It's scary how so many people do it. I just saw something on inside addition that said more than 36 kids die every summer this way. do you think that just bad parents do this?
2007-09-06 15:32:08 · 19 answers · asked by i love being a mommy! 4 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
I honestly don't know how you forget you have your kid with you, but I guess it happens.
In any case it would be a simple thing to develop some sort of safety device that would prevent such problems, but apparently that isn't important. I think there is one on the market that if your key chain gets too far from the carseat when it is buckled an alarm goes off... then again people forget their keys in their car too.
I do have to say that in some of the cases the parents leave the kids in the car deliberately because it is "just for a minute". A car can heat up in less than 15 minutes.
2007-09-06 15:39:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
No, I don't think it's bad parents. I think it's the result of a busy life and a horrible, horrible accident. We have a local case here that is receiving national attention. I feel so bad for this woman. Not only did she lose her child but she's now being crucified by the media. There must be some solution. One solution I heard was keeping a small teddy bear in your car, when the child is with you the teddy bear gets placed on the passenger seat. It's sad that it's come to this but we should all understand that as mothers, balancing everything can leave us distracted. I really feel for these parents. It's just awful.
2007-09-06 19:06:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I prevent leaving my kids in the car, because I am not a complete, absolute idiot. Even if I had tons of errands or things on my mind, I could NEVER forget my precious ones in the back, besides the fact they won't let me, by screaming, fighting, bickering, crying or generally whining and letting themselves be known and I have a rear mirror in which I can see my daughter's every move if I wanted to. My personal opinion of this topic is that if you can "forget" your kids, then you shouldn't have been a parent to begin with, you deserve the hurt and guilt that comes along with abandoning and abusing your children. I do not want to hear," it was just a minute", or any more stupid people say well, I was busy, I forgot. I am sorry this is just an excuse to get out of a 20 year sentence, not an explanation for your actions. You are the parent, and if you are too stupid to realize or remember that you brought your kid to the casino/store/mall/ or whatever with you, you should never have had children to begin with. Yes bad parenting or complete stupidity and ignorance make this a very hard problem to solve, and if you are that stupid, please do not breed, if you do I really feel sorry for your child, but I will feel no angst for you when you are on the 6 o' clock news crying.
2007-09-06 17:28:15 · answer #3 · answered by shannanm2783 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
I can't personally ever imagine myself 'forgetting' my kids in the car. It does honestly happen though. There was an occasion just last weekend when I got our first born son out of the car and my husband got out daughter out of the car, which has been our routine for the last 14 months. However, my newborn son was still leisurely sitting in the back seat asleep, oblivious to the world. My husband just stood at the car like, "Hello! There's still one more kid to get out of the car." Its not that I forgot that he was back there, its just my mind switched over to "routine mode" and I didn't even think about ME getting the baby rather than my husband. He can't really hold a 14 month old AND pull a carrier out of the car. It makes ya think.... if I were by myself, would I have "forgotten" him? It really is scary.
The only thing I don't get is this.... say you do honestly forget that your baby is in the car. Once you're inside the store grabbing a shopping cart, when do you realize that you DON'T have the baby with you. Like I said, I kinda sorta forgot my newborn was in the car, but I only took 5 steps and realized, "Wait a minute stupid! You have THREE kids now."
2007-09-06 15:44:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is one of my biggest fear!!! I still don't understand how parents can leave their children behind in a car. There have been times when I know I have dropped off my kids at daycare but the thought is always in my head and a few times I have went back to my car just to double check. Thankfully nothing like this has happened to me or any one in my family.
I believe these parents must be under some type of stress for something like this to happen. I pray for all those innocent children that have lost their life.
2007-09-06 15:39:49 · answer #5 · answered by Princesa 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think it's just bad people... I have seen news stories of very intelligent people who truly forgot the child was with them and went on to work.. Personally, my children are always with me and when my 4 year old is at moms day out and only my other child is in the car I look into the back seat and his car seat is empy I have a moment of intense panic and then i'm like, "oh yeah" he's at school. It's like my arm is missing or something.
2007-09-06 15:38:58 · answer #6 · answered by pru 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
THere are many factors we can speculate about. But i believe that our current society with the high stress level of having to work and what not all has something to do with it and thus people start forgetting things. But i see your point forgetting a child is totally unacceptable. I mean if you car e for them and love them a lot you would consider them in every moment.
2007-09-06 16:51:44 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think unobservant parents do this.
My advice would be for the parents to communicate with eachother so they know who is putting the kid in which vehicle to leave in the morning. If there is a routine in which one parent always takes the child to daycare, they need to stick with that routine. Parents need to be observant... make a point to always look in the back seat of their vehicles when they get to their desired destination to make sure no child is left in a vehicle on accident.
And most of all, a child is not a piece of luggage. You do not leave a child in the car to unload groceries or other shopping bags. You always take the child in the house first. Even the ice cream will wait.
There are always accidents. But there is also negligence. Parents need to communicate with eachother so they always know which child is where and when, and they need to be diligent about keeping up with their child's whereabouts. Don't give yourself the opportunity to forget. Otherwise your child may die.
2007-09-06 15:39:45 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
It happened in my neighborhood. The mom usually took the baby to daycar.....but she asked her husband to do so.
It was well over 95 degrees outside.
The mother went to pick up the baby after work and they said, she never showed up.
OMG the dad had totally forgotten. The baby died. I can't imagine the sorrow....such a horrible thing to happen.
I personally never forgot a child in my car.
If a person knows they are forgetful they should put their purse or briefcase next to the baby carseat...Or have a reminder note on their keys.
It is such a preventable thing.
2007-09-06 15:38:40 · answer #9 · answered by clcalifornia 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Some parents are so stressed out that their mind often wanders and it's easy to forget something, sad, but true. I guess if parents are susceptible to forgetfulness, it's better to have two parents or two adults going with the child/children in the car, so in case, one parent forgets, then the other one doesn't.
But then again there are other parents who aren't meant to be parents.
2007-09-06 15:37:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