Parents are reminded not to leave children unattended in vehicles

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Eric Petosky
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The baby is finally asleep in the car seat as you drive to the post office. The thought of waking her up, getting the stroller ready and listening to crying for the next hour is not appealing, especially since you are so close to heading home for the day. 

"It's a quick trip; I won't be gone long enough for anything to happen," you think to yourself. With a quick glance to the back seat, you leave the vehicle and stride to the front door. 

Parents who find themselves wrestling with this decision on RAFs Mildenhall and Lakenheath could be in for a shock - according to Youth Supervision Guidelines from the 48th Medical Operations Squadron Family Advocacy Program no child under 8-years-old may be left alone in a vehicle unattended. 

Even though the Air Force is enjoying a three-year downward trend in child and spouse abuse cases, said Treatment Manager Mark Killin, Family Advocacy continually tries to educate families on preventing situations that could put children in jeopardy. The outreach program's primary goal is to provide services and educational classes on both bases that promote wellness, marital satisfaction and competent parenting. If any of these areas go wrong, it puts people at risk and also reduces the mission readiness of the affected Airmen. 

"We are not the parenting police or the couples' cops," said Mr. Killin. "We assess risk and provide the safest recommendation to individuals and commanders for treatment of issues relating to family maltreatment. The key word here is 'safe.'" 

"If we can educate the community up front to better care for themselves and their families, it helps the at-risk folks from crossing over into neglect or maltreatment," said Dr. Teresa Grear, outreach manager. "Knowing that you have support and being able to make sound decisions enhances your capacity to be a good parent or spouse. The issue of nattended children is just one area of education - we are always seeking to keep the community supported in any way we can." 

Family Advocacy is one cornerstone of the integrated delivery system, a combined community support vehicle that includes offices like Airmen and Family Readiness Centers and Chapels. Classes offered include Stress Management 101, Baby Basics, Toddler Taming, Dads Class, Common Sense Parenting and a course on relationship enhancement. Classes are held at both bases. 

Both Mr. Killin and Dr. Grear encourage Air Force families to take advantage of the multitude of classes and events. The two categories most often reported to Family Advocacy are newly-assigned Airmen who break rules because they are unaware of established safety guidelines, or child discipline that gets out of control. 

"You wouldn't use just one tool to build a house," Dr. Grear said. "Similarly, you wouldn't only use chastisement to raise a child to be a well-adjusted member of society. We don't have an adversarial relationship with the community. We offer support. Sometimes support comes in the form of tough love, but mostly it comes with gentle chiding. We support a culture of responsible choices." 

Please click here for a Family Advocacy two-minute seminar on Marriage, and here for a two-minute seminar on parenting. For more information, call 01638-528070 or DSN 226-8070.