Daughter goes to supermarket with one year old child in car. Opens boot to get pushchair, closes boot and finds car is locked. She had given keys to child to play with, who had pushed the lock button. Panic. Child crying. Phone in car. Friendly lady phones police and while waiting for them to come daughter sees a friend who happens to be a fireman. Police/fireman/daughter discuss problem and fireman goes off to get a window cutter to solve problem. So glad it was not a hot day.
Only people with access to house (and spare key) could not be contacted.
Where is the local car thief when you need him?
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As it is your daughter I shall be a little cautious.
Was it ever a good idea to give the keys to a child to play with?
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>> Was it ever a good idea to give the keys to a child to play
>> with?
I've said this to my daughter countless times.
From the first concurrence when they found the car unlocked and all the windows open (global unlocking). To the many times they can't find the keys, because a baby doesn't care where they drop the toy they've lost interest in.
I've never let kids play with my keys, remote controls, keyboards, etc..................................
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Total slobbish insanity. Have people no idea what's serious and what isn't?
Keys in pocket at all times when not in Herself's charge.
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I feel for your daughter. Sometimes anything that occupies a child for a few moments seems like a good idea at the time, even when you slap your own forehead 30 seconds later.
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Pooh! A well behaved child doesn't need keys "To play with."
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>> Pooh! A well behaved child doesn't need keys "To play with."
>>
In many families, these days, "a well-behaved child" is an oxymoron.
Harumph!
Last edited by: Roger. on Fri 28 Aug 15 at 08:10
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A one year old is a bit young to be thought of as badly behaved. Of course she should be given something to play with while Mum is loading the shopping or whatever. Just not the car keys
Last edited by: Manatee on Fri 28 Aug 15 at 08:29
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My Daughter was fine. My Grandson is fine. My keys are fine, but I'll probably regret that boast soon. O:-)
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I'm a little paranoid about keys. Always take my bunch upstairs at night and leave under bed ( so I don't tread on them if I need to get up). Never take them with me on holiday, leaving with relative or neighbour. Secure them in my rucksac on a clip, so they don't fall out with my waterproofs/ sandwiches.
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my quick morning view on this thread has confirmed to me that the majority of contributors on this site are miserable old child haters with extreme OCD.
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I don't consider myself old. Don't hate children, although I hate their parents with a vengeance when they let them run around shouting in my local at 7pm. Slightly OCD with regard to not wanting to lose my keys when out walking. I wouldn't want to have to retrace my steps looking for them in the dirt...185 miles on the last trip. I don't suppose Yogi or Y Lee Coyote would return them!
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Ben looks after all the keys, so now you'll know what to do if anything happens to me. (Yes, Palace of Westminster etc...). The keys are inside.
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Many years ago I was going through Cheddar Gorge. Parked to climb. (Don't think it is allowed now). Went to top and had a good look around. Arrived back at car but couldn't find keys. I did remember blowing my nose when at the top, so retraced my steps, found the "nose" location and saw keys on the grass.
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Sounds as if your daughter might have the "casual with keys" gene" :)
A nice present would be one of those teething toys that your grandsprog could chomp on/play with while waiting for Mum to load the car.
Last edited by: Manatee on Fri 28 Aug 15 at 10:43
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It's always depressing to see adults fail to get the essential nature of children, even their own. A parent who hands something important to a child as a plaything is as guilty of this as the miserable gits who expect small children to sit still and speak when spoken to.
These are the people who'll grow up to pay your pensions and care costs, while you squat on your 'hard'-(un)earned property wealth. With that to look forward to, I reckon they're entitled to make a little noise now.
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>>Many years ago I was going through Cheddar Gorge. Parked to climb. (Don't think it is allowed now). Went to top and had a good look around. Arrived back at car but couldn't find keys. I did remember blowing my nose when at the top, so retraced my steps, found the "nose" location and saw keys on the grass.
Was there not apparently a story when Top Gear took a Range Rover to the top of a summit, maybe even Ben Nevis? Clarkson was then helicoptered off and it was only when they got back to base he realised he still had the car keys?
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I'm afraid I have no sympathy whatsoever. If you cannot work out the consequences of your actions then you should not be in charge of a child at all.
Lucky it wasn't 40 degrees outside, with the car parked in the sun. By the time she got in to the car the child might have been dead.
Bet she doesn't do it again... (And if she doesn't do it again, it proves she was foolish to and that all the 'child haters' on this thread are right.)
Nothing to do with OCD or hating children. Everything to do with working out the consequences of your actions before you undertake them.
I wonder, was there a motoring offence there?
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You have obviously gone through life without ever making a mistake or doing something accidentally. Or are you just trying to wind us all up?
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>> You have obviously gone through life without ever making a mistake or doing something accidentally.
Or having a baby, I hope.
They are a delight, an exasperation, a full time distraction, and completely innocent. An understanding parent will put the baby at the top of their priorities the whole time they are looking after him, or her. Inevitably that results in the occasional mistake elsewhere.
I'm looking forward to a visit from our 10 month old grandaughter on Sunday. One of the benefits is that my daughter will have a bit of time to recover her sanity while we occupy ourselves and the baby for an hour or three.
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Maybe this was the first time the mother had given the child the keys, it really was a one-off 'Doh!' event and won't happen again. Or maybe it was a habit she'd got into before the child had the strength or coordination in her fingers to work the buttons, that suddenly found her out. Failure to think through in either case.
A new-parent contemporary of mine (early 2000s) used to refuse to put his hot pans and sharp knives out of reach of his infant daughter on the spurious grounds that an accident would be 'the best way for her to learn'. It never came to that, fortunately, and I doubt a court would have understood, but it was an appalling example of the same fault of judging children by adult standards. There are some situations that they're just not equipped to deal with, and we as adults have a duty not to put them in such situations.
