DC Parents Who Left Toddlers in Car for an Hour Face Possible 10-Year Sentence: Good?

What is too excessive in considering the welfare of two very young children? That’s what we need to ask ourselves.

I have one novel idea: BABYSITTER.

“How does that make anyone safer or healthier?”

By setting a minimum acceptable standard for care of children, the violation of which will have consequences. There actually ARE parents out there who are prevented from seriously neglecting their children only because there are social sanctions in place to prevent it.

At some point, even though the children most directly affected are not directly benefited by the consequences the parents suffer, a society does have to impose some consequences on those who go far outside the norm of responsible parenting. Again, I realize that can be abused, but so can society’s ability to make laws about ANYTHING. We can argue the propriety of cases like this on the margin, but NOT simply because “punishing the parents doesn’t help the children,” if the failure of the parents to fulfill their responsibilities is at least arguably severe enough to merit legal consequence.

Tough one. I would rather that DSS leave children with their parents unless it’s shown (in court) that the parents are habitually abusive, or if the child shows clear signs of abuse when the DSS comes to call. I think it does more harm to the child(ren) to be torn from the family they know and love; for that reason, I think the judge’s order to keep the parents and children separated for about two weeks is wrong.

They naively tried to ‘keep an ear’ on the kids – what they could have done if there were some emergency, I don’t know, since it would have taken some time to get from the wine-tasting (party?) to the car – but they did try. IMO, they clearly need some instruction on common sense, but I don’t think they deserve to have their kids taken away. I don’t think the kids deserve to be deprived of their parents.

Babysitter – yes.

This reminds me of the Madeleine McCann case, where the parents were out of the hotel room, but close. They get a lot of flack, on the internet, for what is about the same thing as this case, though without the phone. Is leaving the kids outside of the same building, but within reasonable response time, that much different than being in the same house and having the child kidnapped from his or her room, as in the Smart case? Seems to me that it would be different, but, am I right in that?

@Ceridwen , I think the difference is that being left in a car in very cold weather, there is a KNOWN risk. I’m sure people would find it odd to leave a kid a block around the corner while you partake in a completely optional social event in a large city (meaning, they’d probably been charged with something even w/o the cold).

But let’s stick to what DID happen.

When you are sitting in a car in 35 degree weather, you are going to get cold. The article says one had no hat or socks. There is a predictable outcome (the kids getting very cold), before you even get to the “what if” scenarios.

This feels less like a free-range issue and more like an issue of excessive punishment, which is pretty common in the United States. We routinely toss people in prison for decades over non-violent offenses like possession of small amounts of drugs, so it’s not surprising these parents (whom, I agree, were neglectful) are facing ten years. I think this nation is re-thinking sentencing in general, but it probably won’t happen quickly enough for those parents.

This is a great article, and you make a good point.
However, you may want to delete or rephrase this part
‘some parents come from other culture where they do things we would never do (the dad in this couple is from France)’
In France, out of all places, it is not culturally acceptable to leave the kids in the car and, because, you probably don’t want to imply this, I think you should change these words.

“Can’t there be some middle ground between, “Meh, the kids are fine. No harm done” and BOOM! automatic foster care.”

I agree with this EXCEPT — I think the kids SHOULD be taken away temporarily while there is some assessment done to figure out whether this is part of a pattern of Really Neglectful Parenting or just a really, really bad one-off decision. It does not do Free Range parents or anyone else a service to simply blithely assume that all parents are decent parents and this is “probably” just a relatively innocent case of bad judgment. If you actually get a situation where parents are indicating that they might be dangerousy neglectful, it should be followed up and the kids’ safety ensured in the meantime.

At least in theory, that is. I know that’s not how it really works. Once the kids are gone, it takes a lot to get the back and the burden of proof is all on the parents. But as long as we’re talking “shoulds,” I have no problem with putting the kids in a safe situation (preferably with another relative) for a day or two while the extent of the problem is determined. Problem is, that’s not how it actually works.

In Europe it was once common to leave babies in carriages outside of the house on the sidewalk so they could sleep in the cold fresh air though I doubt it is still the custom so different cultures approach things differently. I have seen French men change on the beach in Santa Monica that could be arrested for indecent exposure and Japanese families take baths together so one should consider the persons heritage.
However I would never have done something like that with my children or granddaughter.

