Here‘s is a link to a story that just leaves me feeling depressed and, well, angry. On a hot day in 2007, a woman has to take her baby to the babysitter on the way to work – a task the father normally does, but because of another appointment, can’t do on this particular morning.
She goes by the store to pick up some snacks to take to work, then returns to the car. Instead of heading off to the babysitters, however, she drives right to the school in which she works (as a principal). The entire day (a day in which the temperatures reach 100 degrees) goes by and the woman never thinks once of her daughter in the backseat.
Needless to say, the baby went on to a far better place – with angels fighting over who got to hold her next.
According to the article, the woman was on Oprah recently. The show apparently dealt with finding ways to “slow down.” After all, that’s the only thing this woman did wrong, right? She was just too busy…
Actually, she wasn’t too busy for what mattered to her. She wasn’t too busy to get snacks for her co-workers and she wasn’t too busy to make it to work. Frankly, it serves as a reminder to me that just because some people CAN have children doesn’t mean they SHOULD. Sound harsh? Good, I’m pretty sure I meant for it to.
If someone isn’t capable of giving themselves fully to being a mother or father, they need to go to the pet store, not the maternity ward. Children deserve and require fulltime attention, love, devotion, and care. They aren’t something to be wedged in between money, careers, socializing, etc. If they aren’t going to be a priority, they shouldn’t even be discussed.
The title of the article even ticks me off: “An Overwhelmed Mom’s Deadly Mistake.” First of all, she has a career – most women do. She isn’t in some exclusive little club. She had one extra task that morning… taking her baby to the babysitter. That’s overwhelming??!!
A few things come to mind. First of all, the woman (I’ll give her this, she is speaking out.) may bring attention to other women and men who’s children aren’t at the top of their priority list. Hopefully, these people will recognize themselves in this story and be more aware of what (or who) is going on around them. The type of person who’d read this story and think, “Oh, yeah, I can see how that happened.” needs to read this story once a day for the rest of their lives.
Second of all, how amazing would it have been if the babysitter had called the mother or father and asked where they were – to make sure everything was okay? If I were a babysitter and one of my normal children didn’t show up, I’d be phoning someone making sure nothing had happened. What if the sitter had called the mom earlier in the morning, or the father? If she’d let the dad know, around 8:00 or, at least 9:00, that the little girl wasn’t there, he would have had time to find out why.
Again, this sounds rude – I admit it – but what about the father? If his wife was so entirely off the proverbial ball that she’d forget a baby in her backseat ALL DAY LONG, how could it never occur to him to call her and make sure she’d done what billions of other mothers manage to do?
I’m a firm believer that lessons can be pulled out of anything – even wreckage. This would be a great reminder to slow down and pay attention to the moment we’re living in. It’d also be a great reminder to anyone who has the supreme honor of being a mother or father. Nothing is more important than our daughter(s) and/or son(s). They’re blessings that we should never, ever take for granted.
It’s also a great reminder to care more about others – not a passive care, but an active care. If someone is late or doesn’t show (for whatever!), call them to check up on them. Better to appear overly concerned than not even remotely concerned.
8 hours. How do you not think about your child for 8 hours?
