autumnlily
New member
I couldn't even post about it last night - I was angry, empathatic and just wishing I could of helped...
At the grocery store - in the car next to me was a crying infant in her bucket seat...used correctly. (2 adult women in front seat), but then I saw this little bobbing head. It was a child no older than 1.5 years old, asleep in a regular seat belt. No booster, no child seat. I didn't notice him at first b/c the three year old bouncing around the back seat caught my eye... as he didn't have a seat either. A pre-teen was loading the groceries in the trunk of the car and put her cart between our vehicles and I asked her to move it - the entire family didn't speak an ounce of English and although I can understand some Russian, I can't speak it.
I seriously looked at the 4 seats in my van and would have simply given them one if I believed they would use it - I was so sad for the two unrestrained children... and then it got worse, the pre-teen loaded herself in the backseat and buckled herself in while the 3 year-old sat on the floor between her feet.
There was no law enforcement officer to be seen ... and I knew they saw me staring at the lack of seats, it was a slow motion horror flick without a decent ending.
Simply, the guilt of turning my oldest DD FF at one year old (before I encouraged myself to know better ) has completely faded. I will no longer beat myself up about it after seeing these two babies unrestrained completely in their car.
At the grocery store - in the car next to me was a crying infant in her bucket seat...used correctly. (2 adult women in front seat), but then I saw this little bobbing head. It was a child no older than 1.5 years old, asleep in a regular seat belt. No booster, no child seat. I didn't notice him at first b/c the three year old bouncing around the back seat caught my eye... as he didn't have a seat either. A pre-teen was loading the groceries in the trunk of the car and put her cart between our vehicles and I asked her to move it - the entire family didn't speak an ounce of English and although I can understand some Russian, I can't speak it.
I seriously looked at the 4 seats in my van and would have simply given them one if I believed they would use it - I was so sad for the two unrestrained children... and then it got worse, the pre-teen loaded herself in the backseat and buckled herself in while the 3 year-old sat on the floor between her feet.
There was no law enforcement officer to be seen ... and I knew they saw me staring at the lack of seats, it was a slow motion horror flick without a decent ending.
Simply, the guilt of turning my oldest DD FF at one year old (before I encouraged myself to know better ) has completely faded. I will no longer beat myself up about it after seeing these two babies unrestrained completely in their car.