The question should always be a comparative one: are those two kids better off wherever they are now, in an imperfect CPS process, or with two imperfect parents? Rather than taking kids away and jailing parents, and condemn kids to foster care or worse, why not work to find community resources to help those parents make better decisions? Isn’t that ultimately better for the kids, and for the parents?

See, I don’t actually believe that there is a danger in leaving kids in a car in 35 degree weather. At least, a danger from cold. I used to sit in the back of my dad’s pick up while he went hunting in the fall, quite happily, playing under the camper top with my Barbie’s on an air mattress for certainly more than an hour. I never remember being cold, certainly not hypothermic. My dad made that decision because he grew up on a ranch, and spent most of his childhood outdoors rain, snow, cold and all as did my mother. People used to spend a lot of time outside, believe it or not, and they enjoyed it! So based on their experiences, they had a pretty good notion of what might be harmful or not. When I was a child, the doctor advised that my mom should put me outside in the playpen every day for my health! Now, for social norms today as someone mentioned, you can’t leave your kids in a car because people will call the police on you so it is almost like part of the social contract today – you are just begging to have your children removed by displaying such disregard for norms in public. Could they have made a better choice? I’m sure. Is this the whole story? Surely not. I agree that it is fine to take the children to assure that they are fine (and have them stay with family preferably), but I’m still irritated at how this system works and how it does nothing to really benefit families. However, maybe if more middle class ‘acceptable’ people get drug into this system there will be more of a push to change things.

@Elisabeth — are the “scary stories” a reality for every parent that is investigated by CPS though? Or, like many things, the outliers tell the most sordid story?

These parents should be subject to review.

Are they parents that frequently leave their toddlers unattended? Where they intoxicated when they arrived? What was the state of the children when found?

Or was this a really bad/unlucky circumstance where 1 parent wasn’t expected to be longer than a few minutes?

You can’t make that decision on the sidewalk, and so they find themselves here.

@Melanie — were you a toddler when you did this?

There’s a difference between properly clothed children playing outside and being able to move around (which helps you stay warm) and toddlers stuck in a car w/o proper clothing for 35 degree weather.

As has been stated in previous comments, I doubt the 10 yr max will be handed down…especially if this is found to be the 1st and only offense. And I agree, it is useful to know the motivation behind why they left…it seems likely that they could not make the difficult choice of having one parent stay at home with the children, a sacrifice that sometimes has to be made when you have very young children. And finallly, I have to agree with PentaMom, taking the children away temporarily will allow authorities to investigate whether or not this is habitual behavior. (Seeing as the father isn’t above telling a few “white lies” …”Just stepped away for a few minutes”. Sometimes, emphasis on it not being ALWAYS, it is in the best interest of a child to be separated from his parents. Appreciate the opinions here, as well as the opportunity to discuss.

While I personally wouldn’t leave my toddlers for an hour in a car, I do feel these parents made a pretty big parenting fail (but disagree about the temperature being dangerous).
It should NOT have resulted in a jail stint or with a 10-year prison sentence that will destroy 4 lives.
Parenting education courses? Yes.
Substance abuse counseling? Yes.

There also seems to be a lot of shaming on them for not paying a babysitter when they lived in a million dollar home.
Guess what?
Rich parents make stupid mistakes too.

And why did this judge order the parents not to see the toddlers? I would think after the police involvement, these little ones would want the comfort of their parents. They’re making this out to be such a traumatizing event in their young lives. For what good?

I just read this article and feel like we, as a society, want to punish parents more than help them anymore with these *crime* stories…kids in cars.

http://www.popsugar.com/moms/Motherhood-Strongest-Bond-36728831

Can’t someone try to help this family instead of tear it apart? I can guarantee I was left in a cold car as a toddler many times growing up but my parents weren’t arrested.
But back then, people didn’t use cell phones to call 911 for children in cars.

I think that the reason they left their kid alone to go to a wine tasting is certainly relevant. Last year there was a woman who had a jobinterview and couldn’t find a babysitter she could afford. That is a situation of only bad choices. A wine tasting is optional and both parents made the choice to put their own needs before their kids. 10 years is excessive and prosecuting a case of bad parenting for one single situation doesnt make sense to me. There should be counseling and supervision first.

