CPS and Big Mistakes

There is absolutely no excuse for the mother to do this. That baby could have easily baked to dealth. Have you seen the parents? Sorry but they look like (inappropriate term) to me. She has a meth face if I have ever seen it. If that baby is returned to her, I feel sorry for it.

DD 3 years old brand new baby Luke David born 6/9/08 9lb 1oz 21 1/2 inches long

I don't understand how you forget you have an infant in the car with you. The other thing i don't understand is how authorities can determine in this incident we will arrest the mother and press charges and yet in other incidents authorities determine it was a mistake. Like the father who left his infant in the car last year and the baby died. Wasn't that ruled a "mistake"

I am not so sure i am a big fan of CPS, but if another family member doesn't step up to the plate to assist (assuming there is a family member) then what other choice do authorities have?

The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge.
~ Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)

I don't disagree with either of you; it's absolutely wrong to leave a child in a hot car. I was trying to express that the problem is bigger than just that; we aren't teaching kids how to take care of little ones.

I'm 45, and I've got older cousins and a big brother who'll remind me that they changed my diaper. When extended families lived near one another or visited frequently, kids learned, growing up, how to look after a baby or toddler. Whomever happened to be closest to smell a dirty diaper just changed it. Whomever was in the room with the baby watched him/her. There really wasn't a reason for a parent to leave a child in the car; there was plenty of free babysitting to be had for short errands, etc.

Maybe I'm too much of an optimist, but I do really believe that, if we paid attention to (particularly young) parents who didn't get raised in an extended family, and who don't have anyone to mentor them, the babies would thrive.

I totally don't understand how one can leave an infant/kid inside the car without knowing it. Upon the time you buckled a kid in the car, you knew baby was there. Personally, I will always have my mirror on-keeping an eye behind me-where I can see my own son at the back of my car. There is no excuse that one had forgotten about a kid. Everytime I hear stories like this is just so devastating! and we keep having cases like this! It's awful!

Have a beautiful day!
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You would think at some point in the store she would have remembered the baby was in the car. I mean if she was picking up diapers, formula, baby food or even saw another baby, you would think she would say to herself "oh crap" and run out to the car. The baby was lucky someone heard her cries. I think at 25 years of age is not considered to be a mom that is to young to take care of a baby. If she was physically or mentally unable to care for the baby then she should let CPS help her.

Here is my take on this. I agree that a lot of the young mothers out there need some guidance and a mentor to help them through the tough job of parenting, but I also think that it takes a little common sense as well. I wish that both of my kids came with owner's manuals (especially my son when I had him at 18) but I also had the common sense to not do something like leave him in a car (hot or not) EVER. CPS is not a "proactive" government aide, the name impliments that it should be, but it's not. CPS is also a very scary word for most moms to hear or speak. I know this first hand as I've had a couple of run ins with them (got to love my son who 2 years ago to save his own butt in school said I left him home overnight to take care of my sick grandmother in Tucson and I almost lost both my kids from his lie). I know now a days there seems to be a lot more young mothers than it was 10-15 years ago and I wish there were more programs also to teach but in this incident it almost seems like this was something that she might "be sorry for" but knew what she was doing could be wrong. It's not me for me to judge only god.

"It's not to late to become who you've always wanted to be..."

There are programs out there - but the sad thing is that the young parent ususally needs to have CPS contact first before learning about them. My exhusband got his BSW from NAU in the early 90s, and did his internship with Parent's Anonymous. They are a fabulous organization that really focuses on helping parents deal with real life situations. In fact, I had just had my oldest and helped to "model" being a parent for a young girl who was in foster care who had just had a baby of her own. I attended parenting class with her, and by interacting with my two month old helped her learn how to respond to her babies needs, how to hold him, touch him, etc.
PA also held weekly parenting classes in winslow, and I volunteered there as well. I really wish more people knew about them.

I know mistakes are made. But I just can't see leaving a baby in the car as a mistake, I see it as negligence.

I just realized there was a post about this. I can't imagine leaving my daughter in the car. I am more than likely to forget to pick up something I needed at the store, or lock my keys in the car than leave my child in there. When you become a parent everything including yourself becomes secondary to your child. Your child is all that matters. I believe that she was on Meth or something. Her face, and the fact that she says she was up all night. My sister used to be on it, and she would stay up for days at a time, and crash hard when she was coming down. That poor poor baby. And did anyone see how she wasn't even crying or a mess about it? Wouldn't you be a mess if you knew you almost killed your child. I would be an absolute mess!!!

Lisa - Mom to her spunky little Scarlette

I feel that when you are young and have children your priorities are not in order, this is how mistakes are made... young/teen mother’s priorities are not on their children they are thinking of themselves and not the children. This is horrible what happened to the baby, thank God that someone was observant and reported the baby in the car. The story I heard in the news sounded like the grama was with the mom in the store, did she also forget the baby. Maybe this baby need to be in a more caring enviroment, but CPS and the courts will give the mother every opportunity to redeem herself with our tax dollars, that could be going out to educate our children not defend delinquent parents. Sorry I had to vent!!

This makes me remember the little boy that was left in the car while his mother went to work at Hooters, I still can't get that tragedy out of my mind.

Life is full of gifts, enjoy each and everyone of them.

I would agree that it is negligence when leaving the baby in the hot car by that mother. However, calling her a meth head because she said she was up all night is not cool. Remember...7-week old baby probably does not sleep through the night. She did not look in her right state of mind, I would agree.

There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one!

She's 25. I think that's old enough to understand that you can't leave a baby alone in the car - ever.

I had my daughter when I was 19 and was always aware when she was with me in the car.

If someone thinks that they're stressed/overtired, put the diaper bag in the front seat so you'll remember you have your baby with you.

jesshod is a mommy to 2 girls (ages 6 and 1) and is an arizonamoms.com discussion leader living in Surprise.

My heart goes out to the family but in all honesty, unless you don't own a television or radio, who in the world doesn't know not to leave a child in a car? You would have to be deaf not to know!

Paz