My friend posted this link on facebook recently, which has of course haunted me since and forced me to read all the articles associated with it, including this one. The idea of anything happening to my daughter makes me weep and vomit simultaneously; the thought of leaving her in the car, it rips me. John and I are thoughtful, aware individuals, but as Gene Weingarten describes, we are just as likely to be the perpetrators, especially given the multiple distractions in our lives.
Yesterday, John was kind enough (and available) to pick Ari up from daycare and take her to crossfit with him so I could get an extra hour of studying in. I told him that I knew I was being ridiculous, but could he please just humor me and call me to let me know he got Ari out of the car (as though our carseat-hating soprano would not constantly remind us of her presence). When I didn’t get a phone call, I got in my car, drove to the gym, tracked down John’s car, and scoped it out like a crazy person making sure it was infant-less. And then I was able to get back to the qbank.
anna in med school 
Sweet Anna…not “crazy mom,” just “mom.” It just goes with the territory.
Thank you, Linda. It’ll never go away, will it?
Everything you do with your little one will stay with you forever. My right arm still swings out automatically whenever I hit the brakes suddenly, I still sway in the grocery store line when a baby cries, the list goes on an on. It’s a huge responsibility to rear a child, and a singular honor. You and John will continue to have moments of fun and fear, and that’s all ok.
Much delayed, but thank you, Linda.
I can’t finish reading that WP story. ::shudder::
Of course you ran to make sure Ari was okay. As my mother-in-law said about spanking a child who ran out in front of a car, “Better a traumatized child than a dead child.” Better a traumatized parent than a dead child. Infinitely better.
When I think about this kind of thing, I generally hug or kiss whatever child I can find, and there aren’t any here just now. So please snuggle that sweet baby for me when you can.
It took me three attempts to finish the article–and I am still fixating on it. What is also saddening is how we can sometimes vilify these parents, when it can so clearly happen to any of us…it happened to a pediatrician!
Oh, I’ve been loving on Ari extra recently. I was actually happy when she woke up at 3am this morning to eat…she’s so tender during those times.
Thank you for your sweet note.
Did you see the “BE SAFE” acronym thing for remembering your kid in the car seat? One of the initials stands for putting something that you need in the back seat so that you will always, always check it. Another suggests that you keep a brightly-colored stuffed animal in the car seat when your kid isn’t in it; then before you strap the kid in, throw the stuffed animal in the front seat. If you want, I’ll search for the link.
Thank you, I think I have it somewhere. I don’t exactly remember the acronym, but I do remember some of the bullet points of advice. Luckily, John and I normally leave something in the back seat out of habit, and I think we’ll make it an every-trip kind of thing from now on. We have a mirror, which also helps–so much so that it actually catches me off guard if I’m going somewhere and I don’t have her with me. Thank you so much for your support!