DEAR ABBY: My sister-in-law has asked me to pay for repairs to the passenger seat of her car. She was picking up my 9-year-old to stay the night, and when he got inside, he moved the seat forward to better fit his stature. She got upset and said, "The seat was broken. We had it set just right for me when I'm the passenger."
Since he adjusted it she hasn't been able to reset it. When I asked if there was a note on the dash that read "Do not move seat," she said no. Then I asked, if this was her best friend's son, would she be requesting money to repair an already broken seat? Her response was, "No." Am I wrong to think she was out of line to ask? -- FUMING IN WASHINGTON STATE
DEAR FUMING: You're not wrong. If your sister-in-law had warned your son not to touch the seat before he adjusted it, she might have a leg to stand on. However, if she's short of money and was baby-sitting your son as a favor, in the interest of keeping peace in the family, offer to contribute to the cost of the repair.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
If the seat was broken before picking up the child, why would LW be responsible to pay for repairs? But again, if she were babysitting for free and this was a common occurrence, then she should cough up some dough to help out.
My parents babysit for free. Dad also helps out with repairs around my house. For free. So we take them on a family vacation almost every year and pay for the accommodations.
"Then I asked, if this was her best friend's son, would she be requesting money to repair an already broken seat? Her response was, "No."" ... This bothers me. If SIL wouldn't ask for her friend to pay for a repair, why would she ask a family member?
I would probably work on adjusting the seat the way the owner wants it, then duct tape the control so it can't be moved.
Then find out from a local junk yard what they would charge for a working replacement seat.
The most likely cause for the problem as described is (I think) a control wire that's slipped under the seat. Any body shop or auto upholstery shop should be able to fix it, probably for free for a customer they recognize, or for a nominal charge. I've done it myself a couple of times.
Should the LW pay for something that was already broken? No, she's not obligated to pay for it. Her child did not break it.
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The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
"Then I asked, if this was her best friend's son, would she be requesting money to repair an already broken seat? Her response was, "No."" ... This bothers me. If SIL wouldn't ask for her friend to pay for a repair, why would she ask a family member?
I think she was just very, very frustrated after trying at length to get the seat the way she wanted it, and she needed to vent.
A woman asked me once why her boyfriend was so mad at her, yelling at her all the time.
I told her "He's not mad AT YOU, he's just mad, and you're there."
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The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
The sister knew the seat was broken, the kid didn't. He didn't break it, which she admits is the case. It was broken before, it is broken now.
And I'd be wondering why my kid wasn't riding in the back seat since he was only 9.
This too.
Only reason I can think of is that her car doesn't have a back seat.
Omg are you two the kids in the front seat Nazi's? 9 is old enough to sit up front.
Uh, HELLO. The law here in Georgia is kids 12 and under in the back seat. And yes, I am a front seat Nazi. The safest place for kids is in the backseat.
Have you ever been hit with an airbag? That thing could really, really hurt a kid. It hurt me when it went off, worse than the little accident would have.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
Yeah, a friend of mine was hit with an airbag. Broke her face up real bad.
The law says 12 and under, back seat you go. As a child of the 70's where cars didn't always have seat belts, and most definitely no shoulder harnesses, it seems ridiculous to me that a 9 year old can't sit in the front. But it is the law.
Yeah, a friend of mine was hit with an airbag. Broke her face up real bad.
The law says 12 and under, back seat you go. As a child of the 70's where cars didn't always have seat belts, and most definitely no shoulder harnesses, it seems ridiculous to me that a 9 year old can't sit in the front. But it is the law.
Most states do not have such a law.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
Yeah, a friend of mine was hit with an airbag. Broke her face up real bad.
The law says 12 and under, back seat you go. As a child of the 70's where cars didn't always have seat belts, and most definitely no shoulder harnesses, it seems ridiculous to me that a 9 year old can't sit in the front. But it is the law.
Most states do not have such a law.
But the recommendation of EVERYONE is that kids 12 and under ride in the backseat. Car manufacturers, CDC, pediatricians, police, and on and on. Airbags are dangerous. Unless your 10 year old is the size of an adult, it is not worth the risk.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
Yeah, a friend of mine was hit with an airbag. Broke her face up real bad.
