Toddler found on the side of busy Interstate
By lizabeth
@lizabeth (666)
United States
January 3, 2007 10:11pm CST
I just heard on the news that in Indianapolis a toddler was found wandering on the interstate. Supposedly the mother was inside her apartment sleeping. There also was a 2 yr. old that authorities say was found eating spagetti off the floor. She is being charged with four counts of felony neglect. Why do people have kids and then not care for them? Children are a big responsibility.
8 people like this
24 responses
@lonewolfnan (4366)
• Canada
4 Jan 07
I heard about this yesterday.The report said that the toddler was fortunate as a number of cars passed him before he was rescued by the police.
This brings a question many may not have considered:
Why did none of the drivers of those cars that sped by stop to help the child??
We all recognise that the mother errored big-time in not watching her child,but there is more here than a first glance.
I am very happy for the child and I hope the mother gets what she needs from this ordeal.
I question what is happening to our society as well.
@lizabeth (666)
• United States
4 Jan 07
In the news article I read it said a few drivers swerved to keep from hitting him and some driver stopped to watch him till the police got there. I also heard that the mother hadn't been long moved there from Florida because of a domestic problem with her husband. I don't know if something was going on in her life to cause the neglect or if it was a everyday kinda living arrangement. Its sad for the children.
3 people like this
@mansha (6298)
• India
4 Jan 07
I am a mother too and as you say she is living alone, I can sympathise with the kids and as well as with her too. Those who have kids may understand that somedays it really becomes too tiering. I have a baby too and somedays like today , I was really sitting with her my eyes so sleepy really that I had a hard time keeping them open and I did sleep for half an hour and by chance my hubby came back and saw that she had moved to the side of the bed. though I had kept quilts and pillows to keep her from falling, somehow she had managed to push one pillow on the floor and would have fallen down, if he had not cvome in the room at that time. SO you can not predict the child's behavior. May be thats kind of what happened with that lady too. I will give her benefit of doubt as she is living alone may be it was just one day she also couldn't stay awake any longer and the kid just slipped out. In India we have people dumping their new borns on the streets to get rid of them as they were girls so I feel its a minor offence as compared to them. I hope no one takes her kids away for that.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
4 Jan 07
I also heard that some had swerved but to me that is not enough.
3 people like this
@shywolf (4514)
• United States
4 Jan 07
Wow. I can't believe the irresponsibilty of so many parents these days. I feel like there are far too many people in the world already - why bring a child into the world if you are not fully prepared to care for it and take care of it and watch over it and nurture it fully? I am 31 and may never have children myself unless it really feels right. I believe that I have enough qualities to make a good mother, but there are just so many people in the world already and I am not sure that I would like to raise a child in the society that we have become. Even schools have become a scary place nowadays. When I was in school there were no such things as school shootings :( It just had not been heard of. Anyway, it is sad to hear about this toddler and I hope that it was just a serious case of one or two mistakes and not a truly neglectful mother. My goodness..
@uselesspowers (240)
• United States
4 Jan 07
fyw_12345, just wanted to let you know that I have reported the fact that you just copy/pasted a previous comment. As of this posting, your user rating is only (4) so I assume that you are new. On myLot it is strictly forbidden to copy/paste comments made by other people and present them as your own. Perhaps you are not a new member, but instead are someone that has been banned for this already. In either case, you have been reported by myself and others will likely do the same.
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
4 Jan 07
myLot informed me that you could only copy/paste when you had over 500 points. How was this member able to do that with only 4 points???
@micheller (1365)
• United States
4 Jan 07
I agree with how you said, "why do people have kids and then not care for them?". I have been asking that question for so long. Having a child should be a good thing and you should want to have it and take care of it. People need to think of this before they do the deed with no protection.
2 people like this
@lafavorito (2959)
• Philippines
4 Jan 07
OMG! Did the report say why the mother was sleeping? She's probably have two jobs and was too tired that she fell asleep on accident. Still she must lock the house so that the kids cannot get out. Let's not jump to conclusions here, there must be a reasonable explanation for all of this. Sometimes when I'm really tired I doze off while watching my son play, after a few minutes I'll realize that he's not on the floor where I left him, I panicked, turned around and saw him on the bed sound asleep.
@lizabeth (666)
• United States
5 Jan 07
I just read in the news that she appeared in court today. The police said they were called to her house 2 days before this happened and the house was unsanitary for children to be living in. So I'm not sure it was just an accident. It sounds like she wasn't watching him very good even before this happened.
@cruisecontrol2007 (52)
• United States
4 Jan 07
This is sad i'm sorry to hear this..and i don't beleive in cps because they put our kids in a place that isn't trust worthy so and a person i'd give a hand to this woman taking her kids from her will just make the sistuation worse maybe not for her but for the kids so it is a duble sided sword you have to stay focused and of course i wouldn't want them kids to go back with her but let them be around family get help out side the box of cps...they destroy kids....the family of these childern need to be called the mother needs help and i will pray for this family and thnak god the baby wasn't hurt ....i feel all parents should have help with there kids becuase it is hard and we don't get manuals and i feel for the mother becuase maybe she is deppressed....this family needs help but not from cps they need help from family and find out what is going on becuase our kids come first they don't need to be put in a place wehre they don't know anyone they need to be placed in a better home with family....
@chalmette69 (3007)
• United States
4 Jan 07
I think this is sick, there are so many people out there, that can't have kids that would to, I just don't get why things like this happen to children, they are so innocent and don't deserve such things to happen, I hope she goes to jail for a long time.
