PROSA From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 5439 posts, RR: 5 Posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 2504 times:
The Washington Post recently had a long and disturbing article about babies and toddlers who die after their parents leave them in their cars in hot weather:
There may be as many as 25 such deaths in the United States each year. What is perhaps the most shocking fact is that at least some of the parents are not drunks or drug addicts or lowlifes, but decent, respectable people - and loving parents - who through distraction and/or tiredness ending up doing the unthinkable.
"Let me think about it" = the coward's way of saying "no"
Adopim88 From United States of America, joined Nov 2006, 2007 posts, RR: 12 Reply 1, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 2436 times:
That is awful! I can't even imagine!
Early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
KaiGywer From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 12027 posts, RR: 43 Reply 2, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 2436 times:
How the hell do you forget your baby? Seriously...
FlyMIA From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 6297 posts, RR: 6 Reply 3, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 2406 times:
Yea you here about this a few times a year, especially in South Florida in the hot summers. It is horrible I am not sure how you forget about your own child in the car but it happens.
"It was just four of us on the flight deck, trying to do our job" (Captain Al Haynes)
LTBEWR From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 12333 posts, RR: 12 Reply 4, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 5 days ago) and read 2365 times:
I suspect that in all but a few cases it involves women who have recently returned to the work place after an absence for maternity leave. They often may be in jobs that have strict on time policies, having to be at meetings or be availble right after they get in. In this time of layoffs if one is late with some frequency, they may be used as an excuse to dump them over others and if they have been away from work for several months and the additional costs of a new child along with the need to have health insurance, may be in a financial situation that means they may make such poor decisions. Perhaps car seats should be set up with a strap or some device that would make it necessary to remove the child before being able to leave it.
N328KF From United States of America, joined May 2004, 6222 posts, RR: 3 Reply 5, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 5 days ago) and read 2353 times:
Actually, I have read of a couple instances where it was the dad who did it -- because he might not be as used to having an infant in the car, and would forget to get the kid out.
When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.' T.Roosevelt
Dragon6172 From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 1160 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 2345 times:
Quoting OA260 (Reply 6): You need a license for a Dog. Some people should need to pass an exam to have kids !!
Amen to that! While I can see that in todays busy life some parents may forget their child.... the stories that always tick me off are the parents who leave their children in the car on purpose. I recall a story a few years ago of a woman who left her two toddlers in the car while she went in to get her hair done... come on!! No excuse for that.
I read a year or so ago a car manufacturer was attempting to make a system that would detect a heartbeat in an off/parked car and either set off the alarm or open the windows? Do not remember the details, but it was a very proactive move I thought. Honestly I think it would be as simple as an alarm that goes off anytime the car is off, in park, and any seatbelts are connected (most car seats still use seatbelts right?)
Sudden From Sweden, joined Jul 2001, 4127 posts, RR: 6 Reply 8, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 2283 times:
If someone forgets their child in the car to die from heat/cold/or whatever, this should be treated as murder 1!
I have 2 children, and never would I forget them in the car for whatever reason.
Parents do leave their children in the car as they are "just" running in to the supermarket very fast etc, and when they come back out the car is gone! It has happend, and will surely happen again.
Just as idiotic as forgetting your child in the car.
A332 From Canada, joined Feb 2005, 1644 posts, RR: 2 Reply 9, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 2263 times:
Yeah, not really sure how someone can "forget" about the child(ren) left in the car. It's more like irresponsible parenting practices, not just a simple mistake!
People don't just 'forget' about their children... they knowingly and mistakenly leave them unattended in a vehicle because they are too lazy/too pressed for time to actually be responsible and do the right thing.
IAirAllie From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 10, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 2222 times:
Quoting Dragon6172 (Reply 7): seatbelts are connected (most car seats still use seatbelts right?)
Yes or a car seat anchor system if you buy one with that option however you don't generally unfasten the seatbelt as it is behind the seat and hard to access unless you are removing the carseat. The car seat has it's own belt.
Quoting A332 (Reply 9): People don't just 'forget' about their children... they knowingly and mistakenly leave them unattended in a vehicle because they are too lazy/too pressed for time to actually be responsible and do the right thing.
