How do you just forget your kid in the car?

Question

There's a link on Yahoo's News page about a 17 month old boy that suffocated in a hot car while his mother was working inside Hooters. She claims she forgot to drop him off at the babysitter's and he was in the car for over seven hours..

How do you just forget?

Answer 1

I can truly understand forgetting for a moment. You are running late, had a harried morning, up all night with a crying baby, haven't had a good night's sleep in ages, your work presentation is due at 9:00 am and it isn't finished yet, etc...

You jump out of the car, slam the door shut, dart up the stairs, and then............. OMG!!!!

But for hours? That's Negligent Homicide -- Manslaughter.

Answer 2

It's a horrible story and makes me want to cry just thinking about it.

I don't judge the mom, though, I feel awful for her. Imagine having a child die that way, and losing the most precious thing in the world because you spaced out. I have a terrible memory. I forget virtually everything -- I always have lost keys, I leave groceries in the bottom of the cart when loading my car, I left an (empty) stroller twice on a sidewalk and driven away, I've gone into stores without my wallet, I have to go downstairs to check if I turned off the lights two minutes after I just did it, I can't tell you the name of a movie I saw last week .... (No, I don't do drugs, hopefully it's not early Altzheimer's either, I just really can't remember things very well. I get by -- even had a successful career -- by writing myself a lot of notes. At least I know it's a potential problem, and if I have to do something critical, like pick up one of my kids' friends from school, I use tricks like switching my watch to my other hand....) I have never forgotten a kid, and that would be the most horrible, unspeakably awful thing in the entire world. But I do see how it could happen if the baby was sleeping and facing backwards and something was off from the normal routine (as in the mom didn't usually have the baby with her at that time). In any event, for those of you calling for the death penalty for that woman, what would be the point? If it were me, knowing that it was my fault my baby had died would be the end of my life..... It's easy to judge. Say a prayer for the baby and the devasted parents and everyone else who loved the baby, instead.

Answer 3

I think that people who say, "I forgot he was in the car" should definetly be locked up right after they say those words. That is just ridiculous. And you can't blame it on stress either. I have a load of stress, but my son is fed bathed played with LEFT AT THE BABYSITTERS when he is supposed to. I can understand if you forget to take the road the babysitter is on. You get sidetracked, I have done it, but as soon as I passed her road and realized "wait a minute, babysitter is that way" I turned around and took my son to daycare. I didn't go to work because I thought I was going to be late. I dropped him off first. It makes me very sad to see all these little babies dying because of careless parents. There is no possible way you can just forget you went through nine months of pregnancy and so many hours of labor and delivery. How do you forget that?

Answer 4

It happens. I really feel like it wasn't intentional on the mom's part. But it's awful, don't get me wrong. I don't know how that woman will ever be able to live a normal life after that. It happened just a while ago, another mom did it and I think she was a school principle. She was so wrapped up with what she needed to do she forgot. If the baby is quiet I can see the possibility. It's so sad and to think how that baby suffered just makes my stomach sick.

Edited to add that the baby in that story died, it was 90 degrees yesterday in Phoenix where it happened.

Answer 5

Any parent with a brain does not do that. This is a tradgedy and happens far too often.

I totaly agree with Michelle.

The answer who wrote because she was a Hooter's girl? What about several parents who were professional people, men and women, mothers, fathers, and caretakers, who did this? It isn't just women working at Hooters. There are at least 25 cases reported ever year nationally. No telling how many are left in a hot car that make it.

Answer 6

To read things like this makes me want to cry. I would never forget my baby and she is 11 months. I check on her/car seat even when I know I dropped her off at the babysitters house. I aways tell myself why do I look back at her seat to see she is not there b/c I dropped her off. So i can understand leaving your baby in the car.

Answer 7

I'm not sure...I think normally when this happens is because there was a sudden change in routine....like if you normally take your child to one care provider, but suddenly the plan changes and you're suppose to go somewhere else first, and then to work... and you're in a hurry and flustered and you just forget...

It's absolutely horrible, it's no excuse, and I can't imagine forgetting my child in a hot car.. I'm constantly thinking about her....if she's not with me I always make a mental note as to where she is.

Just trying to make some sense out of it.

Answer 8

well she was more worried about her self than her child.That is cruel and I could never forgive my self for doing that if I ever did it and which it Will Never Ever happen! I have 3 children and I never locked them in my car and went to the grocery store or anywhere else and forgot my child in the car.I meen when my kids was 7 months old I was always looking back and checking on them when we was in the car.The sad part is Most parents who have done this terrible crime will get minimum jail time if any.

Answer 9

I could see it happening if she wasn't the one who usually dropped the child off at the sitters.

My husband forgot to pick the kids up from the sitters once. I had to stay late at work, and he was not used to being the one to get them. He made it home and in the house before the quiet made him remember.

I'm not saying it's a good excuse, but if the child was quiet, and it was not her normal routine......

Answer 10

I will do you one better.. the mother did drop off the kid at the babysitter.. then she went to the gas station filled up her car and went inside to pay for it. She came out and started screaming someone had stolen her baby she was going hysterical.. people rushing about, police called.. total chaos..
until she remember she HAD dropped off the baby at the sitters.
Either your mind is so full of things to do you totally are not in reality time or your too drugged up to remember.