Yes, instead of offering to babysit someone’s kids while they go out to shop, some people prefer to trash a mother of four. She may be guilty of neglect or stupidity, but sometimes people are just overworked and stressed out. It does happen.
Yes, I agree. There are certainly some cases where mommy and daddy were so drugged or drunk that they didn’t even care, but in many cases, it’s probably simply someone who just was running like mad to get to work or get the shopping done, etc. And probably had some break in their routine that made them inattentive.
I left my 7-yr old daughter in a bank one time and I didn’t even realize it until they called. She was supposed to go off with her friends on a day camp trip but at the last minute she said she didn’t want to go to camp but wanted to come with me to go grocery shopping for the day camp (which was on my property). When we got to the bank and I had to wait on line for ages (this was before the dawn of the ATM) she drifted off to look at stuff behind one of those revolving racks and I simply got my money and walked out the door, because I was thinking of her as being on the day camp trip.
So things can happen, and it bothers me when people’s first response is to attack the parents. They may deserve it, but maybe not, so give them a break. It’s always better - and easier - to not say something at the moment than to repent later of having said the wrong things.