by Des Ryan
Editor’s note: this piece was born of a discussion about modern parents and whether we are too distracted. Please use empathy when responding and discussing your thoughts.
Today in my newsfeed I noticed two similar articles with very different outcomes. Both working fathers of toddlers with very busy work schedules. Both went to work as usual and were so distracted they had forgot to drop their sleeping toddlers off at daycare but instead parked their cars and left their children in the car. One father went on his normal work day came home and noticed the toddler in their carseat completely unresponsive and had died. The other father got on the train for work and realized he didn’t drop his daughter off at daycare. He calls 911 and explains what happened and that he is on his way back. He arrives within 20 minutes of the rescue completely distraught. He explains this is not his normal routine and was distracted on getting to work. These articles of forgetfulness with our children have been being reported a lot more often. Right away people ask, “How could someone ever forget their child”? “How did you not notice your child in their car seat leaving the car to go to work”? “How could someone drive all the way home and not notice that their child had been in the car all day”? “What could possibly make you this forgetful and distracted”?