It happens even to very responsible parents. It has nothing to do with laziness. The human memory has limitations. If the routine is different than you are used to and you are are in a distracted hurry a quiet sleeping child child could be overlooked.
example: Mom usually drops kid off at daycare/school. Mom is out of town so today dad has to do it early before work. There is a long drive to the drop off location, kid falls asleep, dad gets deep into thought about an important meeting later that day. We all kind of get into that autopilot mode when commuting to work early in the morning so dad on autopilot forgets that instead of his normal routine he is supposed to drop of the kid who is fast asleep in the back seat. He pulls into work grabs some papers of the side seat closes the door and answers a cell phone call as he walks into the building without ever looking into the back seat.
Quoting N328KF (Reply 5): I have read of a couple instances where it was the dad who did it
It does seem to often be the dad and I think you are right about the reasons why.
Dragon6172 From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 1160 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 2212 times:
Quoting IAirAllie (Reply 10): Yes or a car seat anchor system if you buy one with that option however you don't generally unfasten the seatbelt as it is behind the seat and hard to access unless you are removing the carseat. The car seat has it's own belt.
Ya, I realize all of that. But it would make people actually go back to the car seat, because if they didn't the alarm would sound. Although, on second thought it would probably just cause people to not connect the seatbelt at all.
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24896 posts, RR: 60 Reply 12, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 2197 times:
Quoting Dragon6172 (Reply 7): Amen to that! While I can see that in todays busy life some parents may forget their child.... the stories that always tick me off are the parents who leave their children in the car on purpose.
I wouldnt leave my pet dog alone in a car let alone a child. You just wonder what brains these people have.
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
PC12Fan From United States of America, joined Jan 2007, 2236 posts, RR: 5 Reply 13, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 2140 times:
Quoting Sudden (Reply 8): I have 2 children, and never would I forget them in the car for whatever reason.
And I would bet you all the money in the world that the most tragic examples of these incidents the parents said exactly the same damned thing - to the T.
Quoting IAirAllie (Reply 10): It happens even to very responsible parents. It has nothing to do with laziness.
An example happened here in St. Louis. The "ironic" thing was that one parent is/was a pediatrician.
Some new technology is around now that will prevent such tragedies. It's a sensor on both the car keys and on the car seat. If a pressure sensor is "activated" on the car seat and the sensor on the key chain gets "x" distance away, an alarm sounds.
Just when I think you've said the stupidest thing ever, you keep talkin'!
PROSA From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 5439 posts, RR: 5 Reply 14, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 2078 times:
One of the cases profiled in the article showed how a collection of circumstances resulted in tragedy. If it hadn't been for the alignment of certain events the mother would not have left her son behind:
On the day Balfour forgot Bryce in the car, she had been up much of the night, first babysitting for a friend who had to take her dog to an emergency vet clinic, then caring for Bryce, who was cranky with a cold. Because the baby was also tired, he uncharacteristically dozed in the car, so he made no noise. Because Balfour was planning to bring Bryce's usual car seat to the fire station to be professionally installed, Bryce was positioned in a different car seat that day, not behind the passenger but behind the driver, and was thus not visible in the rear-view mirror. Because the family's second car was on loan to a relative, Balfour drove her husband to work that day, meaning the diaper bag was in the back, not on the passenger seat, as usual, where she could see it. Because of a phone conversation with a young relative in trouble, and another with her boss about a crisis at work, Balfour spent most of the trip on her cell, stressed, solving other people's problems. Because the babysitter had a new phone, it didn't yet contain Balfour's office phone number, only her cell number, meaning that when the sitter phoned to wonder why Balfour hadn't dropped Bryce off that morning, it rang unheard in Balfour's pocketbook.
"Let me think about it" = the coward's way of saying "no"
Sudden From Sweden, joined Jul 2001, 4127 posts, RR: 6 Reply 15, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 2042 times:
Quoting PC12Fan (Reply 13): Quoting Sudden (Reply 8):
I have 2 children, and never would I forget them in the car for whatever reason.
And I would bet you all the money in the world that the most tragic examples of these incidents the parents said exactly the same damned thing - to the T.
Most likely,
But there's a big difference here, which is basically that I'm responsible over my children, and would never forget them in the car, or anywhere else for that matter.
If someone is that distracted that they are able forget their child in the car, they should not be allowed to walk the street. I mean that seriously!
