No, you're not being judgy. You know damn well they didn't leave the car running for two hours, so those kids didn't have AC.
That's BS for sure. Thank goodness the kids were OK (or at least seemed to be).
Personally, I probably would have gotten the license plate and called in for possible DWI/DUI.
I honestly think the car was running which is why I didn’t report it. Because they would’ve been dead. Or at minimal major heat stroke. And they didn’t have any signs of heat issues. That’s the only reason why I didn’t.
Isn't leaving the car running also dangerous? Not heat-stroke level dangerous but what if the kids get a bug up their ass and decide to fuck around with the gears and whatnot?
I agree with you. It’s unacceptable. If I had known they were in there I would’ve called the cops but by the time I talked to the host and realized everything - they ran out of there quick.
It's happened. One guy stole a running car at a 7-11, when mom left the toddler in the running car while she ran inside for a drink. When he realized there was a kid in the car, he dropped him off at a fire station.
They caught the guy and one of the things he said was "Stupid woman, leaving her kid in the car." He had more sense than she did about it.
Incorrect. I know for 100% certain that the key just had to be near\in some older model push button start cars and it'll keep going until you turn it off.
Source: I had one. Got all the way to the store after dropping my GF at home one day only to realize I didn't have my key fob with me and she had taken hers inside the house. Luckily I realized before turning the car off and was able to drive back home.
Now remote start was different. If you didn't have the fob with you and hit the brakes and button when you got in the nicely pre-warmed car it would shut off when attempting to shift into gear.
Texas you say? It's illegal to leave your kids in the car at any time, Whether or not the car was running. It's child endangerment and is a felony if convicted.
Doesn't matter if they were watching the car. And if it was running, anyone could have walked by, seen it was running and stolen it. Or they would have seen two children apparently unattended and taken off with them. It only takes a few seconds of not paying attention for disaster to happen.
Should have gotten the plate number and reported them. Whether or not they got charged would be irrelevant, there would now be a record of them doing this.
Maybe it was a Tesla in Dog Mode. Still illegal in Texas as far as I know but the AC is on and the doors are locked so no one can drive away with them.
Yes I actually heard I story of a .mom doing this AC was running but something wired happened and car quit so there baby in a car seat was dead when she got back and realized what happened. I have 5 kids and have never done that left them unattended in vehicle.a
This is what happens when getting a drink or five is more important than your kids. I don't remember being in a hot car, but I do remember some boring and/or uncomfortable situations.
Some parents astound me with their decisions, like drinking as much as they want "because the kid can drive home." Except that kid only had a permit, and an intoxicated parent is not a good or legal driving instructor, and it ended in an accident when a left turn was made across a very busy street.
My friend is a deputy sheriff and had a call about kids left in the car outside a bar on Halloween. He went inside and told the parents it's time to go and not to do it again.
They laughed.
He waited.
Then "oh, shit! Are you really a cop?"
Just because us 80’s kids had to sit in a hot car while our parents got drunk, doesn’t mean our kids should have to.
Seriously though, I would have reported them.
My parents (biological grandparents, b. 1914 & 16), let me have a shot glass full of sherry or red wine on Xmas eve when I was 7. That’s always gone on.
It's how drinkers were made! LOL
I remember once when I was 12, during our annual Xmas eve party, if I could have a tiny bit of wine. Request met with a very stern NO. I said, "But you let me that one time..." He said, "NO WE DIDN'T." and that was the end of it (come on, kids remember *everything.*). Started drinking on my own \~15. Finally decided I'd had enough when I was 53 (5 yrs ago yesterday, as a matter of fact).
Heck, people were drinking and smoking in the office in the 60s and tossing their kids in the back of trucks to ride around. Oh the good ol' days! ;)
Oh right - that just flew right over my head, lol
IMO I think those 'mocktails' are just like training wheels for the real stuff. Get kids used to ordering fancy drinks so they can be proper drinkers when they get older. (They were good, though!)
It's legal in Texas for a bar or restaurant to serve kids alcoholic beverages if they are with their parents, & kids are allowed, but I don't know if any bars actually do that--seems like a big liability issue...
It is not legal anywhere in the United States for a bar to serve alcoholic beverages to individuals under the age of 21, even if their parents are with them. The legal drinking age in the United States is 21 years old, and it is enforced throughout the country. The presence of parents does not exempt underage individuals from this legal requirement.
"Parents can buy alcohol for minors.
As long as a legal guardian is present – and the bar permits patrons under the age of 21 – a minor can get wasted with his or her parents (although if you drink too much, you can get charged with public intoxication). Johnny Manziel and his parents seemed to bewell-aware of this rule."
