Community Chat

[I like celery]

On 7/1/2014 guatmum said:

No, but I feel as a single parent with no parenting partner, I have a weird advantage - I am TOTALLY responsible for my child ALL THE TIME. From the time she came home, she was mine 24/7. Years ago there was a story about a father who NEVER took his baby to daycare. One evening his wife asked him to do it and the next morning she was trying to help him by putting the baby in the backwards facing car seat. He drove to work, the baby had fallen asleep, and because of lack of sleep, being crazy busy, and not having this as part of his regular routine, he totally forgot that the baby was there. In the afternoon, a coworker went out to do something in his car and noticed the baby. When the father went out in a panic, the baby had already died. He was not found to be guilty of anything. He needed to be hospitalized because he was so distraught and it was found that he was physically exhausted. The lesson was that, if you are going to bring your baby when you usually don't, put something in the front seat to remind you or put something you need next to the baby in the back seat. I can see how this might happen. How many times has your car driven you to one place when you meant to go another? Fatigue, thinking about other things while driving, and being out of your daily routine can cause disaster!

guatmum, I remember something similar about 6 or 7 years ago with a mother forgetting her 2 year old in her SUV in the August heat. Her husband normally dropped off their daughter at the babysitter each day, but he had a dentist appointment that morning, so they broke their routine, and agreed that the wife would drive their daughter to the babysitter. The woman was an Assistant Principal, and overwhelmed that morning with the new school year about to begin, and preparing for the teachers' first day back. She went to work, and it wasn't until the end of the day that someone rushed into her office to tell her she had left her daughter in the SUV.

I don't think the woman was found to be guilty of any charge. She did lose her job, and was hated by her community.

Besides the woman breaking her morning routine, she admitted to not being "in the moment,' and instead was trying to "get to the moment." The poor child suffering and losing her life is such a heartbreaking thing to envision, but I think I can understand how what happened could possibly happen. It gives me chills to think about the times I haven't been "in the moment" (not with a child, but with other things).

eta: Wanted to clarify that I'm not excusing the mother, but just that I can see how something like that could possibly happen. Also, to answer the OP's question, no, I haven't ever forgotten a child (sorry for not originally answering the question, gazelle).

[maryebrown_1]

To answer the OP, no.

[Evansmom]

hyacinth admitted to accidentally leaving her daughter in the car when she was a baby.

[Shorty2U]

I already replied No I never left children in the car, but I just came back to say today on Philly news there was another case of 5 kids waiting in the car but the AC was ON. (I dont know the ages of the children). Someone called police and they broke into the car. The children were taken to the hospital to be checked and are fine and the mother is being interrogated. Now its my opinion that no children "under age" should be left in a car at anytime to shop, not only due to heat but due to nutcases who go after children and carjackers.

[celeste27]

71 years ago when I was a new baby, my mom got on the streetcar with my brothers and went a couple of stops before remembering I was home sleeping in the crib!!

[chickenbutt]

I don't have kids (thank goodness-trust me), so my response probably doesn't matter.

But it reminded me of a dream I used to have sometimes. I would dream that I had a baby and I kept forgetting where I left him.

[Mj12]

On 7/1/2014 toodles11 said:

Do you really think that anyone would admit to forgetting a child in the car on here? People have already said what a horrible parent you must be. And then there would be the endless comments of ""how could you do such a thing"" and ""your child must not be important to you"".

Yep someone did post about it last week. It (the incident) was very very brief and she said it haunted her since.

[jubilant]

Small children need to be watched closely. Sadly, I see many "distracted" young parents today so engrossed in what they are doing that they don't even know where that baby is. This is a very common phenomena today, sad to say.

[Lila Belle]

Um, no, it's not a common phenomena.

There have always been bad and abusive parents. With the internet 24-hour new shows to fill it's just publicized now all over the world.

[jubilant]

On 7/1/2014 Lila Belle said:

Um, no, it's not a common phenomena.

There have always been bad and abusive parents. With the internet 24-hour new shows to fill it's just publicized now all over the world.

I see what you are saying. I am aware that abuse has always been around and it's just much more in the public eye today. I still feel that it is "on the rise". People seem to be living under more stress today and I am seeing more and more people who have very little coping skills.....to the point they just "snap". All's it takes is one time.