All to often I see parents leaving their children unattended in a parked car. Most commonly this is seen at the gas station where the car is left running and with doors locked in clear view of the cash register. (somehow this makes it “ok”) Before I go any further I’ll admit that I’m guilty of this myself.
Unnecessary Death Caused By Stupidity
Somewhere along the line we as a society have become far to busy and distracted by all the things we have going on in our lives. So distracted in fact that somehow we” forget” the toddler we’ve not long ago strapped into the children safety seat in the back seat. Somehow we manage to “forget” the constant babbling of the child not three feet behind us safely strapped in for Safey sake. Somehow we manage to forget about dropped the children off at daycare only to leave them to die a Slow Death in a mobile oven that is more commonly referred to as a car.
The Question
How the heck can anyone “forget” the simple fact that there’s a child in the back seat? I find it impossible to “forget” when I have my children along in town. How? How do you forget?
The Problem
You’ve read this far and I’m sure you want to know why I’ve been using quotes around the word forget. The answer is simple. Yet again this morning I hear that another young child was “forgotten” to be dropped off at daycare. This is simply ridiculous. It is not even possible to legitimately forget the fact that you carried out to the car all the stuff that goes with a kid. Diaper bag, sippy cups, blankie, bear/doll, and let’s not forget the kid you scooped up in your arms and carefully buckled in.
The Solution
The simplest solution to preventing unnecessary death of children caused by parental stupidity is to use that thingy between your ears. Once you’ve painstakingly loaded all the necessary junk in the car and have buckled em in their car seats with those child proof buckles take a picture of em sitting there in the back seat. Set that picture immediately as the wallpaper on your phone. Next, pull that diaper bag out of the back and set it on front passenger seat. Lastly tape a note on the dash.
Parting Thoughts
At the end of the day nothing else matters beyond the safety and well being of our children. As responsible parents it is our duty to watch over and protect the ones we love. So we must unplug from life’s distraction if only for the short time our children are with us in the car. Please remember only one thing today… Only you can prevent the Unnecessary Death Of Your Child Caused By Your Own Stupidity. In the simplest words possible… Pull your head out of your arse.
Mike
August 17, 2012 at 10:08 amIn other words, stop being a douche and act like an adult.
Jose
August 17, 2012 at 10:29 amTake ALL your daily items (laptops, phone, briefcase, EVERYTHING!) and put it in the back seat. While putting a diaper bag on your passenger side seat helps, it still requires you to look. People are creatures of habit and that’s the problem. While I cant see myself ever forgetting that I have a child, some are programmed to go from point A to point B and that’s it. You need to break the daily ritual. Some might not look at their cell phones just before they leave their car, or pay attention to everything that is in the passenger seat. They just grab (sometimes without looking) their laptop or briefcase and go. The only way I can think of to break your daily ritual is to put things in a different location that would force you to “look”. If everything is in the back seat you have no choice but to go back there to get them. If at this time you still don’t notice your child then you really need to re-evaluate your decision of being a father. Ultimately you can’t fix stupid, but there are things you can do to help prevent unnecessary deaths like this.