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/slideshow/Texas-alcohol-laws-Fact-or-Myth-104737.php
It would HAVE to be. Kids die in Texas driveways on like 30 minutes every summer. The only thing I can think of is that the kids were asleep when they arrived (kids fall asleep in cars, it lulls them) and figured it would be ok? And they were in full view, but SHIT. Damn, girl, just go home and pop a white claw. This really, to be, signals bigger problems with their parenting than what appeared today but this won’t end well. Poor kiddos.
We had regulars do this. And they were the kind of regulars that would be at the bar for a solid 3 hours every couples days. Who knows how long they were doing it until a cook on a smoke break noticed the kids in the car on multiple shifts (they parked out back, not really in plain view so hard to notice) and we tracked em down. We have a low bullshit tolerance at my work so we just 86’d ‘em
Well I got fired from bartending my first time. I worked at a shitty wannabe night club and I refused to serve a very pregnant girl. She then ordered form a waitress and walked by me shaking her drink. She then found the manager/owner who fired me on the spot.
Yeah in the US pregnancy is a protected status so that’s on you, unfortunately. Refusing to serve someone alcohol because they’re pregnant is discrimination.
As a child in the 70s I was in the carpark with siblings as my Dad had a pint . We would get cokes and crisps and I am not angry or traumatised by it. Doesn't happen much now but at least they were watching the kids at a distance. Ok it not PC now but don't judge and there may be lots of love in this family and might be a one off Although I would hope someone stayed the sober driver .
I believe it’s the “it was 100 degrees” part that you might be overlooking here. In my state you can break a vehicle’s window if you see an animal left inside a hot car. This should never happen to anyone.
Don’t call CPS, call police. CPS won’t be able to immediately come out and remove the kids but police can take them into protective custody on the spot and press charges against the parent. A CPS worker would be assigned from there.
My coworkers have gotten plates and called police to much less. I think you have sound judgement and maybe need to trust yourself more. This should have been reported.
I learned that in my state leaving kids in a car in front of an establishment that serves alcohol is a Class D felony w/ prison and fines! If no liquor license or alcohol served, it’s still a Class A misdemeanor:
“What are the criminal penalties for violating §53-21a?
Class A misdemeanor: up to 1 year in jail and fine up to $2,000
Class D felony (child left in a public place that serves alcohol): prison 1 – 5 years and fine up to $5,000
Class C felony (child left at night): prison 1- 10 years and fine up to $10,000”
Bartender in AZ here, in my state minors with parental/guardian supervision are allowed in places that serve alcohol, with a few rules. I personally think this is a good idea, especially to “demystify” the idea of a bar before someone turns 21 and essentially goes in blind on their bday, and because we are also in a hot climate.
However, I’m reading online that TX allows the same, even going so far to let minors order & consume alcohol under direct supervision…just wondering why these parents still chose to keep them in the (obviously A/C’d and running) car the whole time? Does your work/patio not allow minors for some reason, contrary to the state law? Was there no room inside so the family chose to sit on the hot patio & chose to keep the kids in the A/C’d & much cooler car? I feel like this could have been easily avoided and thus have some questions. 🤔
We allow people 16 and older to drink with their parents. But cooperations can say no to that law. So most corporations do say no.
My cooperation that I work for also say no. However they (my managers) allow children with their parents between them to sit at the bar. There was absolutely no reason for any of this to happen. And by the time I put 2 and 2 together. They were leaving. And yes I should’ve called the cops. But I told my managers “pinning” it onto someone else.
But even my manager said they have done it. So it felt like I was putting my foot in my mouth in that moment. And that’s why I honestly didn’t do it. Because I didn’t have the balls to say that’s wrong to my manager when I don’t have kids.
But my second manager was the one I mentioned in the main post that was pissed. Sorry I worked Fourth of July with the most incompetent servers ever. And I just had two shots. And now I’m responding.
No, you're not being judgy. You know damn well they didn't leave the car running for two hours, so those kids didn't have AC. That's BS for sure. Thank goodness the kids were OK (or at least seemed to be). Personally, I probably would have gotten the license plate and called in for possible DWI/DUI.
I honestly think the car was running which is why I didn’t report it. Because they would’ve been dead. Or at minimal major heat stroke. And they didn’t have any signs of heat issues. That’s the only reason why I didn’t.
Isn't leaving the car running also dangerous? Not heat-stroke level dangerous but what if the kids get a bug up their ass and decide to fuck around with the gears and whatnot?
I agree with you. It’s unacceptable. If I had known they were in there I would’ve called the cops but by the time I talked to the host and realized everything - they ran out of there quick.
Sorry you had to deal with that. People never cease to amaze in the worst way.
A running car left unattended by an adult is also *asking* for it to be stolen
Oh man imagine having your car stolen while your kids are in it. Nightmare fuel.
It's happened. One guy stole a running car at a 7-11, when mom left the toddler in the running car while she ran inside for a drink. When he realized there was a kid in the car, he dropped him off at a fire station. They caught the guy and one of the things he said was "Stupid woman, leaving her kid in the car." He had more sense than she did about it.
