Shopping with young children can be an extremely stressful ordeal. That goes double if you are trying to get through your list during the holiday season when the crowds are anything but merry and bright, and your inner Scrooge is out in full force.
With Christmas chaos well underway, I am not the least bit surprised one dad lost it last week.
And by “it” I mean his 6-month-old son.
And by “lost” I mean forgot.
If the drama of the holiday season has you feeling as though you are losing your mind, take heart. When you learn what the central Kentucky dad went through during a recent trip to the grocery store, you’ll be counting your blessings as you countdown to Christmas.
According to police reports, the dad got distracted while he was loading his groceries and three children into his vehicle outside of a Nicholasville Kroger store. The guy apparently remembered to place all of his food into his car, but he left his infant in the grocery cart and drove away.
Fortunately, it only took the dad a few minutes to discover that his baby was not riding peacefully in the back seat.
Or, maybe the baby never rides peacefully in the back seat, which is why the father noticed his infant was gone before getting too far away from the grocery store.
Police say the dad was “totally distraught” about his oversight and quickly hightailed it back to the store before officers arrived at the scene.
According to the store’s manager, a couple found the baby sitting alone in the shopping cart and took him inside the store where he was later reunited with his dad.
Local police reveal that no charges will be filed against the absent-minded dad, but the case will be handed over to social services.
Personally, I feel for the guy. I don’t condone his actions, but what parent can’t envision this same scenario happening to him or her just as easily, even without the distractions associated with the holiday season.
I don’t see many dads shopping alone with three kids, and some of you may say that this story is one of the reasons why.
Despite the fact that the baby was completely unharmed, you’ve got to wonder how merry Christmas will be for the dad if the child’s mother forgets to forget about his seasonal blunder.