those boys unattended like that. There's no excuse for it. None.

[kiva]

21. Being a person is hard, so can we get over the parent angst?

If it was too dangerous to get them out of the car and into the store, she should have just left them home - I mean, if you're going to leave the kids unattended, might as well leave them in an apartment/house that might have heat and probably has food.

[PowerToThePeople]

23. Hmm.

I have a remote start than can keep the heater running while I have the keys and doors are locked on my car. I have left my child locked in the car while running into a convenience store before. In fact, I do it fairly regularly. BUT, I have a visual on my car and child while in the store. I would never leave my child unattended and unwatched for any length of time. How do you know what could happen? Windows can be broken, children could be taken. There is NO way I would risk such a thing as to leave them unwatched for 10 minutes in a public place.

[BobUp]

11. Photo of loser

http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/Beloit-mom-leaves-kids-in-car-at-Walmart-239076061.html

[firsttimer]

24. .

[Cracklin Charlie]

12. Regardless of the temperature...

Would you leave a twenty dollar bill on the seat of your car, and go inside?

I can not understand anyone leaving a child of eighteen months in a car, for any reason, at any temperature.

[gaspee]

15. I've left my

Dogs in the car when I've run into the store, but in the cold, I leave it running with the heat on and in the heat, left it running with the AC on.

Dogs in crates, 2nd key to lock the car while running and unattended.

I don't understand why someone with kids who absolutely has to bring the kids with them can't do the same thing (using car seats instead of crates, obviously) - it very well might have been more dangerous to get them out of the car and across a frozen parking lot into the store.

[HappyMe]

18. If it's that dangerous as far as road

conditions she shouldn't have left the house in the first place.

If I saw kids in car seats with the car running I would still call the cops. Every single time.