Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Char Baby
I am with those who can't believe how people can forget their children in the vehicle.
Google link in the OP gives an explanation of why/how it happens:
Quote
Forgotten Baby Syndrome is the medical explanation for how a parent can walk away from a car without realizing their child remains inside. Dr. David Diamond, a professor of psychology, molecular pharmacology, and physiology at the University of South Florida, Tampa, spends time researching the neurobiology of FBS. According to Dr. Diamond, each day people perform tasks that become routine, involving little conscious thought and are therefore governed by a part of the brain called the motor cortex. A good example is driving home from work each day using the same route. Eventually, we can do it seemingly without thinking. Dr. Diamond explains, "in effect, our motor memory frees us up to think about the future while completing the task at hand."
Then there is the part of the brain responsible for making a clear decision, for example, to stop at the store on your way home from work. This is called the hippocampus, and it controls the cognitive portion of our brains. Dr. Diamond explains that in FBS, the motor memory part of our brain competes against the cognitive part of the brain, overruling it. In this example, that would mean leaving work with the intent of stopping at the store and then finding yourself in your garage having forgotten that you intended to make a stop elsewhere. This phenomenon happens as a normal part of our brain's function and not because there is something wrong with our brain structure.
In the case of FBS, two things often happen. First, a caregiver varies from their normal routine. For example, a caregiver that does not usually transport a child to daycare may do so on this day. They then drive to work as normal, the motor cortex out-thinking the cognitive brain and leading the parent to completely forget their child is in the back. They go about their day with no recollection of their intent to drop a child off and looking forward to seeing the child in the evening.
Thing is that you can apply this to anything. It's not a baby-only phenomenon
This strikes me as psychobabble nonsense.
Parents are responsible for the children in their care. The is no valid excuse nor explanation for killing an infant by leaving it in a car.
The best remedy for this might be to make all parents aware that this is an offense that will bring prosecution for negligent homicide, as would be appropriate.
Anyone entrusted with a precious young life must have the protection of that child as their foremost concern, not their smart phone.
Dropping a small child off at a caregiver's location is routine. How anyone could forget that and bring their child to work with them and then leave them to die in a car sitting in the sun is beyond comprehension.
Yes, we did raise two sons from birth, so I'm not speaking from ignorance.