by Christina A.
Member since:
January 17, 2007

Death of a child

August 04, 2007 09:37 PM EDT
views: 44 | comments: 18

I heard something extremely disturbing yesterday and I was wondering what your thoughts were.

A young mother left her 5 month old baby in the car after forgetting to drop the baby off at daycare.  When she left work at 5pm, the baby had already died.

My first thought was, How do you forget to drop off your baby at daycare and don't you think about that baby through the course of the day?

Second;  What that poor baby went through in that hot car all day.

Third;  How is this young mother going to cope with the loss of her child, especially under these circumstances?

I've had many other thoughts but I'm curious to know what yours are.

I have four young children and I thank God every day that they are happy and healthy.  And every morning when we pull out of the driveway, I have that split second of panic where I have to look in the rear view and count heads.

Please say a prayer for this mother and for her baby.

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Comments: 18

Brenda (square peg in a round hole) H. Aug 4, 2007, 9:43pm EDT
I read about this as it happened about an hour from me. I am having a hard time understanding how anyone could forget to drop their child off at daycare. I don't even want to imagine what that poor baby went through.
Christina A. Aug 4, 2007, 9:47pm EDT
I know. I keep trying to forget about it, but I find it so hard to believe that no one heard the baby crying or saw that there was a baby in the car. And I think about my childrend all day long, you would have thougth something would have sparked in the mother and she would have realized what happened. Everyone's different I guess, I go through a mental checklist everyday.
carol s. Aug 4, 2007, 9:55pm EDT
The same thing happened here a few years ago. I've been reading in the news that before air bags, when parents had the carseats often in the front seat, only about 30 died each year. When they had everyone switch to putting them in the back seat, it went up almost instantly to over 300 annually. All I can think is that the parent must have other things on his/her mind and just totally forgets. I find these reports really upsetting on so many levels.
Leigh B. Aug 4, 2007, 9:58pm EDT
I don't think we should condemn this poor woman. The grief and guilt she will have to carry is beyond anything I can comprehend. When my daughter was a baby, my husband worked nights and I worked days. I can remember days when I was so exhausted that I don't even remember the drive to work. I used to keep my rearview mirror pointed at the car seat. When I was pregnant with her a baby died under similar circumstances in our city and I never forgot that. I figured if the mirror was pointed at the car seat and my briefcase was in the backseat next to it - I wouldn't ever risk this happening. My prayers are with her - I don't know how you survive this type of loss.
Christina A. Aug 4, 2007, 10:06pm EDT
I agree, we shouldn't condemn this woman. She's going to go through enough of that on her own. It's just such a tragic loss of life. My nephew is only a month old and I worry about him constantly. But my sis will make sure he's safe.
Allana G. Aug 4, 2007, 10:06pm EDT
I think this is the saddest thing. I can't help but wondering if the mother is overworked, overwrought. I know that sometimes I am so stressed out that I forget to do something very important, because I think I've already done it. But, I find it hard to believe that someone would be able to forget a child in the car. Wouldn't she have turned around to make sure she didn't forget something?
Brian T. Aug 4, 2007, 10:09pm EDT
The only way I think that you can do something like leaving a baby is not having your life priorties in order. Sometime people need to slow down, quit killing themselves working 70 hr weeks, put down the PDA for a while and stop yapping so much on the cell phone. And I do fault the woman for her own recklessness in the lost of her child.
Donald M. Aug 4, 2007, 10:10pm EDT
I am sure the Mother is in a lot of pain now. Just as that poor baby was then. It cant be corrected. All we can do is pray for her. And pray that if she has other children she will surely start doing a headcheck too.
Im sure she will be her own worst Judge.
Rodolfo Quinones Aug 4, 2007, 10:11pm EDT
I don't feel we should feel sorry for mother. Sure she'll have that feeling of losing the child. I believe she should be punish for what happen to the child. I would gone nuts about the hold thing. I'll say my prayers for her too
Alison Pearce Aug 4, 2007, 10:25pm EDT
What a tragedy. I also have four children and can't imagine how this happened or how I would cope.
Bundy P Aug 4, 2007, 10:36pm EDT
This seems to happen somewhere every summer. God help that mother.
Paula Love Aug 4, 2007, 11:07pm EDT
I just do not understand how anybody could do this? Is life going by that quickly that you forget you have a child in the car? I am one of those that would count heads before pulling out of any driveway or parking lot. I guess it does happen every year but I am so grateful I or nobody close to me has ever experienced this.
Esther IS Flesh and Blood S. Aug 5, 2007, 12:02am EDT
I feel that this is a tragedy that continues to happen far and wide in this country. I think that if I had children there would be no way I would forget that I had a child in the car. I freak out about my cats if something happens or should happen to them...but a child, your very own flesh and blood?? No, I don't feel sorry for her at all, I seem to think that some of these people probably do this on purpose since so many get away with it every year on the premise that they "forgot"; please, give me a break. I know this sounds hard nosed but you don't forget a child in the car any more than you would forget that loaf of bread in the car.
Debra D. Aug 5, 2007, 12:31am EDT
I think I'm going to agree with Esther.
Glenn T. Aug 5, 2007, 12:56am EDT
This is a very sad story for the family involved and for us as we try to comprehend the magnitude of such a misjudgment. Arizona has experienced similar cases. The heat here in the desert (inside a car) can exceed 140 degrees within 20 minutes. Some experts have suggested putting a cell phone or other personal valuables next to the child, as a mental reminder that something of inestimable value is still in the car. But isn't a child already of such inexpressible value? There will be palpable grief whenever this occurs.
Cindy A. May 11, 2008, 7:41am EDT
I cannot for one second imagine what this mother must be going through. Of course we should feel sympathy and horrible for her! I am saying prayers for her as I type this! She will never forgive herself. She will carry this her whole life and she will never be the same woman she was before. God forgives her, I pray for her to somehow, someday find peach again. It will be a long time.
patty e. Oct 3, 2008, 3:21pm EDT
I don't understand either.. how a mother of father could forget a child!
My feelings are mixed.. i feel worse for the baby's suffering.. the mom i feel for her too.. what guilt she must have.

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