Milk, bread, coffee,

[BoSoxGal]

Now, is anybody else outraged by the disparity evinced in the preceding stories?!?

[Lord Jim]

Well BSG, there's no question about it, there are people in the world who should have been sterilized long before they had children....

I certainly don't think what happened in the Chuck E. Cheese case is an example of good parenting, and it would never have happened to me, but those two cases certainly seem far worse...

ETA:

As I was getting ready to post I saw your third post; re that article:

I'm sorry but I absolutely refuse to blame the "frenetic pace of modern" life or any other psycho-babble excuse for what are clearly examples of individual failures of personal responsibility.

Millions of people lead hectic lives day in and day out without forgetting their babies in their cars...

They may very "well" love their children, but they are showing appalling personal self organization, and, at least on a subconscious level, their priorities must be out of whack.

[BoSoxGal]

Okay, but did you notice that the brown people with funny names in the first story were THROWN IN JAIL because their toddler, who they believed to be next door with family, was found in the street two blocks away - but white middle class folks who leave loaded guns within children's reach resulting in gunshot death, or who 'forget' their children in the backseat resulting in cooking then to death, are written about with sympathy and not even prosecuted in some cases?!?!



WTF?!?!

Why aren't the cop's other kids removed by DFS? Why aren't kids left for hours in public places at risk of abduction by pedophiles removed by DFS? The siblings of children cooked in the family minivan?

AT LEAST for a routine investigation?

[Lord Jim]

In those cases where death or serious injury result, I absolutely agree that there should be prosecution....(assuming of course, that there's an applicable law on the books they can be prosecuted with...and if there isn't, these incidents should be used as impetus to having them passed)

And as for the rest, I don't have any problem with DFS scrutinizing the family situations...

The fact is the law does not usually (nor should it) punish equally those who engage in behavior that could lead to tragedy and those who engage in behavior that does lead to tragedy....(that's why the punishments are different for DUI and vehicular manslaughter; as they should be)

As for the racial implications that you're suggesting, it seems to me that making that case is problematic when you're comparing such a small number of incidents that all took place in different jurisdictions that might have different standards that they use across the board.

That having been said, in the case regarding the police officer, I think it's probably logical to assume that the cops (and the prosecutors) in many jurisdictions would be inclined to treat a case like that involving a police officer less harshly than they would most other people, (regardless of the race either of the cop or the civilian involved)

And I don't think that's right either.

[Scooter]

WTF???

A five-year-old girl was left at a Chuck E. Cheese in Texas after her own birthday party last week and her mother only realized she was missing the next morning.

Her parents realized they had forgotten her when they saw a report about her on the evening news.

Ok, forgetting a kid is stupid, but at least one can conceive how it might happen. But how the fuck do you not realize that he/she is missing for hours or overnight once you get home????

[Timster]

WTF???

A five-year-old girl was left at a Chuck E. Cheese in Texas after her own birthday party last week and her mother only realized she was missing the next morning.

Her parents realized they had forgotten her when they saw a report about her on the evening news.

Ok, forgetting a kid is stupid, but at least one can conceive how it might happen. But how the fuck do you not realize that he/she is missing for hours or overnight once you get home????

Precisely. This is what I do not understand. The parents do not tuck the children in at night? And seriously how does one not notice the absence of a fiery 5 year old hyped up with sugar like a chicken with its head cut off after a night at Chuckee Cheese??

As for the rest? I don't give a rat's ass how flaming Liberal one is; those may be a good case for the death penalty. (Which I am against.) But seriously. Sterilized at least combined with charges that would set a proper precedent at least. *Spit!*

[Jarlaxle]

I suspect it's a simple case of each parent thinking she was with the other! (They were divorced.)

[Scooter]

I'm sorry, but there's no way I'm buying that parents who share custody have no idea where the kid is supposed to be sleeping on which nights.

[liberty]

Is this where I chime in about being the father of FIVE and have never lost a kid? . . . .

Yeah, shit happens. But I KNOW where my babies are at all times! Assumptions on this point are not acceptable. Fuck that~

You are a good parent. Babies are not toys, you don’t leave then laying around. Some people are so casual with their children. Witchy didn’t leave the house until six weeks after she was born. Now, I see people with new born babies at Wal-Mart.

[dales]

Walmart?

'nuff said.

[Sean]

Is this where I chime in about being the father of FIVE and have never lost a kid? . . . .

Yeah, shit happens. But I KNOW where my babies are at all times! Assumptions on this point are not acceptable. Fuck that~

You are a good parent. Babies are not toys, you don’t leave then laying around. Some people are so casual with their children. Witchy didn’t leave the house until six weeks after she was born. Now, I see people with new born babies at Wal-Mart.

Are you serious lib? You don't think that a newborn baby should leave the house?

So how old should the baby be before he/she can leave the house without you being considered a bad parent?

[dales]

35

[BoSoxGal]

If I had a newborn, I would take it to see close relatives, but would probably avoid stores and church for a few months due to contagious illness issues - especially if it were the height of cold/flu season, as now.

There is some wisdom to be found in the old ways; infants and young children can be killed by influenza.

[dales]

We have a BINGO!

Our newborn did NOT leave the house for 3 months.

We didn't take her to church for six months.

Both my ex and myself did not want her to become sick (or indoctrinated)

[loCAtek]

I'm sorry, but there's no way I'm buying that parents who share custody have no idea where the kid is supposed to be sleeping on which nights.

Says the unmarried, non-breeding, contingent.

[Scooter]

Says the former chiild welfare worker who personally witnessed hundreds of shared custody situations.

[dales]

I'm sorry, but there's no way I'm buying that parents who share custody have no idea where the kid is supposed to be sleeping on which nights.

Says the unmarried, non-breeding, contingent.

During the time of my shared-custody with my minor chld, I knew EXACTLY who's turn it was to care for her.

There is no excuse for "forgetting" who has custody and at which time.

Married, straight, gay or whatever!

[Scooter]

She just couldn't resist to take a homophobic dig, you know, just like when she uses feminine pronouns to refer to me.

Nor could she resiist rubbing salt in the wound about me and my partner (a) not being able to get legally married before he died, and (b) not being able to get approval to adopt the children we wished we could have had, because I was HIV+.

[dales]

Asking out of ignorance, here.

What does HIV+ status have to do with adopting children?

[Scooter]

Having what was, at the time, considered to be a terminal illness eliminates you from consideration as a prospective adoptive parent.