I have started to really look forw3ard to reading the paper each day.......I have always read the weekly local papers 'Sherwood Park News' and 'Strathcona County This Week' - I like to know what is happening in the area, events happening and where new subdivisions are planned etc etc and I also like to look at the houses that are for sale.....
Just lately though I have started to read the daily paper The Edmonton Journal. We have sometimes bought it at weekends but not often...I may have it delivered though.
Todays articles are good....there is an article about attracting birds to your garden and what birds REALLY need......another article about growing Orchids....an article on the five stages of grief (useful for the novel I am writing) and a sad article about the little girl who died in Calgary on Tuesday....the day before her second birthday. Basically the article says that charges will not be laid! Good job too! That poor Mom...she's been through enough. No doubt endless people have judged her harshly already......My heart breaks for her. I just can't imagine.
This Mom had to run into work to drop some files off...she left her 6 year old Son and 2 year old Daughter in the car. The 2 year old started crying so the 6 year old let her out of her car seat to stop the crying. He then fell asleep. The 2 year old knelt up on the arm rest and leaned her head out of the window...he kneee pressed against the window button and the window closed on her neck and strangled her.
Its tragic.
A passerby saw her and got her free and laid her back in her car seat and ran for help......in the mean time the Mom came back to the car and strapped the 'sleeping' girl back in her car seat and drove the 6 year old to school. On the way home she realised the 2 year old was just TOO quiet and then real;ised something was wrong and called 911. Sadly it was too late.
Just terribly tragic. Awful. That poor Mom....on the news it has been endlessly said how awful it was to leave to the children in the car, with the engine running while she ran into the office to drop off the files......but sometimes we do these things...we make the choice....Do we struggle to get the sleepy children out of their seats into their coats and out into the -20 weather for two minutes while you drop the files in....hands full, very stressful.....car gets cold while you are out of it......or do you go for the other choice...leave the children 'safely' strapped in, in the warm car while you rush to drop the files off much faster than if you had to take the children with you.....
We all make choices like this every day...it may not be about leaving children alone in the car...it may be about leaving a toddler in the bath to go grab a towel or clean pj's........it may be about leaving a toddler eating lunch in his highchair while you throw laundry in the machine or answer the door.....it may be about leaving the stairgate open for a minute while you carry a laundry basket full downstairs......
Every choice we make as Mothers has risks....and no parent is perfect 100% of the time. We all make mistakes but some of us are just VERY lucky.....I have 5 kids......don't believe for a minute that I haven't made choices that could have put them at risk...it takes seconds for something to go wrong..... I've been very lucky. I have 5 healthy safe and happy children......but I've left hot mugs of tea too close......I've had Abigail 'escape' from the house and wander down the road 'going to meet Daddy from the bus' I've found Susie in the bathroom aged 2 'shaving her legs' with my razor......Abigail choked on a wine gum we gave her.......
If you've judged the Mom in Calgary then SHAME ON YOU...because none of us are blameless....accidents happen and none of us make perfect choices 100% of the time. Most of us are just lucky!
