were the parents wrong (15)

Not here to judge, but the responsibility of parents is the care, safety and well being of your children! Unfortunately this type of scenario is far too common than most realise. As a person who spent several years in law enforcement I have dealt with the trauma of having a child disappear, it is a parent's worst nightmare! Very often when I am out shopping or driving I see so many parents with their young children walking several feet behind them. I also see parents busy shopping while their children roam the stores, it only takes a moment to have someone remove them from the premises. Most of the time the children are 5 years of age and under, someone should be watching them and why is that parents don't even hold the hand of their child while crossing the street! In a hotel situation, what if a fire broke out, what if the child became ill, there is always a chance something could happen in the absence of a parent, so why take the chance? Last week a local child drowned at an amusement park in one of the water type activity rides. Nobody noticed the little boy age 4 slip under the water, the pool was crowded, it had a wave that gushed out water every few minutes and even though there were several lifeguards in attendance, it was difficult to monitor a pool this size in addition to being so crowded. The mother was seated outside the pool and sent her daughter who is I believe about 10 years of age to look for her brother. Why wasn't the mother watching her 4 year old? Why wasn't the child wearing a protective vest, questions I'm certain are now after the tragic loss being addressed? The bottom line is as a parent you need to be aware of where your young children are at all times for their safety and also to prevent the predators that are always ready to take advantage of circumstances when you are so obviously distracted. Let's keep our children safe, pay attention to where your children are and please don't leave them unattended!