Parents these days...the sequel....

[FLLawdog]

I haven't had a chance to cruise the online papers for the story, but I assume everyone has heard about the children who died after being left alone in hot cars. If memory serves, one was in Missouri and the other was in Maryland. Both cases are extremely sad and should have been easily avoided, and in each, the mothers gave the same lame "explanation"..."I forgot they were in the car". I'm sorry, but that just doesn't cut it with me. You don't "forget" about your child being in the same car you're in. You forget your homework, you forget to turn off the TV and you forget to buy milk at the store, but you don't forget your own flesh and blood in a hot car. I'd be willing to bet that the true reason is because they were in too big of a hurry to get into and out of the store that they figured "oh well, it'll only be a few minutes...". You're NEVER in a store for just a minute.

Now, to top this off, and not trying to lighten the fact that two children died needlessly, but here's GM's answer to this issue. They're putting sensors in some models that tell the drivers that a child is still in the vehicle. A SENSOR to tell them that their child is in the vehicle! How in the HELL have we gotten to the point where we need an electrical device to tell us that our child is in the car? It TOTALLY boggles the mind. Once again we've managed to take the human element out of it and place the blame squarely where it belongs...someone else.

[wonderwoman]

I'm stunned!

I can't wait for the first lawsuit against GM because a child died because their sensor didn't work and as a result the parents were not reminded the child was in the car!!


[ 07-26-2001: Message edited by: wonderwoman ]

[Mike Tx]

There's been 3 or 4 in Texas recently. The hardest one to believe was the one where the mom went to work and came out many hours later to find here baby dead in the car seat. She said she thought she dropped the child off at the day care. She got away with it.

[Excalibur]

Are you talking about the two on the same day, FL? I think it was the fathers that left the kids in the cars. I hope it's not two more.

I agree with you 100%. That is messed up.

[klar]

A mother here in Iowa is being charged in the death of her infant who she left in the car all day outside a day care? If you drive all the way to the day care is there not a reason your there? She pleaded not guilty due to her "meetings" that were scheduled and she was not thinking right. I guess she was thinking enough to go to the day care but not enough to care about her child. I think a sensor in a vehicle is going to far it is just another excuse someone will use to lay the blame somewhere else and say it is not my fault. Parents and everyone else needs to start taking responsibilty for what they do and stop trying to lay the blame elsewhere. Just my opinion.

Klar

[Mitzi]

I once was coming home from work and saw my babysitters car at a conveience store. Figuring she had my son with her, who was 9 months old at the time, I parked and started to walk into the store. That's when I noticed that her car was running. And, in the back seat, were my son, her 2 year old son and another 9 month old child (her nephew), fast asleep. She left the car running for the airconditioner and was gaily chatting in the store. I wanted to kill! I remained calm and went in and asked her to unlock the car so I could get my son. She did so gladly and said, "Oh, I was just coming out. I wasn't in there 2 minutes!" How was your day?"
I said nothing until I had my son in my arms and then I went off on her. Needless to say, she was no longer David's babysitter.
It only takes a half a second for something to go wrong. I still can't believe she took such a chance with her own child much less mine and someone elses!

[ 07-26-2001: Message edited by: Mitzi ]

[blondie72]

This is another example of how we externalize the critical problem we have with neglectful/ abusive parenting in our society.

This sensor may save a child from being forgotten in the car. But it won't save them from a myriad of other "accidents"; that are a direct result of neglectful parenting by "stressed out" parents.

[ 07-27-2001: Message edited by: blondie72 ]

[goodgirl]

All I can think about after reading this was the time I lived in TN and accidentally locked my child in the car in the middle of July. My sister had been driving, and since it was my car tossed the keys on the seat and I didn't see them until after we had already locked the doors and gotten out.

To watch my son sweltering and struggling to unfasten his seatbelt to reach the lock (which he couldn't do) and having to stand by helplessly while we waited for the police was one of the most agonizing times of my life. It was over 90 degrees outside and he was just sitting there crying and sweating. I wanted to break the damn window in. The police got there very quickly and in total he wasn't in there more than fifteen minutes or so but he was in bad shape.

He was just a little ball of sweat. I can't picture not noticing that my child was in a car like that. Forgetting your purse, yes. Forgetting your keys, I do it all the time. Forgetting my child?? Never in a million years!

[RachelR]

I will never forget the story I heard many years ago about a father who left his daughter in the car while he ran into the store.. Something went wrong with the car and it caught on fire and his kid died.

[FLLawdog]

Are you talking about the two on the same day, FL? I think it was the fathers that left the kids in the cars. I hope it's not two more.

I'm not sure if they were in the same day, or not, and to tell the truth I don't even know if it was the fathers that left them. I do know these are hardly the only two fatalities and close calls because of parents leaving kids in cars.

We had one maybe 5 or 6 years ago where mom goes into Texaco "for just a minute". She leaves the car running and is waiting at the counter when here comes Mr. Car Thief and takes the running car, kid and all. He ended up leading 4 agencies on an hour long pursuit. What call do you make whether to continue or not? If you don't chase, then what happens to the kid? If you do chase and he wrecks, what happens to the kid? Damned if you do, damned if you don't, and we were in that situation because mom was too lazy to take the child in with her.

[Sparky]

I was going to post....but really, what is there to say.




Nicht gewessen getan!

[Mitzi]

Actually, I can see my mother doing that. She is manic depressive and her priorities never cease to amaze me.
I was my mother *target *child*. She was also an emotional abuser big time. I remember being told to stay in the car while she ran into the store to get something. I was made to wait in the car but my siblings got to go in with her. The car was parked on a slope and I guess it was in neutral or something. It started to roll backwards, almost on to this busy road. I remember a man running and jumping in the car and putting the break on. My mother came running out of the store, very upset and I remember the man yelling at her about me in the car. (I was about 9 at the time).
I wonder what he would have said as Mother drove home and my siblings munched on candy I didn't get. Oh yes, it was some kind of childhood!