I once heard someone say that they wished that there could be a guide book on parenting. We all know that there is no such a thing as hard and fast rules when it comes to being a parent but they can be guideposts along the way. The kind of parenting class that I am talking about is something which goes beyond the preventive stage, though.
I read an article yesterday about a mom who was ordered by the court to take parenting classes. Why? Because she left her kids in the car while she was playing poker. Here is an excerpt of the article:
A Grandville mom who left her kids in the car while she played in a charity poker game will have to pay $450 in fines and take some parenting classes.
Judge Steven Timmers told Diem Thi Tran Thursday that if she paid the fines and met other conditions within six months, her criminal record would show that the charges were dismissed.
Tran was at a charity poker event at Woody’s Press Box, 5656 Clyde Park Ave. SW, on April 23 when an officer said he found her three children asleep in her car around 1:17 a.m. in the parking lot.
The Wyoming Police report stated witnesses claimed the children — ages 5, 10 and 15 — had been in the car for as long as three hours. Tran also was charged with no valid insurance and defective equipment on the car.
I don’t mean to be judgmental here, but I just cannot imagine any self-respecting parent to leave their children in the car for any reason! Will parenting classes help this mother? Perhaps. Or maybe they should also take a look into her habits – gambling being one of them.
Originally posted on June 8, 2008 @ 12:41 pm
