Toddler

When I heard the story about this Facebook picture cops took of a Colorado mom driving around with a gas can buckled up in a car seat and her toddler sitting next to it unrestrained, I thought, Oh, here we go again.

Luckily, there is no real tragedy here. No lives lost, no babies in car accidents to mourn. Instead, there's just a whole lot of lost responsibility.

I know what it's like to be in a rush to get somewhere. So I'm thinking -- and hoping -- that maybe this mom was rushing to get to an appointment just up the road. Or maybe her tot was throwing a tantrum and she thought, Hell, we're just around the corner from home, leaving him unrestrained won't be the end of the world.

These excuses might fly if there wasn't a gas can buckled up in the toddler's car seat. That's just frustrating. And unfortunately, the toddler wasn't the only one without a buckle on the ride.

Mom was unbuckled too, and in the front seat, her 14-year-old daughter was sans seat belt as well. I want to tell this Colorado mom one thing: you have all the power. The car can't start unless you put the key in. The car can't go unless you put it in drive. Your kids can't leave the parking lot without seat belts -- unless you let them.

I feel bad that this mom's picture has been plastered all over Facebook and media sites -- I'm sure this isn't one of her finest motherly moments -- but I refuse to feel bad about the frustrations I feel for her lack of responsibility.

Rules, regulations, and restraints are important for a reason. They keep kids safe.

Do you ever let your kids skip the seat belt?

Image via o5com/Flickr