It happens when you don’t ALWAYS have the baby. That is the worst. To not remember which parent is taking a child to day care.
Since I always had my babies with me always, I was very unlikely to do it since THEBABYTHEBABYTHEBABY was my world. I never arrived anywhere without KNOWING the baby was back there. Even on the very rare occasions when I went alone somewhere, I’d have to freak and remember I went there without the baby when I saw the empty car seat at the end.
And in fact, I usually was driving while wearing an empty baby carrier around me. Get to the destination, pop baby in carrier, boom.
Traditional parenting where one person does 99% of all baby care actually keeps MAMABABY as a unit like intended by nature, and she is not likely to forget her baby. But once you start having dad take her some days and you take her others, you might well be too sleep deprived to know every second if it’s Tuesday or weds.
You are right. We had a tragic case a few years ago where it was a father driving, and I don’t think it was routine for him to drive the kids.
I agree with that completely. I have not bashed the parents when hearing about this happening because in my opinion that is what is happening.
I was the caregiver for my children, my husband helped when he was home or we went together to run errands. I did not work when my children were little. When I left kids with my mother to go out or get away for a weekend I felt like I was missing something the entire time, it was ingrained in my mind. I can see how people who are working, sharing child care, and using other care givers can forget THEY have the baby at that particular moment. They are not forgetting they have a baby, they are forgetting they have the baby at that instant because they are not used to always having the baby, not part of their normal routine.
I had a hard time comprehending until I read a few stories, realized different parents doing day care drop off and one forgetting to do the drop off are the most common way it happens.
When I was little it was actually common for parents to leave children in the car while running quick errands, windows were left all the way down, no one bothered children or other people’s cars and things then, different time. I can remember having a coloring book in the car and seeing other children in nearly every other car in the parking lot. Those days were already changing when I was a child in the 50s but long past before I had children. If someone went back in a time machine to a parking lot then they would see children in cars, rifle racks with rifles in pickup back windows- depending on weather windows all down, that was normal then. No vehicles locked to protect firearms or children because no one bothered either one.
I can see a dad, preoccupied with work, stresses, etc. who usually doesn't do the daycare drop off--just not remembering.
Daycare is the worst "invention". Ever.