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When my kids were little I had the reoccuring dream of being clear across town and realizing I left
my baby in his crib..I would frantically call 911 and rush home...
I did lock my baby in the car once because I was driving my husband's car and locked my door and
was going to get my baby out on the sidewalk side. Did not realize that locking one door locked them all.
The police arrived and could not open it..It was a cool day thankfully..A neighbor saw me and offered to drive me home 5 minutes away to get the spare key. The policeman said that was what I should do.
My son was happily snacking on cheerios.
Me " what if you get another call?"
policeman" I will not leave your baby under any circumstance"
me" what if he chokes?"
police" I would break the window"
me "okay then, I will go "
By the time I got back he had him out and had taken him into a nearby restaurant for water..
On of many reasons I love the police..
So glad to hear this ended well but too bad it even made the news. Anymore, folks just use it as an opportunity to judge others... have we forgotten how to put ourselves in someone else's shoes?
Im glad they didnt take his baby!!!!! (I mean he didnt mean to do it I guess -- Maybe he was quite busy)
There was a case in KS last summer where a household had adopted and foster children and were hoping to adopt the 10 month. The man got off work, picked up a 5 year old and the 10 month old. He stopped on the way home to buy marijuana, illegal in KS. He went home and went inside to smoke and watch TV leaving the 10 month old in the car and remembering her after something on a TV show made him think of the baby after 2 hours. He is in prison where he belongs and is a glowing example of where someone needs to be dealt as other than a reasonable happening.
I really hope they don't do anything with this father since that could discourage other parents from contacting 911 in the future.
I cannot imagine "forgetting" my child is in the car and leaving it. Especially on the way to work? Was he supposed to be bringing the child to work with him? Did he think he'd already dropped it off at daycare?
I do not understand. I'm not judging or demonizing, I'm just saying, I do not understand.
I mean, I can't imagine it either but I saw a whole thing on . . 20/20, Dateline, one of those.
The parent, in their mind, has dropped off the kid at daycare as they replay their mental rolodex for the day. They go over what they have to do (drop off kid, get to work, attend big meeting/presentation/whatever); and they are just moving onto the next step.
It's bizarre but I can see where this could happen. Your mind is filled with your 'to do' lists in the morning, you are rushing, rushing, rushing to make those 100 deadlines and . . off you go.
So I am on board with leaving your shoe in the backseat or whatever it takes. Today's world is BUSY and your mind is always looking forward to the next task.
We really are on automatic with many things like locking doors, turning off lights
making routine turns when driving.. I often have a stop to make and realize
too late that I forgot to make the turn I needed..on autopilot going home..
I would think it happens most often with the parent that doen't normally drop of the child..
They are doing the routine they usually do which does not include the drop off..
I wonder if something as simple as a bright fabric streamer that is attached to the car seat and thrown across the front seat from the car seat when the baby is placed in the seat would be hard to miss once you stop the car...or a large beach ball that stays in the empty child seat and is tossed to the front when
the child is placed in the car seat...
Can you imagine the conversation he had with his wife? Nothing could possibly be worse than that! Leave the poor guy alone. Facing the baby's mother is punishment enough.
I'm sure it doesn't help having the child in 2 nd seat facing backwards in most instances. I'm surprised with all this technology that a car manufacturer hasn't come up with some kind of heat/motion sensor connected to baby seat and the dashboard, that lights up an icon of a baby's seat [on dasboard] to check before getting out of the car. Audio prompt of child, something.
I can't believe people think this OK because he realized his mistake.... HOW DO YOU DO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE. Seriously, how do you forgot your baby... Anyone that can forget their baby for some 30 minutes is not in the right mind to be raising a child...
Apply this to other situations. You steal something from the store, 30 minutes later realize you made a mistake and return the stolen goods to the store. 95% chance you will be fined and/or prosecuted.
Terrible thing he did... don't know how you do this in the first place...
Habit. When these things happen it's usually a break in routine. Do you ever think, "I better stop at the store on the way home," get in your car, and then drive all the way home? Your brain does as many tasks as it can by rote memory for efficiency. This is very well documented. I've never forgotten my kid in the car, but I have gotten on the freeway to go to work and realized I forgot to go to daycare first, and I've driven all the way home and forgotten to pick them up.
People have great suggestions about leaving a cell phone, purse, or shoe in the backseat to prompt a person to look back there.
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