Dragon6172 From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 1160 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 4 days ago) and read 2000 times:
Quoting PROSA (Reply 14): If it hadn't been for the alignment of certain events the mother would not have left her son behind:
Sounds like an aircraft accident these days. "If it had not been for a certain chain of unexpected events it would have never happened."
Asuflyer05 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 2369 posts, RR: 3 Reply 18, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 1967 times:
This happens at least once or twice here in Phoenix.
KaiGywer From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 12027 posts, RR: 43 Reply 19, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1952 times:
Quoting PC12Fan (Reply 13): Some new technology is around now that will prevent such tragedies. It's a sensor on both the car keys and on the car seat. If a pressure sensor is "activated" on the car seat and the sensor on the key chain gets "x" distance away, an alarm sounds.
Problem is that if it's weight based, mine would go off all the time with all the junk I leave in my back seat
Dragon6172 From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 1160 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 1908 times:
Quoting KaiGywer (Reply 19): Problem is that if it's weight based, mine would go off all the time with all the junk I leave in my back seat
I think the sensor is in the car seat and key chain alarm would come with it.
KaiGywer From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 12027 posts, RR: 43 Reply 21, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 1851 times:
Quoting Dragon6172 (Reply 20): I think the sensor is in the car seat and key chain alarm would come with it.
A332 From Canada, joined Feb 2005, 1644 posts, RR: 2 Reply 22, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 1791 times:
Quoting IAirAllie (Reply 10): It happens even to very responsible parents. It has nothing to do with laziness. The human memory has limitations. If the routine is different than you are used to and you are are in a distracted hurry a quiet sleeping child child could be overlooked.
It has nothing to do with laziness or irresponsibility eh?
So how about those mothers who leave their kids in the car, vehicle running, so they can run into the store quickly, while someone jumps in and steals the vehicle with the kids still in it. This is very common all over the place. Those parents would not be defined as either 'lazy', 'irresponsible' or both?
Quoting IAirAllie (Reply 10): example: Mom usually drops kid off at daycare/school. Mom is out of town so today dad has to do it early before work. There is a long drive to the drop off location, kid falls asleep, dad gets deep into thought about an important meeting later that day. We all kind of get into that autopilot mode when commuting to work early in the morning so dad on autopilot forgets that instead of his normal routine he is supposed to drop of the kid who is fast asleep in the back seat. He pulls into work grabs some papers of the side seat closes the door and answers a cell phone call as he walks into the building without ever looking into the back seat.
Again, a responsible parent would not forget about their children. Your example showcases how self absorbed people are... and how easy it is for people to irresponsibly forget about their priorities.
CXfirst From Norway, joined Jan 2007, 2695 posts, RR: 1 Reply 23, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 1751 times:
Here in Australia on the Sky News Current Affairs show they recently had a show with a (fake, but looking real) baby that was crying in a car on a hot day. This was to test how many people would stop and find out where the parents are, and how many would just walk past. They also had an actress as the mother to see what people would tell her.
It was incredible how many walked past, but there were a couple decent people.
PC12Fan From United States of America, joined Jan 2007, 2236 posts, RR: 5 Reply 24, posted (4 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 1718 times:
Quoting Sudden (Reply 15): But there's a big difference here, which is basically that I'm responsible over my children,
And they weren't?
Quoting Sudden (Reply 15): If someone is that distracted that they are able forget their child in the car, they should not be allowed to walk the street. I mean that seriously!
You should focus that energy towards those who would DELIBERATELY hurt kids.
Just when I think you've said the stupidest thing ever, you keep talkin'!
25 IAirAllie: How about them? That is not what this thread is about, this thread is about parents who accidentally leave their kid in the car. Two very different t
26 Sudden: Just by asking this you know the answer to it yourself. If you think about it, both are just as bad. Aim for the sky! Sudden
27 PC12Fan: Are these tragedies inexcusable? Yes Are they impossible? .............
28 57AZ: That happens with a bit of regularity, even with trained professional drivers (specifically school bus drivers). Most of the school districts I know o
29 Ncfc99: I have some freinds who have 3 kids, we visited them in Australia a couple of years ago when there youngest was 8 months old. They are great parents
30 A346Dude: The real answer is a good proportion of the people who forget about their kid in the car are in fact perfectly responsible parents like you. People m
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