Well don't I feel like a jerk

Alicia-N-2SafeBugs · Nov 21, 2006

A friend of mine told me that her dd's carseat is 7 years old and her ds' booster doesn't adjust the seatbelt correctly so I got to talking to her about carseats. She has ordered a Marathon for dd and a Turbo Booster for ds, but they won't arrive until after Thanksgiving and they are taking a trip this week. I told her I would loan her my Roundabout for her dd and a high back booster for her ds until her new seats arrive. We had a Girl's Night Out tonight, so I brought the seats and went out with her to her van to show her how to use the seats. Her dd's seat was there when she opened the van door and I grabbed onto the seat to see how tight it was----and it moved all the way over and back. The seatbelt wasn't locked at all. I gasped and said "oh my gosh, you're giving me a heart attack!" I totally hurt her feelings and I feel like such a jerk! I'm usually pretty tactful and polite. It was late (after midnight) so I was tired and I was seriously shocked by the carseat moving so far. I didn't mean to be rude! I feel horrible.

Simplysomething · Nov 21, 2006

Alicia-N-2SafeBugs said:
Her dd's seat was there when she opened the van door and I grabbed onto the seat to see how tight it was----and it moved all the way over and back. The seatbelt wasn't locked at all. I gasped and said "oh my gosh, you're giving me a heart attack!" I totally hurt her feelings and I feel like such a jerk! I'm usually pretty tactful and polite. It was late (after midnight) so I was tired and I was seriously shocked by the carseat moving so far. I didn't mean to be rude! I feel horrible.

Don't feel horrible. If she'd have paid attention...well, it wouldn't have been like that. (How did she react?).

Ah, bah, it was after midnight, you were tired...you do actually care about friends children...etc.

gwenvet · Nov 21, 2006

That's what friends are for...to tell you how they really feel and to make your kids more safe if you are doing someting wrong...even if it hurts your feelings. I thought I had overreacted last week when at mom's group I overheard a friend saying that she had turned her 13mo old FF. I interrupted and from across the room said loudly and disbelievingly..."YOU WHAT?" I apologized the next day and she actually thanked me and said that she felt good knowing that I felt like I knew her well enough to be honest with my feelings. She also spent that evening with her husband looking at crash test videos and doing online research about CSS. Her email to me a day later simply read.."Did some research...switching her back ASAP." Hopefully, along with your drama, you shed some light on a scarry and potentially lethal situation that she can now avoid because you educated her how to be a safer parent. You did something good!

lovinwaves · Nov 21, 2006

Awwww, I have done that too. Where something just "slips" right out of my mouth. In the the end your reaction was because you care about her children. Hopefully she won't be offended, or stay upset with you.

Alicia-N-2SafeBugs · Nov 21, 2006

Thanks, that made me feel better! I think she was just really embarrassed which made it worse. Today, I checked another friend's seats and the install on that seat was like Dejavu from last night! Luckily I managed to be nice and tactful today.

scatterbunny · Nov 21, 2006

Don't feel bad. You're a good friend.

I would react the same way to such a loose install. I don't understand how people can think it's okay to install a carseat without locking the seatbelt.

Victorious4 · Nov 21, 2006

I had a hard time being tactful amidst my shock when I checked a seat that literally had everything possible wrong with it -- straps had been wahsed & ironed but still like twisty ropes (all 3 of which are BAD), kiddo was FF too soon, installed with RF routing using both LATCH + seatbelt, seatbelt not locked & moving about 4", tethered to a spring

add ons + projectiles galore, wrong harness slots, expired.... *UGH*

Well don't I feel like a jerk

Alicia-N-2SafeBugs

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Simplysomething

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gwenvet

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lovinwaves

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Alicia-N-2SafeBugs

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scatterbunny

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Victorious4

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