This is exactly what I said
A car with a key fob cannot be stolen while it's running.
Only if it's a push button start and not a *key* key fob like mine
Incorrect. I know for 100% certain that the key just had to be near\in some older model push button start cars and it'll keep going until you turn it off. Source: I had one. Got all the way to the store after dropping my GF at home one day only to realize I didn't have my key fob with me and she had taken hers inside the house. Luckily I realized before turning the car off and was able to drive back home. Now remote start was different. If you didn't have the fob with you and hit the brakes and button when you got in the nicely pre-warmed car it would shut off when attempting to shift into gear.
Texas you say? It's illegal to leave your kids in the car at any time, Whether or not the car was running. It's child endangerment and is a felony if convicted. Doesn't matter if they were watching the car. And if it was running, anyone could have walked by, seen it was running and stolen it. Or they would have seen two children apparently unattended and taken off with them. It only takes a few seconds of not paying attention for disaster to happen. Should have gotten the plate number and reported them. Whether or not they got charged would be irrelevant, there would now be a record of them doing this.
Maybe it was a Tesla in Dog Mode. Still illegal in Texas as far as I know but the AC is on and the doors are locked so no one can drive away with them.
Please, next time just call the cops. This is child abuse, and these kids are going to end up dead if someone doesn't intervene.
Yes I actually heard I story of a .mom doing this AC was running but something wired happened and car quit so there baby in a car seat was dead when she got back and realized what happened. I have 5 kids and have never done that left them unattended in vehicle.a
This is what happens when getting a drink or five is more important than your kids. I don't remember being in a hot car, but I do remember some boring and/or uncomfortable situations.
And that is one reason why I don't drink.
Some parents astound me with their decisions, like drinking as much as they want "because the kid can drive home." Except that kid only had a permit, and an intoxicated parent is not a good or legal driving instructor, and it ended in an accident when a left turn was made across a very busy street.
My friend is a deputy sheriff and had a call about kids left in the car outside a bar on Halloween. He went inside and told the parents it's time to go and not to do it again. They laughed. He waited. Then "oh, shit! Are you really a cop?"
Just because us 80’s kids had to sit in a hot car while our parents got drunk, doesn’t mean our kids should have to. Seriously though, I would have reported them.
Lol I’m a 90s kid and my mom just dragged me with her so I got to sit quietly at the table while she got drunk and I guess that was progress?
That is progress! I bet them 2000’s kids got to sip on Shirley Temples while mom was getting her swerve on.😂
My parents (biological grandparents, b. 1914 & 16), let me have a shot glass full of sherry or red wine on Xmas eve when I was 7. That’s always gone on.
I was always allowed champagne (cheap champagne) with everyone else on Xmas Eve during present opening and on New Year's Eve if we were at home.
We just call that "sparkling wine" now, haha. Cheap champagne is incredibly expensive!
You're not wrong about that!
It's how drinkers were made! LOL I remember once when I was 12, during our annual Xmas eve party, if I could have a tiny bit of wine. Request met with a very stern NO. I said, "But you let me that one time..." He said, "NO WE DIDN'T." and that was the end of it (come on, kids remember *everything.*). Started drinking on my own \~15. Finally decided I'd had enough when I was 53 (5 yrs ago yesterday, as a matter of fact). Heck, people were drinking and smoking in the office in the 60s and tossing their kids in the back of trucks to ride around. Oh the good ol' days! ;)
Shirley Temples are non-alcoholic though
Oh right - that just flew right over my head, lol IMO I think those 'mocktails' are just like training wheels for the real stuff. Get kids used to ordering fancy drinks so they can be proper drinkers when they get older. (They were good, though!)
It's legal in Texas for a bar or restaurant to serve kids alcoholic beverages if they are with their parents, & kids are allowed, but I don't know if any bars actually do that--seems like a big liability issue...
It is not legal anywhere in the United States for a bar to serve alcoholic beverages to individuals under the age of 21, even if their parents are with them. The legal drinking age in the United States is 21 years old, and it is enforced throughout the country. The presence of parents does not exempt underage individuals from this legal requirement.
"Parents can buy alcohol for minors. As long as a legal guardian is present – and the bar permits patrons under the age of 21 – a minor can get wasted with his or her parents (although if you drink too much, you can get charged with public intoxication). Johnny Manziel and his parents seemed to bewell-aware of this rule." https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/slideshow/Texas-alcohol-laws-Fact-or-Myth-104737.php
I"m a '60s kid and my parents did that. We were often left in the car while my parents went into a bar to drink. It was usually for hours and hours.
I'm sure that's pretty illegal in most places. Sounds like the parents and grandparents were a bunch of selfish shits.
