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Experts: Many parents feel stressed out
Top Headlines But experts say without evidence of a history of abuse, the case points to the busy, often distracted nature of family life today. An evaluation by the Massachusetts Department of Social Services and the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Family Services found the child was not at risk at home, and returned him to his parents. Forgetting a child for short periods while performing other tasks is not that uncommon, DSS spokeswoman Denise Monteiro said. "It happens more than one thinks and more than we would like," she said. Kathy Sullivan, coordinator of the Family Network in Attleboro, said she's not personally familiar with such cases, but isn't surprised. "I do believe parents are stressed, doing many things at once," she said. The Family Network currently is conducting an eight-week workshop with the aim of helping parents cope with the many facets of their busy lives. "There's that focus to get things done," she said, in addition to caring for children. Of this week's case in South Attleboro, Sullivan said, "it can be a very scary thing. It could have potentially been very serious." The Children's Trust Fund is running a statewide safety campaign, "Not Even For a Minute," reminding parents and other caregivers never to leave children unattended in or around vehicles. Parents today can be overwhelmed by a myriad of responsibilities, said John Iacoboni, the organization's director of public affairs. "They can sometimes operate on automatic," he said. The incident earlier this week occurred about 7 p.m. Tuesday outside the Burlington Coat Factory store in South Attleboro Square. The young boy was left unattended in a shopping cart for about 15 minutes, after his father drove off believing the child was strapped in his car seat, police said. The father, 34-year-old Olwagbeminiyi Abiodun of Providence, returned to the store after realizing his son was missing. He has been charged with reckless endangerment of a child, a misdemeanor. The Children's Trust Fund supports families and children to prevent neglect and abuse. It has a Web site, www.onetoughjob.org, aimed at helping parents deal with the stress in their lives.
Post Your Comments R. Lincoln wrote on Mar 2, 2007 12:09 PM: " I remember a case of abuse and murder in RI back around 1984, when a woman put her 4-yr old son in the oven and cooked him. She then served 4 years, got pregnant by a prison guard, married him and was allowed to keep that child. I guess she had learned her lesson(?!)
Point is, society is all too forgiving of critical mistakes and still does not value human life enough, let alone equally. " Stupid things wrote on Mar 2, 2007 9:02 AM: " I see it all the time: Parents leave kids in shopping carts while they load the minivan. The wind starts to move the shopping cart away.
I see parents in parallel parked vehicles unloading or loading their kids from the STREET side of a vehicle.
I suppose parents who let their kids run wild in a busy restaurant is another issue... " Diane wrote on Mar 2, 2007 8:57 AM: " When we become so distracted that we forget our child in a shopping cart, it's time to sit down and rethink what kind of life we're living. So many of us need to stop and take a deep breath and set priorities. thank god that small child was safe thanks to people who have taken the time to be aware of their surroundings and what's going on.Kudos to them. " jen wrote on Mar 2, 2007 8:47 AM: " I feel horrible for this man we all know how busy our lives are it is very easy to forget your child especially if you have a newborn and are sleep deprived.
Last year a mother left her infant in her car on a hot day the infant died the mother was not charged nor do I believe she should be I am sure she lives with that pain everyday.
This man as well should not be charged. For some reason it's almost ok for mom to forget but when it comes to dads they are expected to be perfect. Come on cut this guy some slack he notified police as soon as he discovered the child missing.
I feel for the father he was doing his best this was an innocent mistake anyone could make. " common sense wrote on Mar 2, 2007 8:08 AM: " Oh bull! That is ridiculous! As a parent, your first priority and responsibility is to protect your child. Why - especially in such cold weather -- did this "parent" not secure his child in the carseat before loading up his purchases?? Stress, my eye. Everyone is stressed and has multiple things happening. Use common sense and take responsibility for what you've done! " david wrote on Mar 2, 2007 7:22 AM: " No excuse! " Distractions happen wrote on Mar 2, 2007 3:05 AM: " We'd like to believe it's impossible to forget a baby - and that this was negligence or a wacky parent - but the reality is that fatigue and mind overload and distractions happen all the time. How often have we forgotten boiling water or something in the oven? Things that require short-term recall? But it happens all the time, and I think we're equipped mentally and emotionally with instincts that keep us from forgetting kids more often! I can remember a couple of occasions of putting the baby in the car seat, locking the seat, and driving off but forgetting to fasten the clip that held the baby in the seat. It was a mis-step and only happened twice but an inadvertent distraction came along and the baby wasn't secured. Parents have had their kids scooped from stores while distracted, and maybe the father in the Attleboro incident put things in his car and then hopped in without bringing the baby because he'd turned away from him and his brain processed the information that there weren't any further steps to take before driving off. Child and parent were so lucky that all turned out safe and well. Today we're aware that some parents can and do neglect and abuse their children, and we're always striving to improve child protection services. As such, this child had the benefit of astute police work and assessments by mental health professionals prior to his being returned to his parents. Despite all the "bad" news we hear every day, the vast majority of people are decent - especially when a child needs protection. " or
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