Melanie,

If the sole consideration was death, I agree that is probably not going to happen inside a car in 35 degree weather. That doesn’t mean that it is remotely comfortable to be strapped in a car seat inappropriately dressed in that weather for an hour. Nor do we have any idea how long the parents would have left them there had the police not intervened.

Children are actually people. I think there is way too much insistence that children should be expected to withstand stuff that we would never do to ourselves. Unless you would welcome the chance to sit sockless, hatless and gloveless in an unheated car in DC in February unable to move or do anything to change your circumstance until someone decided to come get you, you probably shouldn’t assume that it is something that any kid would enjoy either. And even if you would enjoy such a thing, it is clearly obvious that THIS child didn’t enjoy it since she was screaming hysterically.

@lollipoplover
“But back then, people didn’t use cell phones to call 911 for children in cars.”

I’m not sure that’s the difference. Before cell phones, there were public phones everywhere. At least everywhere there was likely to be a sizeable parking lot (like outside of a store.) Those were handy enough. And there was no charge for 911 calls.

As someone who grew up without a lot of common sense, (hey, I scored big on the poetical side), even I can see through this one. A ten year prison sentence chsrge is enough to get the attention of other numbskulls who might justify to themselves that this is appropriate. Having your kids taken away and spending time in jail puts immediate consequences and a seriousness to the situation regardless of having moved from a different country. I don’t think France has stayed in the dark ages. I think this is highly appropriate. Hopefully these parents will get it together enough to get their kids back and make parenting a top priority. (Plus, I think the free wine tasting had everything to do with it.)

This was a bad call on the parents’ part. I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave your young children in a car on a cold day for over an hour.

BUT, I also have a friend who finally was able to adopt his daughter after YEARS of the system giving custody back to her drug-addicted biological mother. WHY does the system give chance after chance to druggies who are unable to provide safe housing (drug houses are NOT safe for children), yet will gladly take children away from parents who left them safely strapped in a chilly car or who let their capable children walk home from a park?

I’m sorry, but there needs to be some sort of standard. The idea that drug addicted biological parents can drag their poor children from home to home, around meth heads, drug dealers, criminals, etc and STILL get multiple opportunities to get their child back and yet these parents may face up to 10 years in jail is absolutely ludicrous and very sad to me.

Personally, I think prison is the least desirable punishment for most crimes. There are some people who are dangerous to the public and they should be in prison. For pretty much everyone else, I think we need better punishments that actually address and try to correct the bad behavior and, where appropriate, make amends to victims- all while working and supporting themselves instead of us tax payers doing it. Having said that, these parents are morons and should not be trusted with a pet hamster. If you had told me that the parents had to rush to the hospital because one of them was having a heart attack and they left the kids in the car for an hour because the hospital ER had just confirmed several cases of Ebola or something, I might see how that decision made sense. Heck, I like my wine and I know how it is to be a parent, so if they had left the kids for 5 minutes to run into a liquor store for a bottle of wine on the way home, I might have given them the benefit of the doubt. But there is just no such thing as an hour long wine tasting emergency. Ten years in prison and losing their kids is a very serious punishment, but as neglect goes, this is right up there with lots of other types of neglect that probably get a similar sentence. It might be better for many such cases to be treated with education and supervision instead of prison, but I wouldn’t suggest singling these parents out for better treatment just because they were sipping wine in a chi-chi restaurant instead of smoking crack in a flop house.

I do think some jail or prison time may be justified in this case. Of course I would need more facts to make that determination.

Criminal negligence is a thing for a reason. Everyone has a “duty of care” when they are the people ultimately responsible for something or someone. The standard is whether, under all the facts and circumstances, a reasonable person would have done xyz.

I have a problem with treating this the same as a parent who just leaves a kid in the car for a few minutes.

I don’t know about France, and I’m not sure that it’s analogous, but I have read that in a lot of Nordic countries it’s not uncommon at all to leave your kids out in the cold for naps.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988

Interesting article.

The do have a comment about how they make sure the child is warm including wool next to the body and a warm sleeping bag.

I went backpacking during what was our area’s first cold snap in the fall. With a 35 degree sleeping bag and temps in the low 30s on the night it dipped…I was cold. Sure, I was at no real risk, but I slept horribly and was very uncomfortable. I considered getting up before dawn to go for a walk just to warm up.