1 person likes this
@sbeauty (5865)
• United States
4 Jan 07
That's a good question. Being a good parent is the hardest job anyone can take on in life. Too many people just don't care what happens to their kids. They are far more interested in taking care of themselves first. I remember this happening in the town where I used to live. A PE teacher out with her class found a two-year-old without any pants on wandering in the playing field. It turned out he lived about 3 blocks away. My children were little then, and I couldn't imagine a mother who could have let that happen. I never hardly let my kids out of my sight at that age, much less not have missed them for that long of period of time. What these poor little kids deal with in life!
I had a foster son that was 15 when we took him. He never talked about his life before we took him because he said that all it would do is upset me and it wouldn't change anything. But it was a small enough town that I heard things, and my heart just broke for the poor little one that he'd been and the broken teen-ager I wasn't ever able to do enough to fix.
1 person likes this
@disvachic (10117)
• United States
5 Jan 07
I dont know why people have children and not take care of them.I have 3 and when mine were that age i think i was a bit overprotective. I wonder why she didn't have them take a nap then she could have gotten some rest at the same time
@4monsters4me (2569)
• United States
9 Jan 07
Maybe because they wouldn't nap. My oldest stopped taking naps at 2. You can't force a child to take a nap if they don't want to.
I still need a nap every day but only the baby naps with me. The older 3 have to find a way to entertain themselves. Usually I put a movie on for them or they play in their rooms. Occasionally my 4 year old will nap, too, but my 5 and 6 year olds will not nap.
I think it is horrible how judgmental everyone is being. It is because of that attitude that I force myself to stay awake during the day even when I need a nap because I am worried my kids might do something that could get me in trouble and then they will all be taken away. All because I needed a nap. Most nights I am so exhausted that I can't think straight. Last night I was falling asleep at 7pm but my kids were all wide awake which meant I couldn't go to bed yet. I mean, what if they decided to take a walk or who knows what else. I have no control over them once a go to sleep. What are you supposed to do?
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
4 Jan 07
I get so infuriated when I hear stuff like that I have to tell you..ppl like that need a serious beating as far as I'm concerned, then they need to have their children taken away, they need to be fixed and then formally charged and slapped in jail....We had an incident similar to that at my old place about 9 yrs ago and it was awful! I wanted to go and beat that 'woman' within an inch of her life..
2 people like this
@umjuna (100)
• Netherlands
4 Jan 07
I am wondering the same thing. Some people just do not really think things trough, they just let it all happen. Without taking responsibility at all. And without facing the consequences. I do not know what the situation was, maybe the mother had a really good excuse, for example she got very ill suddenly. But child abuse and neglect it happening way to often. But what can you do? Take the children away from her? You can't prevent her from getting pregnant again can you?
1 person likes this
@sidearthman (179)
• India
4 Jan 07
no doubt children are a great responsibility for parents...but todays parents are not ready to fulfill the needs of their cildren rather than fulfilling their own needs.....
2 people like this
@inked4life (4224)
• United States
4 Jan 07
what is wrong with people? This just makes me sick It is especially disturbing when you look at how many people go to incredible lengths to have kids and can't, or jump through hoops for years to adopt...then you look at knuckleheads like this that don't care about their kids...it's really messed up
2 people like this
@AndreaM76 (1164)
• United States
9 Jan 07
We all are guilty of being detached from what our kids are doing. Can anyone honestly tell me you have not caught yourself being so preoccupied with something your child escaped out the back door, or climbed the stairs, or ontop of the sink or something? I'm not neglectful but things have happended where ai was busy with something just determinded to get it don and the chld knows this and gos forth to see what they can get away with. Yes, it makes you feel guilty and like you are a bad parent. Maybe the mom fell asleep after working a really hard week. We donn't know why she wasn't attentive. it is scaey though, if you are that tired one should call a friend or family to look after them to get a little rest to stay focus.
@lizabeth (666)
• United States
10 Jan 07
Yes I think we can all say at one time or another we have made mistakes where I children are concerned. I hope for her sake she gets some help because according to the news the police was called to her house 2 days before that happened for the same thing.
@caribe (2465)
• United States
4 Jan 07
That is really a scarey thing to happen, but not knowing the full story and having walked in the mother's shoes I don't feel I can judge her. I would hope that she would take extraordinary care from now on, if she wasn't already.
@margieanneart (26423)
• United States
10 Jan 07
People that have kids and do not take care of them shouldn't have them. Usually these people are poor or young. It's sad, but how can we stop such a thing?
@mytwo_daughters (2663)
• United States
4 Jan 07
Maybe they were all supposed to be napping? I don't know, it's hard to judge on the internet without knowing the full story, but it is scary. I hope the kids are okay!
@cuddiluk (1523)
• Philippines
10 Jan 07
Why is it in your country this case was easily been charged of felony neglection? Just for only the child aired out in their interstate? Why not bring back again to the custodian and be frantic to her about delinquency on the child.For me its quite hard to live in your place. Small mistakes of responsibility to a child you will be charged right away. But capturer is correct to make parents be responsible of taking care of their child. No wonder here in the Philippines many children have been kidnapped.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
4 Jan 07
It is terrible to hear about irresponsible parents. I used to think it was only teenage parents buy have since discovered that was not the case. These parents are of all ages and come from all economic levels. They should be severely punished for all acts of neglect and abuse.
1 person likes this
