“If these scenarios would’ve been the case when I was 6 or so, my mother would have been arrested because she left me in the car for 5 minutes while she used the post office to mail things. “
When staying with my grandmother, whom I adored, when she’d park the car in the town square, she’d station us to watch out for the meter reader before she went on short errands, with instructions to insert the penny she gave us if we saw a meter reader approaching. Being a woman of principle, she objected to the installation of meters for what had always been free parking, and refused to pay unnecessarily. Plus it gave us kids something entertaining to do. I imagine I was around 10 or so. (I’d never seen a meter reader before, so had to ask for a description, and I’ll tell you, I was nervous that I’d fail at lookout and disappoint my grandmother, so I kept an eagle eye out for ... exactly what I wasn’t sure.)
I remember standing by the meter as a kid, lol! I had forgotten it until you mentioned it. A pack of nickels in my hand, scanning the street for cops and meter maids.