And this is where you lose me, Range Free Mom… I am unsubscribing.

Courts typically go light on first time offenders. If this is a case where there was no actual harm or evidence that this is a pattern, then I don’t see why they should have their children taken away or spend time in jail. It seems more reasonable to have a fine and/or probation.

I wasn’t quite finished… (My Android keyboard hates this site)

It is already illegal in most states here to leave kids in cars. And the stories of babies dying or getting rescued are all over the news. Still it happens. Is sentencing parents to jail going to change that? I doubt it… There must be better ways to educate those clueless parents.

A couple of interesting things from the article:

First, the article states that the boy was 22 months and the girl was “slightly older.” Well, rashly assuming she is mother of both children, we’ll assume the girl was about 2-and-a-half (ie, 9 months plus 22 months).

So the boy was just shy of 2 years old.

The other interesting thing was that the girl was “hysterically crying.” Yet the police state there was an open phone line. So did the mother not hear her “hysterically crying” daughter? Or was the daughter hysterically crying once the police showed up and tried to break into the car. I don’t know about you but if I were 2.5 and someone tried to break into the car I was in, I’d be crying hysterically, too.

“There’s only two reasons for any sentence, deterrence and protection.”

No there are 3 reasons for any sentence – deterrence, protection of society and PUNISHMENT. The criminal justice system addresses atonement for current behavior as well has modification of future behavior.

While this is in my opinion, beyond a good parental decision, I would like to set something straight for a few people.

It was a wine tasting, not a wine drinking event. There is a big difference. So knock off the drunk driving assumptions. I have been to several wine tasting events, and guess what folks, YOU DON’T DRINK THE WINE.

Yeah, I agree that long prison sentences likely do not help the kids, but agree with other posters that this sounds more serious than stupidity. And you can say about the French whatever you like, and yes, they are… French, but leaving a 1 and 2-year-old in a cold car for an hour without proper clothing doesn’t strike me as something they could consider normal. (And I’ve never seen babies napping outside on my vacations there.)

One thing: Guys, it’s a wine TASTING, not a wine slemping party. The idea is that you spit it out after tasting it, so it seems a bit early to discuss charges for DUI or substance abuse, okay?

I feel like there is some information missing here. It just doesn’t seem to make sense – the parents were wealthy from reports and could afford a sitter but chose not to get one. Why? If this is a common occurrence for this family i would classify it as neglect, but a one time occurrence may indicate some stressor we are unaware of. Regardless, I wouldn’t leave children that young alone. I also would not feel a ten year prison term is fair. Perhaps parenting classes and a period of monitoring?

I do think that 10 years is excessive, and I am not sure that having the kids taken away is beneficial for the kids at the end of the day, but some details in the story just makes it hard to picture this couple as “clueless”. Their background seems to indicate that they are both educated people, who should be expected to know that leaving your children in a car without hats and socks in a 35 degree weather is potentially dangerous to the kids’ health. Also from their background, it seems that with their career and based on their home location, they could afford a babysitter for a couple hours. I mean this all seems so pointless… All of this to go taste wine?
And to make it even more cliche, the guy is French. (I am French too, I grew up in France). I am sorry, most people in France would be horrified to read this, as a matter of fact, I heard about this from a French media outlet (iTele) that linked the Washington Post article. The article in French was just as outraged, and I don’t know anyone in France who would say that this was an acceptable parenting behavior.
I guess what I am trying to say is I really don’t get what possessed this couple to do this, but I am not sure that locking them up and depriving the kids of parents is a good idea. The issue for the court now is to determine if it is their typical behavior or if this is just a stupid crazy but nonetheless isolated incident.

This story illustrates a basic point I keep in my head. At heart (to me!) the free range movement isn’t about being better parents but being able to be the parent we want/need to be. Parenting will at some point involve making mistakes. I want the freedom to make mistakes! My kid needs to make mistakes. I don’t mind folks clucking or shaking their heads in disapproval but the law needs to butt out. If I’m burning my kids with cigarettes or pushing then down stairs come and get me. Otherwise, as I often tell me children, mind your own business!!

