Posted on 11/02/2011 11:40:36 AM PDT by Mountain Bike Vomit Carnage
Time and again the headlines are filled with stories of young children left home alone. Typically they're found fine, and we all fret about what could have happened. In Joplin, Missouri, however, it's what did happen that's heartbreaking.
According to The Joplin Globe, Eric Hicks, 28, was watching his girlfriend's 18-month-old son, Emjay Corn, Saturday morning. He had an appointment at a methadone clinic, but instead of taking the boy with him or finding alternative care for him, he just left him there, alone in his crib. Sometime later the boy was found dead.
The boy's cause of death is still under investigation, and Hicks has been charged with felony child endangerment. Other details are murky as to why police arrived at the house when there was no record of a call being made to them that day and where the mother was. But regardless of the specifics, on the surface, it's such a blatant and sad example of why young children should never be left home alone -- not for an hour, not even for a couple of minutes.
It's hard to find child care, I know. And for some who have to work to pay the rent or keep medical appointments, leaving the children alone may feel like the only option, perhaps especially so for someone coping with drug addiction. But it never can be. Even children who are sleeping or otherwise engaged can get into a dangerous situation in no time at all. People who don't understand that shouldn't be left in charge of them.
I feel for this entire family. I can only imagine their pain and suffering right now as they piece together what happened, contemplate what they could have done to prevent it, and beat themselves up for the rest of their lives over what they didn't do. But that's the thing when it comes to our children's safety -- we don't get do-overs, and that's why we have to put it first, above anything else.
“Seems kind of obvious... “
...Don’t store your babies in this container?
I wonder why they’ve added the warning label.
My family has been using those things to store babies for YEARS and WE’VE never had a problem.
My daughter has a close friend from Ireland who goes by Emjay. Short for “Emma Jane.” She’s a doll.
The “mother” was probably turning tricks to support her heroin addiction between methadone treatments.
Oops...forgot to mention that I used to work with a Barbara Jane once and she, too, went by her initials. I had a real hard time divining why a beautiful woman would choose to adopt those initials for her name. It was very hard to keep a straight face when talking to her.
I’ll be interested in learning the time of death. Could be the kid died before the addict left the house.
A co-worker of mine has a beautiful little 3 year old named Mary Jane.
I don’t know her all that well to ask her: “WHAT were you thinking?”
But I’m old. My co-worker is young. It may never have even occured to her what that refers to. And so what? Mary Jane is a beautiful name. Why let its connotations with marijuana stop you from naming your child that?
But, then again, it is apparently no worse than being left home with Eric Hicks.
Indeed - though I think your comment is fairly encompassed in mine... :-)
Note to all the druggie libertarians: this is another example of how drugs - somehow, someway - end up hurting innocent people, in this case someone who never even got a chance at life.
Maybe you should lay off the ‘drugs are a victimless crime’ crap and grow up.
So, what WERE the police doing there?
Maybe I’m old or naive, but the first two associations I came up with for “Mary Jane” were a penny candy and Peter Parker’s girlfriend. Marijuana didn’t even make the list.
How stupid is that sticker? Everyone knows babies can’t read.
I had a friend who knew an expectant Chinese woman whom she tried to talk out of naming the child “Jane”.
“But I like that name,” protested the Chinese mother.
“Trust me,” my friend said. “You do not want to have a child named ‘Jane Do’. Just trust me on this...”
“He had an appointment at a methadone clinic, but instead of taking the boy with him or finding alternative care for him, he just left him there, alone in his crib. Sometime later the boy was found dead.”
Three words: Mommy’s new boyfriend.
Mommy’s new boyfriend was having drug cravings and killed baby in fit. More than likely boyfriend does not even remember doing it. OR Mommy’s new boyfriend so high on methadone he did it then and still does not remember it.
Either way Mommy’s new boyfriend strikes again.
“He had an appointment at a methadone clinic, but instead of taking the boy with him or finding alternative care for him, he just left him there, alone in his crib. Sometime later the boy was found dead.”
Three words: Mommy’s new boyfriend.
Mommy’s new boyfriend was having drug cravings and killed baby in fit. More than likely boyfriend does not even remember doing it. OR Mommy’s new boyfriend so high on methadone he did it then and still does not remember it.
Either way Mommy’s new boyfriend strikes again.
“Emjay” oh, how clever, mom. NOBODY will figure out why you named him that.
“...penny candy and Peter Parker’s girlfriend.”
Or a little girl’s patent leather shoes.
If only we could build the perfect totalitarian police state that is needed to crush all recreational drugs and drug users, 18-month-old children would never be neglected ever again.
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