I'm concerned. Recently while at the mall I saw several young mothers of varying ages who seemed totally out-to-lunch on how their children were behaving. I admit I've watched the popular reality tv show, Nanny 9-1-1, and was a bit suspicious of the poor parenting skills of some of the families. But based on a few firsthand experiences I'm arriving at the conclusion that mothers are overwhelmed by this important responsibility. What made me write this article started when I was walking in a shopping strip. The sidewalk was only wide enough for passersby coming and going. A mother had three children with her ranging from age 4 to 10 years. She, as I noticed is quite common, was walking about ten paces ahead of them while they played tag with each other as they ran along mindlessly keeping up with the woman I presume was their mother. I actually stopped walking to let them get ahead of me; and you'd be right if you'd guess; they simultaneously stopped and window shopped too. I finally ducked into a store in an effort to get away from them; but it was clear that this mother had an agenda; and keeping her kids in line wasn't on it. I took a deep-cleansing breath and went on about my business. On returning to my car I caught a glimpse of what I presume was a teen mom of a child about three years old. As they got about seven spaces from their vehicle the little girl took off running full speed. I thought the mother would run after her or at least holler for her to stop. She was out to lunch as I and other onlookers stood in horror at her lack of concern that the little girl had gotten so far from her grasp. This was a case that I had to acknowledge to her that she'd let too much space get between her and the child. She quietly and unemotionally stared at me as the little girl hopped into the back of the truck.  On

top of the possibility of a car backing out and striking the child is the even worse possibility of someone abducting her. I thought back to how overly protective I was as a parent of young children. I know that parenting is not a perfect science. But it does involve effort and a commitment to keep the child as safe as possible. The straw that metaphorically broke the camel's back occurred minutes later when I drove to a nearby gas station. By now it was night-fall. About three meters away from the pump, were six children ranging in age from 4 to 12 years old. The mother was at the pump and the older children were playing 'jump off the brick wall' oblivious to the youngest kid who was clearly pondering if he should try to jump. The mother calmly yelled about 10 times to get the youngest, seemingly unalarmed at the potential hazard. I started wondering if maybe I was just too hyper-concerned. In each of these scenarios no harm no foul; but, days later I still find myself shaking my head wondering what I should have done. Some may argue I should have called 9-1-1. Realistically they would have been long gone in each of those scenarios.  And alleging child neglect on children dressed as though they were dearly loved and riding in late model SUVs would have been difficult to prove. They probably would have gotten nothing more than a warning if law enforcement had seen them; if even that, as whether a crime was being committed was up for a conversation in subjectivity. I guess the bottom line on this discussion is that mothers should make a mindful decision to keep their young children in their reach at all times. They should, if possible, secure the children in shopping carts, and if at all possible, find a friend or relative to travel with them to help keep the kids in line. People are polite, and more so, tolerant today. Growing up in yester-year meant children suffering consequences for  not staying in line when in public places.