I have an idea; bring them wherever youre going…

Playing devil’s advocate here:

The article states that they live about 10 minutes’ walk from the restaurant. That makes it about a 2 minute drive? Why not leave the children in their cribs/beds with an open phone line, and drive 2 minutes down the road if you’re that desperate to attend a wine tasting function? At least they’d be warm (which seems to be the major concern of most of the respondents here!).

Not saying I’d do that either, just throwing it out there 😉

And, for the record, the law in NSW, Australia states:

“A person who leaves any child or young person in the person’s care in a motor vehicle without proper supervision for such period or in such circumstances that:

(a) the child or young person becomes or is likely to become emotionally distressed, or
(b) the child’s or young person’s health becomes or is likely to become permanently or temporarily impaired,

is guilty of an offence.”

A lot of grey in that one, isn’t there? Isn’t the likelihood of a child becoming emotionally distressed highly dependent on the individual child? Heck, I’ve seen emotionally distressed children being abandoned by their parents on a regular basis recently (it’s the start of the school year here in Australia, so the new Kindergarten students are out and about at drop-off time, often clinging to parents who, funnily enough, have to leave their child at school!!!).

I don’t think these parents actions are in line with free range kids but I do think 10 years would be severe it is also unlikely to actually be the sentence.

Some of the posters below have said the parents would be drunk after and others have said they would spit. You are all assuming I work in the wine industry a tasting is typically 1-2 oz pours some people spit some do not some do a mix. So they could be drunk or not or somewhere in between.

Also just because the kids have been taken into care by cps doesn’t automatically mean the kids are with strangers in many states a suitable other is sought before and foster care home. I suitable other is a responsible adult who has a pre-exsisting relationship with the children. So their is a reasonable chance these kids are having a nice time visiting Auntie Jane

Mandatory parenting classes, and probation with regular CPS visits for a while.

Jail? No. That won’t solve anything.

I find it fascinating how many of you are experts on CPS policy and procedures. (sarcasm font).

For all any of you know, a judge ordered these children into custody or the children had to come into custody due to the parents’ arrest.

I agree this is poor judgement and I think the parents, the criminal justice system and CPS/DCFS should work together to help make a broad based assessment into the parent’s protective capacities to determine what help the parents need.

FWIW, at a wine tasting you are supposed to spit the wine out. Really.

Plucking a tiny morsel of hope from this story– the person who called in apparently watched the car for 20 minutes before calling the cops. So it wasn’t just a busybody freaking out.

I’m sorry, this one just screams stupid. A wine tasting is no different than going into a bar for a drink of two, and I don’t care if you use a cell phone like a baby monitor outside the house is not quite the same. Cultural or not, I would think in France they’d just bring the kids in; but it seems to be used as an excuse. Overall, poor decision making on the parents part, this just screams excessive to me and I don’t just mean the 10 years part. Should they be sentenced, possibly – not sure about jail time, that does seem much, but there definitely should be charges in this case. That’s just my opinion.

Did any measurable harm come to the children from being left in the car? If not, where is the crime? In a free country, no measurable harm = no crime. It might be bad parenting, but in a free country, bad parenting is not a crime. Putting the children in an orphanage (or putting them out for adoption with strangers) for the rest of their childhood, on the other hand, is scarring.

I think that there should be an amendment to the US Constitution to the effect of no harm = no crime (and the abolition of victim-less crimes). And there should be a law clarifying that bad parenting by itself is completely legal as long as no measurable harm comes to the kids.

Did any measurable harm come to the children from being left in the car? If not, where is the crime? In a free country, no measurable harm = no crime.

That is not the standard of a crime. People don’t get let go from driving under the influence as long as there is no harm. People don’t get away with no charges when they speed at 100mph and there is no harm.

I could go on and on.

The fact that the kids were not harmed should be taken into consideration, but that doesn’t absolve them of everything either.

I hearby sentence you to 12 months’ probation, including community service, parenting classes, and weekly visits with the kid from the Nationwide Super Bowl ad.

“You didn’t leave your toddlers w/o proper clothing, strapped into seats, and alone?”

No, but these parents didn’t leave their toddlers ALONE either, since there were two of them.

These toddlers were 22 months and “slightly older” which has to mean at LEAST 31 months (I’m guessing older but they left out her age to make it more dramatic). They were both old enough to say “I’m cold” into the cellphone if they had gotten cold.

