You're on your own, kid.

A couple of weeks ago, there was a little news bit about a Swedish woman who left her toddler in his stroller outside a restaurant while she went in to order food. The link also cites a similar previous incident in Manhattan with a Danish woman.
My sister, who just returned from a trip to Norway included in her photos this one:

which she captioned in her Facebook album as "This is quite a normal sight -- the mom was in the shop."

All of this is reminiscent of my childhood. Most days my mom dressed me for the weather and parked me in a carriage on the front lawn. Alone. In fact, she was in the house nice and warm while I was "bundled up" outside in 33°F. There are a number of photos of me as only a baby carriage in the middle of the yard.

Apparently Scandinavian babies are not so desirable that someone might steal them.


This is unfathomable to every American I know. They cannot conceive of allowing their child out of their sight in their own home, let alone on a city sidewalk. When I tell people that Punkinhead walked to school by herself in first grade (and up), they are horrified.
I don't know if it's safer for kids in Scandinavia, or if our news media has exaggerated the dangers of -well- of everything. I do know that for four years, from the ages of 6 through 9, my daughter walked the three quarters of a mile to her elementary school by herself every day. Safely. (She survived, didn't she?)
I don't know if leaving a stroller outside a shop while you run in for an iced tea is a good idea, but I can guarantee you it's not neglect. It's just a different cultural norm. I do know that I like the idea of a place where you feel confident that your child is safe even when you're not watching him.