Tragedy in my town.

I'm going to write about something today that is very disturbing.  And something that can be very divisive.  I am not writing about it to start arguments or to debate right or wrong.  I am writing about it because it has been on my mind CONSTANTLY since I heard of this tragedy.    I have lost sleep and I have been hugging my babies even tighter.  

Something awful happened in my town one week ago.  Something that is every parent's worst nightmare.  A sweet 18 month old boy lost his precious life.  He was left in a car by his father.  It was over 100 degrees here that day.  Everyone here is reeling, as you can imagine.  

Here is the thing though.  This was not someone who just left their kid in the car ON PURPOSE to run into Wa.lmart real quick.  Or left their son in the car to go to the club.  Or to go gambling.  Or to go get high.  By all means, arrest them and say all the bad things you want about that person.  BUT, this was a very loving father.  An upstanding member of our community.  A family man.  A tragic accident.  He forgot to drop him off at daycare and went right on in to work.  Can you imagine his horror when he realized his mistake?  Can you even?  I think the worst thing in the world would be to lose your child.  But to be the cause of his death?  I don't even have the words.  

Before everyone starts immediately saying things like, "how could you forget your own kid?" and "I could never forget" or "my kid is so loud I would never do that".  Let me just tell you that IT CAN happen to you.  It can happen to any of us.  And it does.  All the time.  We are all vulnerable and that scares the crap out of me.  We all lead busy lives and all it takes is one simple change in your routine, one simple oversight.  And then boom.  Tragedy.  I am not so naive to think that I could "never" do something.  That is a dangerous statement to make.  

I suggest all of you read this article on this very subject.  This could happen to any of us.  It does happen.  A lot.  And to very loving people who would do anything for their children.  This article is difficult to read but parents should read it.  Don't just say "I could never do that" or "that would never happen to me".  Because it happened here and it is just....sad.  Unbelievably sad.  

I'm not posting the article to debate whether this is a crime or not.  Although, for the record, I do not.  But whatever happens to this man in our town, I don't think it matters.  His punishment is done.  He has to live with this.  And that, to me, is unimaginable pain.  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/fatal-distraction-forgetting-a-child-in-thebackseat-of-a-car-is-a-horrifying-mistake-is-it-a-crime/2014/06/16/8ae0fe3a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html

This is another article on the subject as well.  
http://www.parenting.com/article/tragedy-in-the-backseat-hot-car-deaths