And we can’t know what proper clothing would be without knowing the temperature INSIDE the car. No shoes and socks in 35 degrees sounds bad, but this kid was not going to be walking around in 35 degree weather. Right now it is -5 here and my kids have no shoes and socks on.

Well, we only know for sure that one of them was under 3. But as I said, I see it as no different than leaving your toddler across a large house with a baby monitor.

“Well, we only know for sure that one of them was under 3.”

Another article put the age of the older child at 2.5. While I assume that the actual age is above the exact 2.5 both children were under 3.

“No, but these parents didn’t leave their toddlers ALONE either, since there were two of them.”

Hey, maybe we should just do away with daycare providers and babysitters altogether as long as more than one child is involved. Think of all the money parents can save. They still may have to pay someone to throw the kids some food every once in awhile, but otherwise they have each other and that is good enough.

“And we can’t know what proper clothing would be without knowing the temperature INSIDE the car.”

Hmmm, the car was parked outside without heat for an hour. Any person with any deductive reasoning abilities who has ever sat in a car in the winter for any period of time can tell you that it was cold by the end of the hour no matter how hot is was when they started. And that was if the car was ever hot. The family only lived a few blocks away and it is possible that that is all they traveled.

“Right now it is -5 here and my kids have no shoes and socks on.”

Yes, a heated house is exactly the same as an unheated car.

“I see it as no different than leaving your toddler across a large house with a baby monitor.”

What house? The Biltmore? Because that is the only house I’ve ever been in in which being at opposite ends of the house felt the same as being in a completely separate structures.

“Because that is the only house I’ve ever been in in which being at opposite ends of the house felt the same as being in a completely separate structures.”

I’m saying that I don’t see how being in separate structures is much different from being in different rooms of a big house.

There’s doors and space in between. Do you hire a babysitter when you take out your trash or shovel the snow?

If it makes you feel better, I’ll say that I don’t see this as any different than going to your garage or shed while your toddler is inside the house with a baby monitor. You’re in a separate structure then. You may go there for an hour or more.

And by the way, NONE OF THESE ARTICLES ARE SAYING THE HEAT WASN’T ON.

“I’m saying that I don’t see how being in separate structures is much different from being in different rooms of a big house.”

Really? Human beings have a sense of alone, even young ones. There is an inherent difference in feeling in knowing that someone is in the same structure as you and knowing that you are alone in that structure. You don’t feel the same sense of companionship when your husband is visiting the neighbors as you do with him in the house, even if he is in another room without interaction. It may be the case that this is different in extremely large houses, e.g. the Biltmore, but not the typical houses of the 99%.

“Do you hire a babysitter when you take out your trash or shovel the snow?”

It takes you an hour to take out your trash? I would run quick errands outside while my toddler was in, but no I never left my toddler awake in the house while I did something outside of it for an hour when she was a toddler. I occasionally did yard work or walked the dog while my child was sleeping, but went in when she woke. I also never left my toddler in one room while I was in another for an hour without checking on her with my own eyes periodically. Unless you have video capability, a baby monitor only gets you so far. Toddlers are more than capable of wreaking silent havoc in an hour.

“And by the way, NONE OF THESE ARTICLES ARE SAYING THE HEAT WASN’T ON.”

So you really believe that these people left their car running on a public street in DC for an hour? And it was still there? And that was never mentioned in any article about this?

“Human beings have a sense of alone, even young ones.”

Okay, so you’re against this based on the possible feelings of the children, not on physical possibilities – danger risks, risk of getting cold etc.? Then we’ll have to agree to disagree that toddlers feeling alone for an hour is distressing enough to warrant the punishment. I’d say that being buckled in for an hour would be distressing, but being taken away from their parents was surely even more distressing than that.

It doesn’t take me an hour to take out the trash, but it does take me an hour to shovel the snow. We sometimes have temperatures that are actually dangerous – last winter there were several days of NEGATIVE 35. I’m not going to bring a toddler outside while I shovel. And NOT shoveling isn’t an option, because it means we can’t get out to get groceries, my husband can’t get to work to pay the bills, can’t get back in when he gets home, etc (and shoveling when my husband is home is often not an option).

The trouble a toddler could get into is irrelevant in this situation because the toddlers were strapped to car seats. But I will say that somehow my 4 kids managed to survive past toddlerhood, and without any apparent permanent mental scars; despite the fact that I did things like shovel snow, rake leaves, take some “me” time in another room etc. and left them alone for an hour many times.

