Another Child Dies What Now

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Yesterday, a two-year-old girl died after she was left alone in a vehicle for eight hours.
Apparently, the mother had forgotten to drop off the child at a kindergarten when she received a work-related call, causing her to drive off afterwards with the child still in the backseat of the car.
The child’s father found her unconscious hours later in the afternoon and went ahead to give her first aid while waiting for the ambulance. Sadly, she was declared dead upon reaching the hospital.
Last month, a 16-month-old girl died after her father left her in a car for hours.
He had taken her to the university campus where he worked but had forgotten to drop her off at the daycare centre on campus.
By late afternoon, having realised his “mistake”, the father rushed to the car and found his child unconscious. She was pronounced dead at the university healthcare centre.
In early October, an eight-month-old girl died when her mother went to the hospital where she worked, thinking that she had already sent the child to the daycare centre.
It was only after being informed by her husband that the child was not at the daycare hours later did the woman remembered having left her child inside the car.
According to a nurse in the hospital, the child had already turned blue upon reaching the emergency department and was pronounced dead after several attempts of CPR had failed.
Stop feeling sorry for the parents
Three young children have died in the past two months due to the parents’ negligence. And yet, we as a society continue to feel sorry for the parents, ever so easily letting them off the hook for these avoidable so-called “tragedies”.
What happened to the children was clearly due to the carelessness of the parents. We need to stop downplaying their role in the death of the children.
I know it’s hard to say these things out loud - especially in a society like ours where someone will be quick to respond “Have a heart” - but it is because we have hearts that we must protect children from future tragedies that may happen.
Too many children have died because of the dereliction of duty from the ones who are supposed to be caring for the children. From leaving young kids in the car or in the house without any adult supervision to allowing them to roam the streets unattended, many parents put their own children in harm’s way every day.
We must put a stop to all this nonsense. Enough is enough. Having parents grieve for the death of their children should not be their only punishment.
We must demand that negligent parents be held accountable for causing hurt to their young ones. We need to demand for the law to be enforced, making the parents own up to their lack of care for their children.
If we do not make these demands, we might as well also be somewhat responsible for those deaths.
Being a parent is being responsible
As a parent, I know how it would feel if a child got hurt.
Even having a child go missing in a park or a mall for a split second could be horrifying when you are a parent. In that second, all you could imagine was the worst series of events that could have befallen the child.
When that little face shows itself in the midst of a crowd, you grab your child in a heartbeat, and you tell them off for wandering around. You kiss and hug them, ever so thankful to be able to smell their sweet scent once again.
You hold their tiny hands firmly because you love them so much and you cannot bear to imagine a life without them.
When you have your firstborn, you know your life has been transformed forever. You start to understand the enormity of your new responsibility to keep another little part of you alive.
You constantly live a life filled with fear for all the things that could go wrong. You start choosing the best milk, the softest diaper, the safest baby cot, and the gentlest paediatrician - just to safeguard your child from any unnecessary danger.
You wake up in the odd hours of the night to check on them. You visit your child’s nursery unannounced to ensure they are receiving the best care.
As your child grows, so does your fear. You stop trusting others with your child. You become their protector.
You teach them never to talk to strangers. You train them the proper way to cross the road. You make them memorise your phone number, just in case.
You live every second knowing that your child can be taken away from you.
When my children were much younger, I made it a routine to check on them from time to time. If they were playing around the house, I’d tell them to play closer because I want to hear them. If they were drawing or reading, I’d make sure to know where they were.
I made it a routine to check the car after sending them to school, just to make sure they have taken their essentials, and nothing is left behind. These are the things parents learn from their own experiences, as well as the experiences shared by other parents.
My children are in their 20s now. I still check on them sleeping when they come for a visit. When they travel, I remind them about servicing the car.
When they receive summonses for speeding, I lecture them about safety. I re-stock their vitamin supplements. And every couple of months, I send them groceries to make sure they always have food at home.
I do not expect other parents to do what I do, for we all protect our children in different ways.
However, I’m sure we can all agree on one thing - to be a parent is to care deeply about the wellbeing of our children. Those who are not ready to bear that responsibility have no business parenting a child.
Start protecting the children
Too many lives have perished due to parental negligence. We can mourn the deaths and sympathise with the parents all we want - but nothing will undo those grave mistakes. Neither will it stop similar tragedies from occurring.
There is no happy ending to these deaths. There is no amount of remorse that will bring back the dead. But the only way to right the wrongs would be to hold the parents responsible for their negligence.
Let us stop protecting the parents and start protecting the children.
People say children are precious - more precious than gold or diamonds. So, here’s my question: Would you ever forgetfully leave your most precious belongings in the car for whatever reason? I doubt it. - Mkini
FA ABDUL is a multi-award-winning playwright and director in the local performing arts scene, a published author, television scriptwriter, media trainer, and mother. Her ultimate mission in life is to live out of a small suitcase.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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