The law says 12 and under, back seat you go. As a child of the 70's where cars didn't always have seat belts, and most definitely no shoulder harnesses, it seems ridiculous to me that a 9 year old can't sit in the front. But it is the law.
Most states do not have such a law.
But the recommendation of EVERYONE is that kids 12 and under ride in the backseat. Car manufacturers, CDC, pediatricians, police, and on and on. Airbags are dangerous. Unless your 10 year old is the size of an adult, it is not worth the risk.
Recommendations are not the same thing as laws.
__________________
I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
Yeah, a friend of mine was hit with an airbag. Broke her face up real bad.
The law says 12 and under, back seat you go. As a child of the 70's where cars didn't always have seat belts, and most definitely no shoulder harnesses, it seems ridiculous to me that a 9 year old can't sit in the front. But it is the law.
Most states do not have such a law.
But the recommendation of EVERYONE is that kids 12 and under ride in the backseat. Car manufacturers, CDC, pediatricians, police, and on and on. Airbags are dangerous. Unless your 10 year old is the size of an adult, it is not worth the risk.
Recommendations are not the same thing as laws.
So? Whether there is a law or not does not change the safety issue. Car accidents happen everyday. Have you ever been hit by an airbag? I ended up with bruised ribs, a bloody nose, and a black eye. And I wasn't a child. A child can be killed by an airbag not to mention the backseat is just safer all around.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
Yeah, a friend of mine was hit with an airbag. Broke her face up real bad.
The law says 12 and under, back seat you go. As a child of the 70's where cars didn't always have seat belts, and most definitely no shoulder harnesses, it seems ridiculous to me that a 9 year old can't sit in the front. But it is the law.
Most states do not have such a law.
But the recommendation of EVERYONE is that kids 12 and under ride in the backseat. Car manufacturers, CDC, pediatricians, police, and on and on. Airbags are dangerous. Unless your 10 year old is the size of an adult, it is not worth the risk.
Recommendations are not the same thing as laws.
So? Whether there is a law or not does not change the safety issue. Car accidents happen everyday. Have you ever been hit by an airbag? I ended up with bruised ribs, a bloody nose, and a black eye. And I wasn't a child. A child can be killed by an airbag not to mention the backseat is just safer all around.
Because someone said "the law says 12 and under in the back seat you go"--and that is not true.
i havent yet looked at al states, but Ohio, Texas, and New York have no laws regarding children in the front seat. California says 8 and under must be in the back if possible. Michigan says 4 and under.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
I found a chart earlier from 2010. I can't find it again. There were several states that had the law.
There probably are a few states.
Massachusetts and illinois have no laws regarding it. Washington state says 12 and under "should" sit in the back, but there is no penalty for not doing so. Nebraska, Nevada, and Oregon have no law Regarding seating.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
I found a chart earlier from 2010. I can't find it again. There were several states that had the law.
There probably are a few states.
Massachusetts and illinois have no laws regarding it. Washington state says 12 and under "should" sit in the back, but there is no penalty for not doing so. Nebraska, Nevada, and Oregon have no law Regarding seating.
Hmmm, I did find the law in Washington, they have to sit in the backseat if a backseat is available. So, if there are too many kids than seats, or a truck, they can ride in front.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
That's the only one I've even found that states the age of 12.
There were about 10. I cannot find that stupid chart again. I was going to copy it but I didn't b/c it was from 2010 and I know that my state's laws have changed since then, so I figured others did, too.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
That's the only one I've even found that states the age of 12.
There were about 10. I cannot find that stupid chart again. I was going to copy it but I didn't b/c it was from 2010 and I know that my state's laws have changed since then, so I figured others did, too.
There is a map at edgarsnyder.com.
I have only found three so far, and only one of those had 12 as the age.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.
Here it is recommended that kids don't sit in the front until the age of to and at least 80 pounds. I think the height recommendation is 4'11" which would mean my mother should sit in the back!
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
Here it is recommended that kids don't sit in the front until the age of to and at least 80 pounds. I think the height recommendation is 4'11" which would mean my mother should sit in the back!
If you have airbags, she probably should.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
