Pages

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Do child abductions occur in Ireland?

I'm only asking this because today I saw a mother in the self-checkout line at the grocery store. I guess someone told her there was a hot deal on canned soda and she took off back down the aisles to get some more. When doing this she left her young son (probably two years old) sitting in his stroller at the checkout. I'd say she was gone for a full five minutes. Thankfully he was okay and I know this because I stared at him the entire time to make sure! I see this kind of behaviour all the time. People walking down a crowded Henry Street not paying attention to their young child wandering along behind them. One day we were in Howth and there was a tiny baby in a stroller just sitting on the sidewalk. It didn't seem this child belonged to anyone, so of course I was freaking out. I made Wes stand there with me until we saw some people (that I can only assume were the parents) got out of a nearby parked car and put the baby inside. WTF!? It only takes a second for that child to be snatched up! I never noticed people doing this kind of thing in the US, even in the grocery store in my parent's small town. Maybe I'm just being paranoid...

5 comments:

  1. I can NOT stand this either. I do see it sometimes. I wanna scream " I totally could have just stolen your BABY!!!" But then I look like a creep and the bad parents are still bad. Another thing that drives me nuts? When kids aren't dressed properly for the winter. I saw a lady at Walmart (shocker) completely bundled up herself and her baby was in a onesie and wrapped in, I kid you not, a towel. Middle of winter.
    Breaks my heart.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know what you mean it freaks me out! I know someone once who was having coffee with her friend on a very very busy high street in London and saw here nanny and son in a stroller (but she didn't see her). She watched the nanny park the stroller outside and go into a store so she did what any sensible mother would do- walked over to the stroller and walked off! I would have loved to see that nannies face when she walked out the store!

    my general understanding is that is most common in Denmark. That it's considered normal to park your kid outside the restaurant/shop. But of course Denmark is a much safer country...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well, Katie...you WERE at Wal Mart! Ha! Seriously though, that's ridiculous.

    Jessica - That is a brilliant story! Well done to that mother! I knew there was a country where parking the stroller outside was quite common, but I couldn't remember which one. Yeah, Dublin city centre is certainly not the same as Denmark!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Weirdness... Makes you wonder what they say to defend themselves if their kid did actually get taken. I'm certain the McCanns thought their kids were perfectly safe in the hotel room too...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my goodness, I have thought to myself just what Katie said : I could have just stolen your baby. Not that I would, but it's the principal of the matter. I don't think parents should smother children, but when they're walking along with their little kid several paces (or more) *behind* them, it just drives me crazy. Not only could they be kidnapped, but they could turn off and wander into the middle of the road. There are just so many things wrong with it.

    ReplyDelete