a run in at kindy ! :(

I was dropping gabriel off this morning and parked behind a car with two kids in the back in car seats but not strapped in.. i get inside
and saw this dad at the table with the kids names just saying "it starts with J" over and over... i sidled over to suggest maybe he give him a clue with the colour of the label but the dad decided he'd had enough and just left it and told the kid goodbye and left... Ok, i thought hmmm funny man, poor kid looked miserable too.
i finished with gabriel and realised as i was leaving that his car was the one i was behind so i suggested that he do his kids car seats up... and OMG he got so angry at me... said it was none of my business - i told him it was if he had an accident and they were the first things to go thru the windscreen... then he said give me a break i've only had 2 hours sleep and i told him even more reason to buckle them in casue he is more likely to be involved in a an accident ... anyway he said "... the likes of you.." - when i asked what me meant by that he said i've seen you yell at your kids and i got angry at him and said - "well at least i help my kids". Then i told him i wasnt goint to leave until he had done his kids seatbelts up... so he was essentially trapped until i moved...

I was so angry... his kids were lovely looking things and he was endangering their lives... but then i started thinking about it and wondered if maybe i should have offered to help in some way... he had three kids and the 2 in the car had pjs on, he was tired - so maybe he was a single dad trying his hardest or facing some trajedy...     

I'm not sure what to do about it now...wondered maybe if i should try and talk to him about it...but he was very angry at me...

If you hadn't said anything, you would probably be beating yourself up about ignoring a dangerous situation... so you can't win either way.

I agree with the above comment - maybe try to see if there is anything you can do to help?

Tricky stuff, I guess we never understand what's going on in somebody elses life. But I do understand and believe you did the right thing insisting he buckled his kids in.
The above suggestions sound like a great idea, and if it doesn't go well, at least you can feel confident you tried etc.

Edited by Tiff

I think you did the right thing, confronting him about buckling his kids in (and not moving til he did! ).

Can't add anything else to what everyone else has said, hope it works out though and that he can see your point of view

Oh yeah I totally think you did the right thing too (don't know if that was clear in my above post) and he had no reason to be so rude to you! ... sounds like he was having a bad day....

I know we all know what sleep deprivation is like, but I don't think it's an excuse to get angry at someone who is only trying to help.

I agree with everyone. Even if he gets mad at you again, at least you know you tried to make amends.
Perhaps a note on his windshield, if you remember which car is his, if you want to avoid another confrontation.

I would say he's probably feeling a tad sheepish tonight (well, I hope so, anyway). Perhaps you'll be the one walking away with a plate of cookies

i wouldve done than exact same thing.

and even if he is a single dad and really tired thats no excuse not to be a responsable parent.

(excuse spelling)

I say good on you for saying something about the car seats!!
Nothing pisses me off more than seeing little kiddies bouncing round in the back of a moving car!
Regardless off whether he was tired or not he should think of his kids safety, you're right.

i also think you did the right thing, there are definitely no excuses for risking the safety of kids in a situation like that that he had full control of.. whats another 30 seconds to buckle a carseat? you were absolutely right to say something. who knows, he may have made a habit of it and next time he will think back to what you said and make the right choice??

Firstly, Well done you for saying something! Many others wouldn't have in that situation.

Maybe you could ask him if there is anything you could do to help him next time you see him???