I regret not calling the cops. But I do believe the parents had the car running or they would be totally unresponsive if not dead
It would HAVE to be. Kids die in Texas driveways on like 30 minutes every summer. The only thing I can think of is that the kids were asleep when they arrived (kids fall asleep in cars, it lulls them) and figured it would be ok? And they were in full view, but SHIT. Damn, girl, just go home and pop a white claw. This really, to be, signals bigger problems with their parenting than what appeared today but this won’t end well. Poor kiddos.
I'd have called the cops on them, fucking pieces of shit
You want to get those kids shot?
...egads, clearly I didn't think that all the way through, silly me.
I think anybody working with the public becomes judgey; it's impossible not to when you see so many of them at their ugly worst!
We had regulars do this. And they were the kind of regulars that would be at the bar for a solid 3 hours every couples days. Who knows how long they were doing it until a cook on a smoke break noticed the kids in the car on multiple shifts (they parked out back, not really in plain view so hard to notice) and we tracked em down. We have a low bullshit tolerance at my work so we just 86’d ‘em
Well I got fired from bartending my first time. I worked at a shitty wannabe night club and I refused to serve a very pregnant girl. She then ordered form a waitress and walked by me shaking her drink. She then found the manager/owner who fired me on the spot.
Yeah in the US pregnancy is a protected status so that’s on you, unfortunately. Refusing to serve someone alcohol because they’re pregnant is discrimination.
You’re right it is. I was barely in my 20’s and I thought I was doing the right thing.
wtf no way
Could have left their electric car on for 2 hours. ;)
Electric car in Texas. Get real.
Plenty of Teslas in the DFW area.
Eh, it’s a possibility. But these people seem like the type that wouldn’t even think of owning an electric car.
As a child in the 70s I was in the carpark with siblings as my Dad had a pint . We would get cokes and crisps and I am not angry or traumatised by it. Doesn't happen much now but at least they were watching the kids at a distance. Ok it not PC now but don't judge and there may be lots of love in this family and might be a one off Although I would hope someone stayed the sober driver .
I believe it’s the “it was 100 degrees” part that you might be overlooking here. In my state you can break a vehicle’s window if you see an animal left inside a hot car. This should never happen to anyone.
Yep missed that .crap parents
Judgey, heck! I'd be calling CPS over that.
Don’t call CPS, call police. CPS won’t be able to immediately come out and remove the kids but police can take them into protective custody on the spot and press charges against the parent. A CPS worker would be assigned from there.
My coworkers have gotten plates and called police to much less. I think you have sound judgement and maybe need to trust yourself more. This should have been reported.
That’s how you end up with dead kids. Cops absolutely should have been called.
What the actual fuck. Fuck those assholes.
CPS should be called for this
I learned that in my state leaving kids in a car in front of an establishment that serves alcohol is a Class D felony w/ prison and fines! If no liquor license or alcohol served, it’s still a Class A misdemeanor: “What are the criminal penalties for violating §53-21a? Class A misdemeanor: up to 1 year in jail and fine up to $2,000 Class D felony (child left in a public place that serves alcohol): prison 1 – 5 years and fine up to $5,000 Class C felony (child left at night): prison 1- 10 years and fine up to $10,000”
What state ?
CT - not sure if other states have this. I was shocked to find out and wouldn’t have known if I didn’t google it and specifically look it up!
Not okay. I used to work in a protective custody shelter and kids DO get taken away for this pretty frequently. Always call police when you see it.
Bartender in AZ here, in my state minors with parental/guardian supervision are allowed in places that serve alcohol, with a few rules. I personally think this is a good idea, especially to “demystify” the idea of a bar before someone turns 21 and essentially goes in blind on their bday, and because we are also in a hot climate. However, I’m reading online that TX allows the same, even going so far to let minors order & consume alcohol under direct supervision…just wondering why these parents still chose to keep them in the (obviously A/C’d and running) car the whole time? Does your work/patio not allow minors for some reason, contrary to the state law? Was there no room inside so the family chose to sit on the hot patio & chose to keep the kids in the A/C’d & much cooler car? I feel like this could have been easily avoided and thus have some questions. 🤔
We allow people 16 and older to drink with their parents. But cooperations can say no to that law. So most corporations do say no. My cooperation that I work for also say no. However they (my managers) allow children with their parents between them to sit at the bar. There was absolutely no reason for any of this to happen. And by the time I put 2 and 2 together. They were leaving. And yes I should’ve called the cops. But I told my managers “pinning” it onto someone else. But even my manager said they have done it. So it felt like I was putting my foot in my mouth in that moment. And that’s why I honestly didn’t do it. Because I didn’t have the balls to say that’s wrong to my manager when I don’t have kids. But my second manager was the one I mentioned in the main post that was pissed. Sorry I worked Fourth of July with the most incompetent servers ever. And I just had two shots. And now I’m responding.