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>>You have obviously gone through life without ever making a mistake or doing something accidentally.
I cannot conceive making that particular mistake. My car keys are either in my pocket, in the ignition or in their proper place at home (vaguely near the front door, in a place where they cannot be seen from outside).
And I would not give something valuable to a small child to play with. Ever.
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"I cannot conceive making that particular mistake. My car keys are either in my pocket, in the ignition or in their proper place at home (vaguely near the front door, in a place where they cannot be seen from outside)."
Blimey,
The phrase most uttered by me in this house after "has anyone seem my glasses?" is "has anyone seen my car keys?"
My wife alway knows where they are.
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Keys, and wallet I (almost) never misplace. Glasses I'm less good with though I try to keep them in one of half a dozen places. Mobile phone? Well that can get mislaid anywhere in the house but fortunately can be rung up. Anything else? Can't find it. To my certain knowledge there are a dozen tape measures in the house. Even one would be nice...
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>> >>You have obviously gone through life without ever making a mistake or doing something accidentally.
>>
>> I cannot conceive making that particular mistake. My car keys are either in my pocket,
>> in the ignition or in their proper place at home (vaguely near the front door,
>> in a place where they cannot be seen from outside).
>>
>> And I would not give something valuable to a small child to play with. Ever.
>>
I agree, I never gave anything like car keys to my children. I do even give them to SWMBO.
I had assumed the risks were obvious.
P.S. I/We have made mistakes and lost one of our toddlers on TWO trips to the same beach so we know how it affected us.
The first time he was a couple of feet away from us and then he was gone.
We think that when we were packing things in our bags with our heads down he looked and could not see our faces so went walkabout to find us. Someone " captured"him untill our search found him.
The other situation was one of " I thought he was with you!"but was quickly resolved.
l
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>> You have obviously gone through life without ever making a mistake or doing something accidentally.
Well he has never accidentally ever had any Kids. Or even planned.
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sanctimony n.
sanc·ti·mo·ny (săngk′tÉ™-mÅ′nÄ“)
Righteousness accompanied by an unwarranted attitude of moral or social superiority; smug or hypocritical righteousness.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Fri 28 Aug 15 at 12:20
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The children I come across now are grandchildren, or friends' children or grandchildren. There are a fair number who come here, stay in the house, visit for the day and so on.
Sometimes their sharp squeaky little voices set my teeth a bit on edge, especially when they are excited or quarrelling. One is more easily irritated by clamour at my age. But basically, and in general, I find them absolutely adorable and want to pat them on the head. They converse in a surprisingly mature manner sometimes.
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Sometimes their sharp squeaky little voices set my teeth a bit on edge, especially when they are excited or quarrelling. One is more easily irritated by clamour at my age. But basically, and in general, I find them absolutely adorable and want to pat them on the head. They converse in a surprisingly mature manner sometimes.
As a rule, children suffer from group unintelligence. A group together will often drive one to drink, but as the number in the group diminishes, the quality of any conversation with them rises, until one on one, they can be surprisingly mature. Got this illustrated big time when I gave a group of scouts a lift home (I am CRB checked, and do some work for the local scout group).
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>> As a rule, children suffer from group unintelligence. A group together will often drive one to drink,
They go collectively barmy sometimes but they don't usually mean any harm. Ours are mostly girls, but there are several boys of various sizes who are often here.
There was an endless boring discussion last night about the big trampoline set on a slight slope outside our front windows. The nippers bound high in the air on the thing and it's so obviously good exercise that it does one's heart good to see them. The other day though a boy tried some ambitious kind of back-flip dismount and broke both forearms, not too badly but no joke for a ten-year-old or thereabouts.
Herself, worrying perhaps about being sued for millions by the wrong sort of parent, feeling maternal concern for the children of course, and disliking the thought that as an adult here she might be held responsible for the self-maiming of some demented nipper, was in favour of banning children from the trampoline unless their parents or guardians are present.
I say demented, but they aren't suicidal or stupid. They look after each other to some extent too, and don't hesitate to sneak when they think someone else is taking serious risks.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Fri 28 Aug 15 at 15:05
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Well, I never thought I'd say this but as a female, and a mother, I am 100% in agreement with Mark as well as the others above who realise we're not all perfect.
Adults are not beyond learning lessons too and the 'inability to think things through' would have been learned in hindsight.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but some apparently don't need it!
Pat
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>> ... and fireman goes off to get a window cutter to solve problem.
I want to know how the window cutter worked on toughened glass?
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It was a fireman's window cutter. They took the roof off.
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>> It was a fireman's window cutter. They took the roof off.
The fireman's window cutter is called an axe.
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>> The fireman's window cutter is called an axe.
I still snigger at the memory of a sprauncy fireman I saw once, not at a fire but a lamb down a rabbit hole, fingering his holstered axe, fluttering his eyelashes seductively and saying sweetly: 'Wanna feel my chopper?'
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Are all car side windows still made of tempered glass? I seem to remember that some high end manufacturers were now using laminated glass.
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If - as seems likely - the little girl was still holding the key, I wonder if a bit of applied child psychology - and a few gestures through the window - would have got her fiddling again. Before long she'd have hit the Unlock button just as she found the other one earlier. These remote key fobs aren't difficult to use; I've heard they even let Vauxhall drivers have them these days.
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>> I wonder if a bit of applied child psychology..............
One of my children pressed the bobble down on the door - you know, the locking, sticky up, pushy down stick thing, on a car without central locking.
My children are bright, communicative and multilingual able to understand all manner of complex instructions, especially those calmly given by an educated and calm parent.
After five minutes I forced the lock. It was cheap compared to the stress. I proved my worth as a Father by not throttling her when I finally got the door open.
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More on Keys - Duncan
