More Questionable Parenting = Tragic Death

[UGetPaid]

After reading the twins in a hot car thread and the discussion about parents on autopilot and so forth - there was a news story on the radio today about a three year old severely autistic child who wandered out of her house and into a neighbor's swimming pool where she drowned. Apparently linked to her autism she had a tendency to 'sneak away' from her caregivers without awareness of the dangers that she put herself in when she did that (which sounds like a cop out for the supposed ?responsible? adults tasked to watch her).  I don't question the condition or sneaking away tendency or that the child could not appreciate the danger. But that just further emphasizes the point that she should always be closely watched.


Her mom (who does blame herself according to the radio news story) said that the girl was asleep at home, so mom took the opportunity to go to McDonalds and left the sleeping 3 year old autistic child with tendencies to sneak away home.  (Another article I found seems to say that she was home with an 11 year old sibling).


Tragic and heartbreaking, but what exactly were you thinking in that moment?  (Obvious answer = she wasn't thinking at all - except for how tasty a BigMac would be...)

[countrygirl12]

Well first off I see them blaming the owner of the pool.

Second I think a lot of issues with these kids with "autism" and other mental issues is they are never punished or taught there is a proper way to act.  You can have severe mental problems and not be above the capacity of a 2 year old and be taught there are rules and to mind whomever is in charge of you.  I have worked with people with mental problems, and not the "mental illness" of today but what use to be referred to as being mentally retarded.  And 99% of them done what they were told and you never had any issues with them.  If they were told to stay here...  they stayed there.  Kind of like kids that are brought up right and made to mind.

BUT that is an entirely different discussion.

As far as the specific situation you are referring to I doubt the child was "sneaking away" but rather she woke up alone and she was looking for an adult.  And she fell in the pool and that was that.  If the mother admitted she left the child alone she needs to be charged.

This is not going to change because they know there is NO real punishment.  And if they do go to jail they have it better than a lot of people living out in the world do.  Got 3 squares a day, cable tv, cell phone, college education, ALL at tax payer expense.

[linderlizzie]

I think that a certain amount of negligence is apparent in many of these cases. I cannot fathom people leaving their babies alone in a car, hot or not. And you shouldn't leave your children home alone, for Pete sake. We are all guilty of being ignorant at times, but what a terrible price to pay. 

I've never been able to decide what sort of punishment is appropriate for someone who has been negligent enough that their child would die, since the death of their child would be so traumatic. 

[countrygirl12]

I think that a certain amount of negligence is apparent in many of these cases. I cannot fathom people leaving their babies alone in a car, hot or not. And you shouldn't leave your children home alone, for Pete sake. We are all guilty of being ignorant at times, but what a terrible price to pay. 

I've never been able to decide what sort of punishment is appropriate for someone who has been negligent enough that their child would die, since the death of their child would be so traumatic. 

The death is not traumatic for them.  They do not care.  If they did they would not have "forgotten" the child in the car.  ALL day long!

[1imaginarygirl]

Ok wait a second. There are so many things wrong with this story.

Mom was "trying to do everything I could to prevent this from happening again" by leaving her children home alone while she went to McDonald's!? Knowing her child had escaped frequently in the past, she handed over her responsibility as a caretaker and mother - a responsibility that she, an adult, apparently failed at many times before - to her 11-year old.

"Police believe the girl slipped away from her home and was running around her neighborhood as witnesses tried unsuccessfully to catch her." So multiple witnesses could not catch a child running around outside. How fast can 3-year old children run?! Their legs are only 10 inches long.

https://fox8.com/2019/08/01/3-year-old-slips-away-from-strongsville-home-drowns-in-neighbors-pool/

"I don't want to get too close to her because she's afraid of me." OMG, she's not a feral dog.

"I just wish I had done more, I wish I had gone after her, but in this day and age with child abductions, you just don't know what people are gonna say what you're doing," said the witness. Umm, you grab the kid, you call the police, and you wait until they get there. That's not abduction and would not be perceived as such, especially since there were other witnesses and you called the police. People don't generally alert the police when they commit crimes. So it's not that they could not catch her running around. It's that they would not catch her.

They need to start sterilizing people that repeatedly prove themselves too stupid to live. And good luck if you ever need help and there are only witnesses with phones around. You'll be dead, but at least the video of your death will go viral on social media.

[UGetPaid]

And good luck if you ever need help and there are only witnesses with phones around. You'll be dead, but at least the video of your death will go viral on social media.

All of what you said about the actual details seems right on point, in my opinion. Yet I chose to delete all of that from your post and leave only the quote above. This is the truest of your true observations.

[gwilson31]

And good luck if you ever need help and there are only witnesses with phones around. You'll be dead, but at least the video of your death will go viral on social media.

All of what you said about the actual details seems right on point, in my opinion. Yet I chose to delete all of that from your post and leave only the quote above. This is the truest of your true observations.

This made me laugh.  Sadly I think it is true though.

[countrygirl12]

Ok wait a second. There are so many things wrong with this story.

Mom was "trying to do everything I could to prevent this from happening again" by leaving her children home alone while she went to McDonald's!? Knowing her child had escaped frequently in the past, she handed over her responsibility as a caretaker and mother - a responsibility that she, an adult, apparently failed at many times before - to her 11-year old.

"Police believe the girl slipped away from her home and was running around her neighborhood as witnesses tried unsuccessfully to catch her." So multiple witnesses could not catch a child running around outside. How fast can 3-year old children run?! Their legs are only 10 inches long.

https://fox8.com/2019/08/01/3-year-old-slips-away-from-strongsville-home-drowns-in-neighbors-pool/

"I don't want to get too close to her because she's afraid of me." OMG, she's not a feral dog.

"I just wish I had done more, I wish I had gone after her, but in this day and age with child abductions, you just don't know what people are gonna say what you're doing," said the witness. Umm, you grab the kid, you call the police, and you wait until they get there. That's not abduction and would not be perceived as such, especially since there were other witnesses and you called the police. People don't generally alert the police when they commit crimes. So it's not that they could not catch her running around. It's that they would not catch her.

They need to start sterilizing people that repeatedly prove themselves too stupid to live. And good luck if you ever need help and there are only witnesses with phones around. You'll be dead, but at least the video of your death will go viral on social media.

3 year old children can actually run pretty fast esp if they have a head start.  I had one outrun me.  Wasn't even my child.  Stupid parent just stood there watching and laughed.  I should have said screw it and let her go after her own child.  But she had 7 more so if she lost this one it would not be a huge deal I don't guess.

[vickysue]

I find it hard to hear how  people "forget to take a  child out of a car or let one get away from you and  drown in a pool. The first time I took my boys to  Disneyland I hooked   dog leashes to their belts to make sure they were not to  far from me. Yep I got a lot of nasty looks and  comments. But buy  golly  my children  did not get lost as so many were. I  guess I was way before my time. Now  a lot of people use them when out with their children. Oh well it was quite a fun day for  all, the children safe and mom wore out.