ModernGear Family: Parking lot safety - Parking Pal Magnets

Every once in a while I'll hear a story on the radio or read on a news web site, that a child was accidentally run over by someone backing up on a driveway, or in a parking lot. That has always shocked and saddened me, and made me feel equally bad for the family of the child, as for the driver. People don't mean to hit kids, obviously. But having kids in our lives generally means that vehicles get bigger with bigger blind spots, lives get busier, and accidents happen.

That fact led busy Virginia-based mompreneur Denise Whitney to create a fantastic product to keep her kids occupied and in the same place every time they get out of the car. The Parking Pal is a magnet in the shape of a hand, to be stuck on the side of a vehicle. It's bright and attractive to kids with its playful graphics, and helps teach kids about their safe spot on the side of the car where Mom and Dad can always find them after they've gotten out of the car.

Another aspect of safety that I love with this ingenious product is the benefit of not having the kids wander off. In huge parking lots with vehicles that tower over them, kids can get separated from guardians in seconds. It might take a few tries until they get it, but a parent introducing the Parking Pal might make a fun game of it, like "high five the hand", and kids will get to quickly learn where they're to go the moment they're out of the car.

There are a few fun graphics to choose from so you can give your child the one he or she is most attracted to:

AlphaPal Magnet

PlanetPal Magnet

FishPal Magnet

FlowerPal Magnet

DynoPal Magnet

Parking Pals can be ordered online at their website, and cost $7.99. As creator Denise Whitney says, "At the very least it will make running errands with the kids a lot less stressful. At the very most, it could save a child's life."

Not to steal from a credit card's ad campaign but...safety for your children? Priceless.