People Questions

--Hypothetical question. Would you, for even one second, get out of your car and leave your 6-week old baby alone in the back seat? Of course, I'm referring to yesterday's incident in East St. Louis in which a mother's car was stolen with her recently-born baby inside. A SARAA alert was issued. We all thought the worst. The news media scrambled to report the story. Thankfully, the car...with the baby still in his car seat and OK...was found later a few blocks away.

On the evening news we saw videotape... taken before the happy ending... of the mother. She was understandably distraught, blubbering, being consoled by relatives, and wondering who could do this to her and her baby.

Hellll-ooooooo!!!! She may not think so, but she is as much to blame for the incident as anybody. It appeared she thought she was victimized by outside forces, and to the extent that someone stole her car, she was. But, she also should understand that her behavior would be foreign to most parents anywhere on the planet. Most moms and dads would not let their baby out of their sight and, therefore, not allow a similar incident to happen. She left her baby alone in the car, apparently with the engine running--at least I hope so because the temperature was in the 90's and the child would need the air conditioning. If that's not an invitation to steal the car, especially in crime-ridden East St. Louis, what is?

I'm sorry, but I just don't understand the mind-set, or mindless-set, that would cause a parent to essentially abandon their baby in such a way. To most people, your own child is THE most precious thing in the universe. And, leaving a helpless child somewhere, anywhere, where someone else's priorities could possibly harm them, is beyond conventional comprehension.

I also saw that the East St. Louis police are not considering charges against the mother. If putting a baby in a position to be car-jacked is not child endangerment, what is? I have to question their judgment in this one too.

Again, someone needs to explain to me how a truly loving parent could begin to let something like that happen.