re: Karen calls cops on my wife for leaving kids in AC’d car

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minute later the cop shows up and the first thing he does is roll his eyes and say “I hate stupid people.” He then proceeds to tell Karen how she’s an idiot and wasting everybody’s time and that my wife did nothing wrong and that if she had brought the kids in the store she’d probably bitch that my wife was exposing the kids to COVID. Defeated, Karen returns to her vehicle without apologizing for being a nosy dumbass and drives away.

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Yes, this sounds 100% how it went down with the police officer. No embellishment at all

The older I get the more I realize that laws are made to protect the lowest functioning person. You have seen the stories of children dying from heat in the car, or a guy going to work and forgetting he had his baby in the car, or a car being hijacked with kids inside. Most of these people are low functioning and lack awareness. My wife and I disagree on this all the time. I have been in that exact situation with COVID, and I have been in situations where it is more dangerous to get the kids out the car or is disrespectful to the business by taking them inside. But if I have to do it, my awareness is extremely heightened, and I make informed decisions.

I do not do it in crime infested areas, rural areas, or at shady businesses.

I pull up right in front of the business and if needed wait extra time for a spot to open up. If it is a grocery store or a store in a large parking lot, that is not acceptable to me.

I tinted the windows for privacy for the kids.

I check to ensure the ac is running properly, and I put the parking brake on.

I tell the kids that I will be doing said errand and be back within 5 minutes. No one can see inside the back windows.

I lock the doors upon exiting and test to ensure the doors are locked.

I enter business, look at my watch and start the countdown in my head, and conduct business. During the business, I constantly look back at the car to ensure no suspicious activity is occurring.

After 5 minutes, I excuse myself and go check on them. I open the car door and check on them and tell them I will be back within 5 minutes. I verify that the ac is running. I once again lock and test doors, and observe the scene to ensure the area is safe.

I reset the clock and conduct remainder of business. I limit time to no longer than 20 minutes.

What I did is technically illegal, but it is sad that the reason it is illegal is because 2/3 of the jackasses who made this illegal would have gotten out of the car without checking to ensure ac is on, not telling their kids anything, being oblivious of their surroundings, leave the car unlocked, completely lack awareness in the store and refuse to go an extra mile to check on the kids or limit time at the business. That jackass is the reason I have to abide by such law and am lumped in the same category of deadbeats if Karen called the cops on me, regardless of my vigilance.

I don’t think it’s really all that wrong to do, but the optics are still terrible. As a parent right now it definitely sucks not being able to take your kids shopping. But it’s late May and hot as shite outside, back in the 80s and 90s my parents left us in the car also. Not a big deal. But the issue is it’s very frowned upon and as said illegal in many states.

If I walked by a car with kids in it without an adult id likely call the police too. Not because I think it’s wrong so much as no way Id risk shite happening to those kids and me not doing shite.

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1. You are admittedly mentally unstable and childless, why are you giving parenting advice

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I have to ask this: are you really mentally unstable if you recognize yourself as such and then ask for others for help on it? There are a lot of mentally unstable people that refuse to admit what they are. And if you are able to admit as such, are you actually mentally unstable and simply mentally flawed?

Personally I think it makes you more sane to admit your mental shortcomings. The people that produce the most fricked up kids are the ones whose parents refuse to admit their shortcomings. The ones that recognize their own shortcomings and their children’s shortcomings and also embrace both of their strengths get not only the strongest children but the strongest bonds with their children even if they are polar opposites.