http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/atlanta/1002/04childcar.html
Three years old.
Down’s Syndrome
Car parked on the top story of a parking garage
Mother’s first day at work
Oh Dear God.
That poor baby. I get the impression that the mother was both very, very desperate and not terribly bright.
Tie her hands and feet together and lock her in the same car in the same conditions. Eye for an eye and all that.
I read that this morning.
It seems the woman couldn’t find affordable day care and the boss told her if she didn’t show up, she lost the job.
Gee, I’ve given up a job before because of my child-priorities!
:mad:
And that makes you a better person does it??!! sigh
:rolleyes:
I agree with her lawyer and think it was a very very stupid, but honest mistake.
This sounds like a more grey area than the one of the woman at the hairdresser’s.
However, it’s still fucking sick.
So, if I’m reading these articles correctly, this women intentionally left her child in the car because she had no other child care options.
I don’t know if that’s better or worse than all of the other cases where the parent “forgot” that the child was in the car.
An honest mistake? We’ve been hearing for at least ten years about leaving DOGS in cars because they’ll get cooked, and in the last five years I’ve heard at least three stories every summer about kids being cooked in cars. It’s PERMANENTLY ETCHED IN MY BRAIN.
- Don’t drink Windex
- Don’t walk into a burning building
- DON’T LEAVE YOUR KIDS UNATTENDED IN A HOT CAR
How hard is it?
She had child care options. She left a perfectly good job in New Jersey, a mother who was taking classes to learn how to care for children with Down’s Syndrome. She chose to leave all that behind because she wanted a “better life.”
Guess what? When you’re a parent you don’t get to do stuff like that. You must put the welfare of the children first.
She got a better life for her daughter, didn’t she?
This is not applicable to this particular instance, because it does not appear to be unintentional, but…
As a parent of a 4YO and another on the way, this scares the shit out of me (i.e. unintentionally leaving a child in a hot car). Infants are usually silent when the sleep, the carrier is turned backwards where you can’t see the infant, you’re up all night with feedings/etc. Couple all this with the fact I’m naturally forgetful, and it scares the Bejesus out of me.
With my first child it was bad enough, given that if something this tragic happened to my son, I could easily end my own life. Now with another on the way, I would not have this luxury.
I’m not denying that she is a very ignorant woman and should’ve seen this happening. What I’m saying is that it was a mistake not something she did deliberately. Stupid and ignorant; yes, scheming and murderous; no. She is under suicide watch, so I willing to believe that she is showing genuine remorse in large amounts.
While I don’t disagree with the main thrust of your comments, that last line seems a bit…snarky, given the circumstances.
Macroman may I suggest you put a briefcase or something in the back seat with your child? That way, when you go to get the briefcase, you’ll get the baby.
However, I think the fact that you’re terrified this will happen to you means you will take extra care to make sure it doesn’t happen.
therealblaze my point is some people may tend to blame the lack of child care as the reason this baby died. The fact is, this woman had a support system that she voluntarily left behind, and that she had options that she did not take the time to explore once she moved to Atlanta.
That’s also not a real good idea. If Macroman were to have to slam the brakes or get into an accident, the briefcase would fly around and possibly hit the baby. When I took the car safety class at the hospital when I was pregnant, the nurse teaching the class was very emphatic about not having anything in the back seat with the baby. Groceries, briefcases, etc. belong in the front seat or in the trunk.
What I do is bring the carseat inside and only use in the car if the baby’s in there. No carseat means no baby. Carseat means baby. (This works if you have one of those carrier/carseats.)
On those rare occasions when I leave Aaron in the car (like if I’m getting gas or running into a minimarket for the paper), I leave the a/c on when I can, or MAKE SURE the windows are open, and I never leave sight of the car. I also make use of drive-thrus and credit-card payment at the gas pump so I don’t have to leave him alone if possible.
Robin
MsRobyn good point about the briefcase. It’s been a few years since I had to worry about little ones. I like your idea of the carrier seat/car seat better. We had one of those…very useful.
This may seem overprotective, but when I’m at the mini-mart or wherever, I take the baby in with me. If the A/C is on, that means the car is running, and someone could steal it. If the window is down someone could get in and snatch the baby. Not that I’m criticizing MsRobyn or anyone else who does this, but the thought of leaving the baby alone (even in a “safe” place) in public freaks me out.
This may be the sign of a mental condition or something, but I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve walked past a car and seen a kid inside and thought “I could snatch that kid and be gone before the parent had time do drop their coffee and scream.” Not that I have any desire to do such a horrible thing (to be clear), it just runs through my head as a warning not to leave my own child in a similar situation.
I keep a spare key in my purse so my car can be locked with the engine running. (Learned that one in Minnesota, so the heat can be kept on during short errands.) Besides, if anyone tries to get in, the fact that they’re slowed down by a locked door calls attention to themselves.
I know it’s not always the smartest thing to do, and I only do it if necessary, but given the choice between a cramped, overcrowded minimarket and a nice nap in the air conditioned car, I’d prefer to leave the baby in the car.
Robin
MacroMan another trick is to get a small stuffed animal and keep it in the baby carrier. When baby is in there, you have to move the toy. Move it up front where you can see it like on the dash or somewhere.
Or maybe get one of those retractable-leash things; when you put the kid in back, clip the leash handle to your belt, and attach the other end to the car seat. If you try to get out without dealing with the seat, the jerk will alert you.
I mean, the tug. At your waist. You know.