Seriously? WTF?!

Okay, I know that we live in a country that supports freedom of speech and press.

Heck, if it weren't for those freedoms so many of us would not be able to blog like we do and get on our soap boxes every now and then about things that bother us or just to vent about the trials of being parents as well as laughing at our idiocies and even more, sharing the pleasures of being a family and the good times with those we love....I know, run on sentence but I'm on a rant right now.

So I get it when mommy websites come out and write point of view articles on certain topics of discussion like child abuse, news articles involving children, celebrity gossip, and news events from the perspective of well, a mom.

Point of view articles are fine and great but what I don't get is two posts on the same site posted within days of each other that are completely contradictory and honestly, one of them is dangerous.

You see, the site that I am talking about is CafeMom and the section I am talking about is TheStir. I read this a lot because some of the posts link up to actual news stories that interest me. Other times they write about the Kardashians and other celebrity gossip that is a good takeaway from the day but this is just insane....(bear with me)

On Thursday, July 4th, CafeMom's "the Stir" published this post 10 Reasons Leaving Kids in the Car During an Errand is No Big Deal.

WHAT?!?!  I don't care what the reason is - you do not leave your child in the car!! The post details the following as just some reasons its okay to do so:
 - If its not too cold
 - If its not too hot << REALLY? REALLY?
 - The danger is exaggerated
 - If it makes them happier

Huh? If its not too hot?!? Temperatures in a car, even with the windows cracked open, are extremely hotter than outside. I should know this - I drove around without air conditioning in my car for months!! Just sitting in the parking lot waiting for Mr. Big to give him some coffee in 83 degree weather with the wind blowing I was sweating bullets. Imagine a child!!

If it makes them happier?!? Really?!?! Our children need to follow rules and just because something makes them happy it does not give them a pass to sit in a car unattended. I don't care how old you are. You are with me - you go with me.

The danger is exaggerated?!?! What?!?  I would rather not risk the life and safety of my child because of an "assumption" that things are safe. Times are scary now and always have been but people are not as responsible and the sense of community has been thrown out the window so it is more dangerous. You can't count on a good samaritan to report anything that seems suspicious because they don't want to get involved. Sorry, my kids go with me so I know they are safe in my care.

Okay - to get to the point of the contradictory posts, just this morning I came across this post Mom Arrested for Making 5-Year Old Hide Under Towel in Hot Car While She Shopped.

Scratching your head now?

Apparently the mom must have read their previous article from Thursday and thought it was okay to leave her child in the car but was still worried so had her son hide under a towel, you know, just in case.

So on the one hand there is a post saying that its okay to leave your child in a car and on the other hand there is another post condemning a mother for doing exactly what their previous post said?

Now I don't know if the mother in the latter post actually read the former but still...the Stir...get it together and stay on the same page!

When are people going to learn that our children are not toys or inanimate objects that can be left alone unattended?

While we may have been left alone when we were younger or you are just stepping in to Starbucks for 5 minutes and can see the car from the store - all it takes is 5 minutes. Remember the little girl who was taken from her mother's shopping car and held at knife point until the attacker had to be shot for fear of him killing the little girl?

While this case yes was an extreme case - we cannot be under the veil of "it will never happen to me" because I am sure that mom never thought it would.

We are here as parents and need to protect our children no matter what costs.

Its interesting, last weekend I took the kids to the beach and it was really windy and the waves were strong. I was keeping an eye on the kids and on them like white on rice. Bug even told me "Mom you are being too overprotective today!"

Well, I had to leave the beach earlier than usual because it was just getting too rough - the waves were just intense and the wind was picking up - not worth the risk. So, on the drive back home after everyone was tired and saying how strong the waves were he admitted to me "Mom, being a parent is hard - you were not being too overprotective today. You were just trying to keep us safe."

It's my job - to keep them safe.

So when posts like the one posted on Thursday come out saying its okay to let our guard down for just a "few minutes" it makes me worry.

Those "few minutes" can cost much more pain and anguish - is it too much to ask?

I'll get off my soap box now but I'll leave you with this short but adorable little video clip of my littles dancing