You dont, its that simple. We raised 4 boys, and it never happened. If your kid's are your number one priority everything else takes second place. You think about them when you put them in the car, while your driving and when you get out....it becomes second nature.
Parents like the one in the article are the ones at little league games with a toddler wandering around on the other side of the field while they are talking to someone.... or they leave a restaurant and find they are missing a kid when they get home (kid's still at restaurant) because they were to busy to notice. Yes, Ive actually witnessed both of these examples.
For the most part I agree with you, but there are always exceptions to any rule.
When our 4th was a year old we had been at the grandparents house. On our way home we were going to stop at the store but one of the others was having a meltdown. So I was going to drop them all off at home and go to the store by myself. When we got to the house hubby asked at the last minute to take the baby with me. He was in the back seat when all the others got out and he fell asleep on the way there. I completely forgot that he was with me when I got there. I was in the store probably 2 minutes before it dawned on me that I had forgotten him in the car.
I am a stay at home mom and my kids are my life. Before I did this I had much that same attitude. It was completely my fault that I forgot him. But it doesn’t change the fact that you can be a great parent and have a momentary lapse of brains at the same time. I just thank God that my lapse was so minimal in the grand scheme of life.