SHE SAYS ...

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31564, 29 December 1967, Page 5

SHE SAYS ...

While shopping during the last few hot. hectic days before Christmas, a woman with a child in a push-chair came up to me in a Cashel Street shop and asked if the car parked outside was mine. I replied that it was not. but vent with her to investigate the cause of her concern—two small girls, bored w'ith waiting for their mother’s return, had decided to get up to mischief. The smaller of the two had wormed her way half out the open window on the passenger's side of the car. and was within inches of a nasty fall to the pavement. She was obviously distressed by the heat. The older child in the back seat was not as disturbed by the heat. My fellow shopper and I told the small child to wait quietly for mother's return, but coming from strangers our admonitions had little result.

Admittedly shopping with small children is an ordeal, but if children must be left in the car—and only older children or those under supervision should be—make certain they have something with which to occupy themselves. Otherwise mischief will soon start.

Children should always be discouraged from leaning out of car windows, whether the vehicle is moving or not, and when the car is left parked they should be reminded that leaning out of windows is forbidden. Do not leave the car for too long at any one time and if possible make several trips back to it to leave parcels and check on behaviour.

; Speaking of windows, do not permit the children to trail balloons or streamers out of the car windows when you are I on holiday. Streamers can catch a cyclist or motor-cyclist I across the face, and in any (event such things are very distracting for other drivers. • Throwing rubbish out of windows must also be banned,

and this applies to both the children and to us adults. Mothers realise better than many others the danger of litter and broken glass. Surely we must be in the forefront of the movement against litter.