When I first came across this story, I immediately realized that I needed to write a blog on it. I really felt like this was an act of parental stupidity. How could anyone possibly think that leaving an infant in a vehicle was okay? Even for a minute? You may well be thinking the same thing. Or maybe you’re one of those parents who didn’t want to wake up your child so you left them there for a few minutes while you brought the groceries in. Everything was fine and besides you’re not one of ‘those’ parents who would forget. It was only a few minutes. But I caution you first and foremost to NEVER THINK IT IS OKAY TO LEAVE A CHILD IN THE VEHICLE. (That warning necessitates capitalization.) Secondly, I caution you not to judge.
Parental Stupidity
As I researched for this blog I did come across plenty of stories of parental stupidity. One mother left her infant in the car while she went inside to go play bingo. When she was finished the child was dead. She told police that she had to go play bingo so she could win the money to buy the baby diapers and formula. But, the bingo hall wouldn’t allow children and besides that the baby was sleeping. Um. . .yeah. . .makes perfect sense to me.
Then there was the father who left the baby in the car and the baby died. The reason he left the baby in the car though was, as you will see, a very good one. He needed to go cook some meth. And, as he explained to officers, the fumes could’ve killed her.
I am going to assume though that my audience of readers are not meth cooks and bingo junkies and so by all means judge these people. They should win an award for their stupidity and their children should go to homes where at least, the parents have more common sense.
Parental Oversight
Believe it or not though. . .junkies and gamblers were not the most common parents to leave their kids in the car. I was shocked to find out that most parents either didn’t think it was dangerously hot, didn’t want to wake the baby up, or simply forgot the baby.
One heartbreaking story talked about a mother who left her infant in the car seat while she brought groceries inside. (After all she couldn’t get the groceries and the baby inside, and she couldn’t leave the baby inside while she went out to get the groceries.) While inside, the phone rang. She picked up the phone and was on her way outside again. But the phone call was to tell her that her husband had passed away that morning in an auto accident. Grief stricken, she forgot about the baby until it was too late.
Last year 34 children died of heat stroke from being left in the car. I realize 34 children is not that many children statistically speaking. But that is 34 completely preventable deaths. Don’t leave your infant in the car ever. It only takes about 4 minutes for the vehicle to heat up on an 80 degree day to a sufficient temperature to cause heat stroke in an infant.