Close to home
On Friday March 10, 2017, a parent’s worst fear became a reality as 4-year old Christina Nguyen was buckled inside her family car when it was stolen. Her parents had placed her in the car and then gone back inside to get their other child. Luckily, she was found a few harrowing hours later still buckled in the back seat of the car which had been abandoned by the thieves in a parking lot a few kilometres from their home.
As a mother, this sends a shiver up my spine as I can only imagine the fear and panic that these parents would have experienced the minute they headed back out their door to find their driveway empty. This also sends a shiver up my spine because I’ve done this! Numerous times! This really could have happened to anyone as I’m sure all of us could say there have been times when you simply cannot get your kids in the car in one trip! Hell, I can’t even manage some grocery bags in one trip, let alone human beings! Now I get that for some of us the geographical context is different. I don’t live in a busy city with houses intermingled with businesses and thoroughfares and traffic and population density so I suppose you could deduce that the risk of something like that happening in my situation is relatively low but the point is I’ve done it!
There was a period of time when my toddler was so difficult and nasty to deal with that I would get him ready as soon I could, run him out to the car (kicking and screaming), buckle him in and then come back in the house and get myself and other child out the door. I’m so glad this story worked out. I’m so glad the parents were able to wrap their arms around their child and tuck her into bed that night. One thing I know for sure – if the worst thing imaginable had happened to that child those parents would be been dragged for leaving her in the car. Even on their own property, even for two minutes while they went back to fetch their other child. They would have been labelled negligent, inept and useless as parents. It’s how things work now. There are no accidents. Someone has to pay. The pitchforks of computer screens and social media see to that in swift order. I’m so glad the worst didn’t happen.
xo Kristin
