Children's Safety Should be First

I have to admit I have made my mistakes in parenting. We all have made mistakes with our children.

But when I read about parents leaving their underage children alone or forgetting them in the car makes me upset.

I admit I forgot my child once, at school. That day was in service day she got off early. I was going to pick her up. But for some reason some time during the day it slipped my mind and I was thinking I would get her at usual time. About 30 minutes after the early dismissal the school called me and once I heard their voice, my memory came back to me. "HOLY SH-T! I forgot!" I got to school in record time and she was crying. She was mad at me for days and has not totally let me forget it to this day. I felt so awful. However, she was safe and that is the ONLY time I 'forgot" about her.

I can understand being absentminded. But when a parent just leaves a child in the car to make one minute stops at a store or go party or whatever they wanna do makes me infuriated. My first question is "What the hell were they thinking?"

I have witnessed my upstairs neighbor leave their child in the car for 20 minutes. The car is on so I assume the air conditioner is on but WTH? I have thought about calling the cops once or twice.

A mother in Louisiana was charged with four counts of negligent homicide for leaving her 2,5,7 and 8 year old children at home and their home caught fire. This is one of many similar tragedies that happen every day somewheres.

I just read about a mother who had been smoking marijuana who had put her child in the car seat on top of her car, forgot about it and took off. Luckily the child is not harmed.

But as I read this stories and think, again, "What the hell is going through their minds?"

I think, when my BabyGirl was a baby I never left her in the car. And it took me more time and energy to get her in and out of the car than some because of my cerebral palsy and other health issues. All of you parents with cerebral palsy know what I am talking about.

It just seems more innocent lives are being taken or threatened due to negligent parents or just pure ignorance, maybe?

I am sure "It'll never happen to mine" goes through their minds. It is sad their wake-up call is losing these precious gifts.

Some may say losing them is punishment enough. But I don't know.

Children are depending on their parents. They are trusting us to keep them safe and take care of them. Children's safety should be first and foremost.