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Oooh -- she's daisies! I was thinking about sending her a huge bouquet of riotously colored gerbera daisies!

I'm in love with Teppy. That would be bright! Cheery! and Perfect!

We don't leave sleeping toddlers in cars on city streets, right?

I'm home sick again today. I take the poor whining dog out for an empty. I'm cleaning up after her next to a car and a woman walks up to it. I tell her I'll wait until she pulls out. She says she's not leaving yet and walks away.

There is a little girl asleep in the car!

I was STUNNED. This is fucking New York City. There is a meth head panhandling fifty feet away. I look around for the woman, nothing. I hang out on the block figuring she'll be back any second, trying to think what the hell to do (I'm on cold medicine here). Was it accidental? Does she not know the kid is in the back? If I call the cops does this little girl end up in freakin foster care? I have no idea what to do.

15-20 minutes later the woman returns with a man (presumably her husband) "M'am, you left your baby inthe car" "Oh, she never wakes up, its fine. I was just over there" "I looked fo you, I didn't see you, you must have been gone twenty minutes" "Its none of your business" "You just LEFT HER" "she never wakes up" "what if someone TOOK HER?" "Do you have children? No? Well this is none of your business" "You can't DO that" "This is none of your busnies, what are you going to do?" "I have your plate, I'm calling the cops"

I walk to the payphone. She walks away. He gets in the car in no huge rush to leave but once the police FINALLY show up he has.

"Well, she came back, right? Sure, you or I might not have done that" "She LEFT the THREE YEAR OLD alone for twenty minutes" "well, there is nothing we can do about it, they're gone" "You have the plate. At least find out if there is a report on the family or something" "we don't know if that was their car" Clearly I'm annoying the police here. So sorry to be a trouble. "You're not going to chekc up on this?" "There's not really anything we can do. We're not children's services" "Could you CALL Children's Servies? Should *I* call Children's Services?" "Sure, you could do that, but we can't really do anything."

I call information to get the number. Info gives me a general city number. The general city number gives me a ACS number. It gives me ANOTHER ACS number. I finally get a person. She is suitably appalled. She's going to run the plate and look into it. I tell her I didn't write it down but its deffinately right on the 911 tape, I think it's __ __ ___"

ACS woman says the police don't always do this well. I ask if she can talk to the precinct about this "oh, we have our own link to DMV, its ok". (in other words, we don't bother) I feel sick.

Ha! Got the dress. And since I was outbid on the last dress like that and I'm STILL vexed about it, almost three months later, I'm even more pleased that I won the snipe war.

Oh, Trudy, I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. But I think you did the right thing.

Yikes Trudy. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Yay Jilli!!!!

vw is on her way to the doctor's. She had a good nap and was slightly concerned that her clothing didn't match, but is doing ok for now.

Trudy, I wouldn't wait that long before calling the cops. Any time they leave a kid in a car unattended is fucking bullshit. I take Owen and Olivia into the DRY CLEANERS with me and that only takes two minutes and it's a block from my house. I just. don't. do. it. Ever.

You did the right thing--and I wouldn't even argue with the woman. I'd just say, I called the cops on you. Because it's fucking wrong--my business or not. I did it.

Odds are that the child wouldn't be removed from the parents' custody--just the police would scare the parents into not doing that again. And it would be on record if it happened again. They could charge them with neglect or child endangering but better be safe than sorry when it comes to a child.

WFT? Who leaves toddlers alone in a car for 20 minutes anywhere, much less in a major metropolis? That sucks, Trudy--I'm glad you called everyone you could to try and raise some hell, even if it doesn't sound like it took.

I leave Em in the car at the ATM. I lock all the doors and I'm only 5 feet from her for 2 minutes at most, but I still feel horrid about it. And it's very very very rare.

I don't even like leaving my *cat* in the car alone for more than a few minutes.