Driver Briefly Left Her Kids in the Car at Store in Northfield

I saw something the other day, though, that made me cringe. Afterward, I wondered: Should I have said something? Should I have done something?

We've all heard the horror stories about parents who leave kids in the car. Most of the bad stories have to do with leaving the kids in the car for extended periods. Leaving them for crazy reasons, like drinking in a bar, working, or just forgetting them.

What about leaving your kids "for just a minute"?

The other day, I pulled into the Wawa on Route 9 in Northfield. It's an "old school" Wawa - no gas station, just a standalone neighborhood store.

As I pulled up to my parking spot, I noticed a woman getting out of her SUV. The vehicle was running, the windows down, and there were at least two kids in the car, at least one in some sort of car seat. I didn't really take a long look to try to guess the ages of the kids, but they definitely were not teenagers.

The woman said something to the kids, then walked into the store.

Honestly, I was caught off guard by what I saw. Did she really just leave her small children in the car with the engine running?

She actually was in front of me at the ATM, got some cash out, then went back out and got in the car.  Maybe it took three or four minutes.

All I could think about, though, was - what if? What if someone jumped in her SUV and drove away? What if someone opened a door and grabbed one of the kids?

Thankfully, none of that happened - but what if?

Even though this happened several days ago, I still wonder if I should have done something.

Should I have said something to her? You know that wouldn't have gone well....

Should I have called the police and reported her?  Is it a crime to leave the kids alone for three minutes?

What would you have done? Am I overthinking this? Please let me know your thoughts!