Yes, I do believe that a locked car with TWO CHILDREN IN THE BACK would still be there. Car thieves don’t want to be kidnappers. I’ve left my car running in Chicago many times, though admittedly I don’t know the difference in the rate of vehicle theft in DC vs Chicago.

I also think that if the car were actually cold it would have been mentioned; I think the fact that the heat was on was purposely left out to let people assume the children were cold, making things more dramatic.

Donna,
Then you haven’t been to real wine tastings. At a true wine tasting noone swallows. For the simple reason that they do not want the consumption of alcohol to affect them. They also bring thru an assortment of cheese and some fruits to cleanse the pallet between wines. It is all about the senses, not impairing the senses.

Warren, guess what? Compared to you, every 1 year old IS a wimp and that’s how it’s SUPPOSED to be. Just because big tough Warren can sit outside (not moving) for and hour in warm clothing (but no socks) and not feel cold does not mean that it is not an entirely reasonable conclusion that a 1 and 2 year old were unpleasantly cold.

@Amanda, I’m not going to go dig it up (you can do that if you like) but the story I read said in no uncertain terms that the cars was off (no heat) and locked. I presume it got that from the police report.

If you think that every story written or every video report is deciding to change a fact in the case, go right ahead. The police report is available with the specifics.

Warren, there is just “wine tasting”…not “real wine tasting” and “fake wine tasting”. Sometimes people swallow (my guess is most, especially those held at bars or restaurants), some don’t. Today there are even beer tastings and you get a small glass of various beers.

If I give them the benefit of the doubt on that part, they still did an extremely self centered and unkind/improper thing to some toddlers. In my opinion.

“Charges against Chang and Lucas were reduced to two counts of attempted child neglect.” . . . Doesn’t attempted neglect sound like an oxymoron?

@JT — no one ever said the parents were going to “get 10 years”..and in fact the charges have already been reduced. The “10 years” is click bait (imo) because it’s at the end of the spectrum for the original charges (which cover more than just this specific scenario). That’s why we have an actual legal process right? I’m not sure what else you have/have not read, but they didn’t leave for 5 minutes, they were attending a wine tasting (as confirmed by the restaurant).

“Okay, so you’re against this based on the possible feelings of the children, not on physical possibilities — danger risks, risk of getting cold etc.?”

Nope, I’m opposed to it for both reasons. There was a risk of cold due to the temperatures. There was also definite distress on the part of the children. According to the article posted by E in which the charges were lowered: “A pedestrian called 911 around 4:30 p.m. after she heard a little girl crying hysterically as she walked by the vehicle in Foggy Bottom, according to police.” The child was screaming BEFORE the police were even called and mama and daddy didn’t arrive until AFTER the police so they weren’t exactly dropping everything to get to their distressed children.

And, if one needs to tie their child to a chair for an hour in the house to shovel snow to get somewhere, that would certainly seem legitimate, even if the child is distressed. That is a HUGE jump to “we need to tie our children to a chair for an hour so that we can go enjoy ourselves without them.”

“I also think that if the car were actually cold it would have been mentioned”

It IS mentioned. They make it very clear in every article I’ve read that the car was cold. You are the only person who has read this article on this entire blog who is insisting that it was a warm, toasty car. Even people who don’t think this is a problem seem to still understand that the car was cold. I don’t think 50 of us are wrong and you are right.

And, since it is less safe to leave the car running, I imagine that it would have been mentioned if it was running. Just like I assume it would be mentioned if the parents came back to the car tipsy. Both would be highly sensational situations that would not have been left out of this story.

And I call BS on you ever leaving your car running while parked on the streets of Chicago for an hour. If for no reason other than nobody wastes that much gas.

But, frankly, yes, I think children should be treated as the human beings that they are, not less than because they are too young to fight back. I would not find it acceptable to tie an adult to a car seat and leave them there against their will for an hour while I went and had fun so I don’t find it acceptable to do to a child either.

“According to the article posted by E in which the charges were lowered: ‘A pedestrian called 911 around 4:30 p.m. after she heard a little girl crying hysterically as she walked by the vehicle in Foggy Bottom, according to police.’ The child was screaming BEFORE the police were even called and mama and daddy didn’t arrive until AFTER the police so they weren’t exactly dropping everything to get to their distressed children.”

