You didn't say if there was any damage to her car as well. Based on your account, and IMHO you are both responsible for the accident. you left it in gear and she should've checked or gotten into the car before releasing the E-brake. Christopherh: depending on where they are located and what their deductibles are, going through the insurance company may be more expensive then just paying out of pocket. Everyone is lucky no one was injured. Maybe you should cash the check for $100 because I don't think you're going to get much more out of these folks.

Yes, I'm very relieved! And he's still tapping the trees, but not after this year. I don't care if I don't get anything in return for my sap; it's not something I would have used or even thought of otherwise. Someday my son will probably tap some of the trees. We used to love having our own maple syrup when his dad did it.

How would you have handled this situation? is a good question but can be tough to answer. Without being in the situation makes it more difficult to say. Would I physically confront them, slap them in cuffs, lynch them or the like, well no. But I'd *like* to think I would have spoken up then and there in some manner, whether I'd clear my throat, say WHAT THE??? or something. Guess it's a had to be there thing. And really, if for some reason I felt threatened in a store, I think I'd have been leaving the store before the incident anyway. Why would I stay where I don't feel safe? I certainly can shop stores where I feel safe. I don't judge what you did or didn't do with the exception of applauding that you did call later. It may have helped. Good for you. The reality is that there's a good chance that at least one of those jars went home with someone. Hopefully they used it right away since I doubt many people would pay any attention to whether it had a tight seal. I'm generally one here who says let's get the whole story, more facts or something before jumping to conclusions on a lot of things but on this one, I too cut them no slack. Theft is theft. Vandalism is vandalism. And their vandalism could affect other people. Most things in a grocery store are not guaranteed sale items meaning the store buys it and can't return it for credit so any broken jar, stolen jar or opened one that has to be written off is a cost to the store, which means a cost to every customer since those losses are simply passed on. I know these things go on in stores. What people do is often so disgusting. People open up boxes of things, switch them then seal it up and head to the checkouts. I always check the seals on jars and I check boxes and bags. I'll often open the top on a jar with inner seal to see it's intact. I also check that the eggs aren't cracked! And I generally make a wide path around those self-serve bulk bins where people are so often grazing! On a different note, what bugs me more is when people hide behind the lines like "You never know what they'll do" or "They might____". It's code for "I don't want to get involved" and that's why some criminals walk free, some thieves go unpunished, taxes go higher, insurance prices soar and other costs go up. I feel we often have a responsibility to stand up for what's right. If we witness something, do something, watch out for your neighbors' homes. The "everyone for themself" is long obsolete. Cops can't be everywhere. We have to be their eyes and ears. What each person can physically do of course varies. As far as the cameras, so what? Yeah they have cameras but are they really going to be expected to take security personnel, sit them down to watch video and try to find the incident? What are they supposed to do then? Launch a search for them? It's a petty theft so it's not worth the cost for the store to waste the time of doing this. The time to do something is when it's happening. Then all that really would be done is to ask them to leave. And casually telling a cashier on the way out is effectively worthless too. At least take the time to go to customer service. At that rate, even calling them later was a far better option than mentioning it to a cashier on the way out. A cashier is too busy to stop checking people out to go alert Customer Service, which is what they'd need to do and then hopefully they were able to get the info from you accurately, which could be questionable if they're concentrating on cashiering (or other things job or non-job related). Telling a cashier would be fine in a convenience store but not a mega store. It's been a long long time since I've shopped in a Walmart. Do they have any customer service call buttons or phones scattered as do some stores? That could be a possibility. I keep a digital notetaker in a case on my belt at all times. I take notes on it often, record phone calls, conversations etc since my memory is getting challenged more as I age. When I'm driving and remember I need to do something I don't have to fumble for pen and paper to make a note for later. You could have used this to get a description of the people, time, details etc. About 2 weeks ago I was at a target and just getting ready to leave when I saw a woman pull in to a parking space in the next row. It caught my eye because she was *so* far over instead of being centered in the lines. Then I saw the vehicle next to her sort of "shake". Obviously she hit it. She got out of her car and I was by then recording the vehicle description, her description and the 2 digits of the plate that I could see. She got back into her car, backed out and drove off. I decided I couldn't live with myself to let this go so I followed her but all she did was move down 2 rows and park way at the end. I got her full license number, better vehicle description and then debated what to do. Didn't want to wait so I decided to leave a note on the affected vehicle. When I got over there I couldn't see any damage. Where she had to have hit it had the side guards which apparently is what she hit. I even got out and took a close look and there was no damage so I let it go. But I felt good that I did what I did. I look at it this way, if I won't get involved, why should someone get involved if something happens to me? BTW, the lids on many jars have instructions to tell how to check the seal.

I'm sure the hospital has this happen a lot. There are many divorces and remarriages and huge families today so it's probably more common than you think. I guess with your situation you have a right to be upset. Why would you be expected to allow your ex's gf or even wife in the room if you aren't allowed to do the same? That's only right that if she's allowed to be present so is your bf. If you are expected to respect his wishes, he needs to do the same for you. Also, how much do each of your partners know about your son? Do they know enough to truly be involved in major decision making or discussions about your son? From what I gathered, the gf really doesn't care for your son or his condition? Or have things changed since then and she's trying to be closer and more understanding? If she doesn't know enough to really be involved and doesn't seem sincere about it, I would question why she feels she needs to be there. It could just be out of jealousy or something because you are alone with her man...which is crazy but I've seen and heard worse happen between the ex and the new one. I think a talk is in order. First between you and your ex and then maybe it's time to include your boyfriend and his girlfriend. Good luck.