Unattended Va Toddler dies in car

[tld221]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

Also, as to the story - I really don't understand how someone could leave a small child alone like that. I understand being busy, I understand being distracted, but as a parent, there's a certain level of attention you should be giving to your child.

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Agreed...I cant understand how you get so lost in thought that you forget about your child.

Originally Posted by nikki1920

I have never forgotten my child in a car. Keys, yes. Purse, yes. ID for work, yes. 10 year old child, no. Almost 2 year old child, no. Sorry, there is just no excuse for forgetting your child in the car.

period.com

First, let me acknowledge that YES this is newsworthy, because it has to serve as a wake-up call to parents to stop being stupid. Parents will do anything for their kids, and to have to live with the fact that your decisions caused their death, that cant be easy to deal with.

to play devil's advocate, however... the article says he was a managing director and his son was newly adopted. That makes the guy a parent by definition but clearly not by nature. If anything, he may have regarded his kid with the same importance as whatever is on his schedule for the day--can be moved around, canceled, rescheduled, micromanaged, etc.

I truly believe that this was accidental - he's a businessman and was probably going about his day, completely forgetting about his son. You say, "how the hell..." but it seems logical.

and this is not a sweeping generalization on adults who adopt children and their parenting skills, but similarly, i cant count the number of times my aunt and uncle would call our house looking for their "newly" adopted daughter, because neither one could remember who was "responsible" for her that day. turns out they had let her stay with my aunt's grandparents that weekend. Another time, my cousin WAS at our house. She got dropped off on Friday and they didnt call til TUESDAY saying "oh, we got busy, neither one of us could come to pick her up."

BTW, my uncle runs a non-profit and my aunt is a doctor. Again, careers that take up a lot of their time, and like this guy, regarded their child like they would any other commitment on their calendars.

If youre too busy for kids, you shouldnt have them, biological or adoptive. This man seems like he fit the bill. Dont go fulfilling your dream of being a parent if youre not going to make the sacrifices to be one.

[SWTXBelle]

I was watching an Animal Planet show based in Miami. It follows the Animal "cops" - they responded to a call, but too late. A dog had died after being left in the car.