That is not consistent with the original Washington Post story, which says, “The initial call about the children came to police about 4:30 p.m. that day by a State Department lawyer who lives in a condominium above where the car was parked. He told police he watched the car for 20 minutes and called when no one showed up.”

I don’t think you can fairly conclude (at least based on those two articles) that the child was screaming before the police were called. Also, do we know why the dad showed up? The news reports imply it was just him, not the wife too – it sounds to me like maybe he did come out because he heard his daughter crying, and that could have been because the police were breaking the car window.

Warren, I have in fact been to real wine tastings. Real high-end gala wine tastings hosted by the owners of the vineyards who made the wines (our office represented a few back in my corporate law days). And there are ALWAYS people who swallow.

But that aside, why are you so sure that THIS is a “real” wine tasting? Were you there? Are these your friends so know that they only attend “real” wine tastings?

I agree that they most likely weren’t tipsy when they got to the car because there is no way that isn’t mentioned in this article if it is true. But that could easily be because, even when swallowing, it is really hard to get drunk at a wine tasting. It is not like you get a whole glass. You get a single sip of 6-8 wines. If 6-8 sips of wine makes you tipsy, you may want to pick a different hobby.

@Jen P — one of the articles I read said that on the Ritz Carlton security camera, there is no footage that shows a parent approaching the car after they originally left. It does not indicate how far from the car the camera shows, but one would think more than a few feet (since it is a security camera, you’d presume it is not trained on parking spot on the street).

So the Dad showed up, perhaps they heard commotion on the iPhone or maybe the noticed a police are or EMS drive by. I would think either of those things my pique your interest when your kids are around the corner locked in a car.

Yes, we are all going on bits of info (as always). You can decide to give them a benefit of the doubt or not. Some of their actions *appear* to be quite questionable.

Unfortunately some people, parents or not, lack sense.
In this case- it sounds like these people were drunk before heading to the wine tasting.
Leaving kids in cars for any period of time, especially toddlers- is just plain stupid.
I’m all for unconventional parenting and doing what it takes- but to neglect your kids blatantly for the sake of a wine tasting requires serious psychological assistance. Not jail.

Good grief. Coming late to the party, rather like these crazy parents, but wow! As if it is ever alright to leave very young children locked up in a car for that length of time without being able to sight them. This is not a free range issue.

It is, however, also ridiculous to possibly incur ten years in jail for what is pure stupidity (though Donna points out that’s an unlikely outcome). Still, in a country with a medieval attitude to crime and punishment, maybe that’s just par for the course.

What these parents need is a public shaming (they’ve got that), a stiff fine, and a mandatory course in parenting.

What these children need is their parents.

Prison for the parents will destroy the family and cause the children unnecessary misery for the rest of their lives.

“Doesn’t attempted neglect sound like an oxymoron?”

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I was thinking the exact same thing. I guess these parents were trying to be neglectful, but couldn’t quite make it.

When you say “face a 10-year sentence”, what you mean is that the parents did something which was negligent and cruel (strapped in a car seat for an hour without parents around).

The judge has the job of deciding what level of punishment/education the parents need. I think it is good and right. If not the judge, then who.

At some level, even in a healthy free-range society, we need to be willing to question some parenting styles. Yes, both myself and my husband recall being left along in cars for hours as a child (while parents were in the pub), however it is not a parenting style to get nostalgic about.

“While I don’t think any of us believe it’s a good idea to have two very young kids stuck alone in a car for that long, on a 35 degree day, strapped into their seats,” “As wacky as that sounds”

Yet so many people here start by saying that for them, this is not Free-Range…
Maybe you should make a separate page on this site to bust some myths and explain what FRK is NOT (neglect, letting kids do whatever they want, etc). You know, for all those people who cite that crime-security-thingy article or who hear about Izzy on the subway and then go ‘Oh, I have a 5-year-old but I wouldn’t put her on the subway!’ or other irrelevant stuff because they have some misconception of what FRK is.

@David, Lenore is not saying this behavior was acceptable. She is asking, and we are discussing, if a 10-year prison sentence is appropriate punishment; especially considering that sentences for violent crimes are often far less than 10 years.