Posted on 06/24/2009 4:13:16 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement
A woman left her baby on a Metra train Tuesday but immediately called police when she realized her mistake, allowing officers to reunite mother and child soon afterwards.
The woman stepped off a Union Pacific North Line train at 6:11 p.m. in North Chicago and quickly realized she had left her baby on the train in a stroller, said Judy Pardonnet, a spokeswoman for Metra.
"She just said she forgot to take the stroller off the train," Pardonnet said.
She called North Chicago police and the train was stopped a few minutes later, she said. North Chicago police called Waukegan police to meet the train at the Waukegan station and take custody of the baby until the mother could arrive, Waukegan Police Lt. Ed Fitzgerald said.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagobreakingnews.com ...
Ping
I’ve got three, six through 18 months, and I have never forgotten one of them. I don’t understand how people can leave their kiddos in the car or anywhere.....I’ve got a crazy busy life, between work and kids, but I know my priorities.
How could a mother forget her child?? I’m still looking for the diaper bag and I’ve not carried one for a decade.
Depends on the age of the kid - try going months with 2-3 hours of sleep, you can get a bit crazy.
(Son #4 didn’t sleep through the night till he was 18 months old - I was so tired from lack of sleep, I started to have irrational fears, not a pretty sight)
I agree. I have grandkids and look for things in my purse that I KNOW were there..................30 years ago. That wouldn’t happen if I hadn’t been so focused on them. All these years later, it’s still second nature. You just “do”. Automatically. Kids are a priority and you never forget them or their care.
My second one was awake all night until he was 2. Colic. Cried all night. Found out he was allergic to milk. I never forgot him or his older brother.
I’m sure she would’ve said the same thing, until then.
Exactly.
I could see myself nodding off because of lack of sleep in the first months of my daughter’s life.
Like this.
Mom, who rides the train often (even before she had a baby), nods off. Suddenly the doors open, with an announcement of her stop. She flies off, the doors close and suddenly she realizes her baby is still inside.
Mother’s nightmare.
Things I was taught before I turned twelve...include:
“Once you have a baby, you take on a different identity. You’re not ‘you’ — you are the baby’s life support.”
If this woman on the train had something on her mind more weighty than her baby, I’m betting it was drugs.
Something just occurred to me. I didn’t forget them because I never used a stroller or carrier. Just a car seat. I always had their hands or carried them. Maybe that’s the difference.
I was four, my brother was three and my Mom had just given birth to our new brother. Grandma and Grandpa were visiting us from another state, in our new house, where we had just moved so my Dad could start his new job.......his first after college graduation!
My doting grandparents LOVED to take rides in the car, so with a crew like that, a car ride was probably the easiest type of recreation we could pull off. We all piled in the car, waiting to take off, when my mother cried out, “Oh my God, we’ve forgotten the baby”..........
That was a good stick which my brother and I twisted regularly on my little brother over the years..............”we went for a ride and almost forgot you”................
How could a Mom forget her baby?????............no Mom wants to admit how easy it is....................
Unless you’ve gone through long periods of sleep deprivation, you can’t possibly understand the stupid things you are capable of doing!
I had to keep checking the washing machine cause I was terrified I was going to accidentally put the baby in there. I never did. The washing machine was in the basement, I NEVER took the baby down there, but my thinking was so messed up from lack of sleep, I had to check every load of laundry 2 to 3 times.
And he was my fourth - figured I was an expert by the time I had him - so much for that :-)
(The baby is now almost 13 & never did end up in the washer, though he still doesn’t sleep more than 6-7 hours a night)
>>>no Mom wants to admit how easy it is....................
Bullpucky
>>>(The baby is now almost 13 & never did end up in the washer, though he still doesn’t sleep more than 6-7 hours a night)
See, you were (are) an expert :)
“If this woman on the train had something on her mind more weighty than her baby, I’m betting it was drugs.”
Most parents, if honest, will admit that they have done something stupid due to the lack of sleep and stress associated with having an infant. It is good that this story turned out well. there is no evidence at all that this woman was anything other than a loving parent who made a mistake. All people make mistakes, and have accidents, including you. I doesn’t help when people start throwing around accusations and ugliness.
Her priorities weren’t her child. I’ve taken a stroller on the Max, I never took my hands off it. You don’t forget your kids if you are caring for them properly.
>>Unless you’ve gone through long periods of sleep deprivation, you can’t possibly understand the stupid things you are capable of doing!<<
Seriously. I understand.
My nephew was committed because he went three days without sleep (broke up with a girlfriend) He was running the streets and babbling.
He was and is perfectly fine once he slept it off.
Glad no one ended up in the washer!!!!
I probably would have said almost the same thing, before I had to call rescue. My son was 2 years old choking, and I had to call rescue. We had it dislodged just before they got there, but they still wanted us to take him to the ER. I almost went with them in the rescue until I remembered my infant daughter sound asleep upstairs. Some things blur your rational thinking at some point. Although, unless that train ran over my other child, I don’t think I would have left the one in the stroller.
I only used a stroller while excercising. I always wore my kids (front pouch, slings, backpacks).
I think the hands off the child makes a difference too.
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