Forgotten baby syndrome

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by fdcg27
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by fdcg27
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.

In my opinion, threatening with prosecution and punishment only works against things that people do intentionally. The whole FBS is not something that people do intentionally. It's not like parents leave kids in cars alone on purpose to begin with.

We are not talking about parents trying to intentionally kill their kids here.

I should have added, none of these punishments are going to be any more powerful than the punishment that the parent will already be subject to by having to live with themselves, knowing they inadvertently caused the death of their own child.



When someone causes the death of another through their negligence, felony charges are appropriate and do already apply in every state.
Kill someone by getting into an accident while impaired or while driving way too fast, by selling or giving them a lethal dose of some drug or by neglecting to attend to someone in one's care and those same felony charges apply.
A negligent parent is not exempt from this, nor should they be.

I am not saying that they shouldn't be held responsible. I am just saying that reminding them of that is not going to prevent these things from happening.

 

[bbhero]

Yeah I think you are right about that part... Terrible that those people will have to live with the loss of their child or children... That is extremely, extremely tough obviously.

Though... Zero legal consequences in these types of circumstances could give people a easy way to get rid of unwanted children.

Hard to truly know what was in someone else's heart or mind....

Still a very, very rough circumstance.

 

[Andrew1972]

Suspended or minimal sentences make sense in these cases.

My wife(physical therapist) works with infants in NICU who get life sentences due to an addicted pregnant mother. More often then not the baby is placed back into care of mum as they "clean" up. Sadly she has gotten siblings...

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by doitmyself
I saw coverage of something similar to this on the TV news this morning: https://vancouversun.com/news/local...ave-twice-recommended-alarms-in-all-cars ... Parents have a lapse in memory and their child dies in a car backseat from excess heat. It seems to happen to parents from all walks-in-life, not just druggies.

I can already hear the comments from those who have never raised kids. IMO, no matter your parenting competence, sometimes bad things happen.

The TV news blip caught my eye because an affected parent was suggesting that it is an oversight that an alarm for this situation is not mandated by government. In this case, he did not admit any responsibility and it seemed that he was shifting blame off himself.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=forgotten+baby+syndrome

Comments?

I've never had kids, nor do I, nor will I, but I can 100% understand how this happens. What, do you think parents that do this say "Gee, one day I'll forget my kid and it will die! That's the parent I am!" No. They all bleated out the same "ID NEVER!"

 

[scotthershall]

I'm not sure what terrifies me more as a father of a 3 year old... this happening to me, or all these people that think it can't possibly happen to them. A few others hit on this point, but it's how our brains are wired.

Here's the scenario where it can happen... You take Kid 1 to school everyday, and your wife takes Kid 2 to daycare. Welp your wife has to go to work early today, so you have to take both kids. You load up both Kids and hit the road. You drop off Kid 1 like you always do and head toward the daycare which is only a short jog off your way to work. You grab a coffee. Kid 2 falls asleep. You drive past the turn for the daycare and go all the way to work. You park your car, get out and go to work, like you do every day. A few hours later the darkest days of your life begin.

Here's a fun read: https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html This has happened to police officers, military personnel, NASA engineers, normal joes like you and me.

So lull yourselves in to a false sense of security if you want... but I won't.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted by skyactiv
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


Let me guess, there will be an FDA approved medicine down the road for this.

I think the phenomenon is a real thing and isn't limited to child care. I also feel that the appropriate solution is not a pharmaceutical one, but a behavior modification. As a busy person who forgets mundane/simple tasks or a parent, it's your responsibility to structure your thinking/life to not forget.

If we can better understand what the mind is doing when we forget kids in cars or whatever, the better equipped we will be to avoid such things in the future.

Seems whenever a problem is encountered in some aspect of life we as a society are quick to put down the person in question (and to an extent, rightfully so) but we're not so quick at trying to put ourselves that persons shoes and actually understand what was going on in their head and educating ourselves so it won't happen to others.

 

[PimTac]

I have no children but putting a name on what is just plain absent mindness is just another excuse to shift blame.

 

[gman2304]

Good people make bad decisions/mistakes every day. Sadly some of those bad decisions/mistakes cost some people their lives. My wife took our then 5 year old with her grocery shopping. Half way home our 5 year old asked....mom aren't we going to get our groceries? Wife turns around and goes back to the grocery store and loads up the groceries that are still sitting in the cart at the front door. At least she didn't leave him on the roof of the car.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by fdcg27
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.

And similarly, if we just make drivers better aware that they may go to jail if they crash and kill someone, then magically they will just stop getting into accidents. All car accidents will be eliminated. Brilliant.

 

[greenjp]

Originally Posted by scotthershall
...
Here's a fun read: https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html This has happened to police officers, military personnel, NASA engineers, normal joes like you and me.

So lull yourselves in to a false sense of security if you want... but I won't.

I was going to post the same link but you beat me to it. It is an excellent article, required reading on the subject IMO. There are a lot of simple minded opinions.

The reality is all of us make mistakes/oversights/etc from time to time. Many times there's no consequence at all. You may not even be aware that you did something. Every now and then you do it at the wrong place/time and there are consequences.

jeff
.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
No such syndrome. Dump the smartphone and all will be well..

I'm tired at the end of a day and the end of a week. Occasionally I have forgotten an umbrella or a windbreaker in the back seat. But never a living creature like my cats.

 

[DGXR]

This "forgotten baby" phenomenon, and many others like it plaguing society lately, are the result of our need for instant gratification. Hardly anyone wants to put in the time and effort to achieve anything. Most people won't even put down the electronics and be present in the activity at hand, even when innocent lives are at risk. How [censored] lazy and selfish are we? Lack of attention, lack of focus, and lack of discipline... these are the real problems with the average person's character nowadays. People can't stand to live in the present longer than about nine seconds, and it's getting worse. Here is a genius idea: instead of texting your friend, dial their number and have a real conversation, you know... like a human being. We are not robots. Communication is not the same as connection, and we desperately need more human connection. Be part of the solution. Put some intention behind your choices and your actions.
\rant