How NOT to take care of your child

There are some topics that have, admittedly, become "sore spots" since having become a mother; topics that, beforehand, would have just made me shake my head, say "That's horrible", and go about my day relatively unaffected.

Not so with this one.

If you are a parent, this may be too much to handle.
On Monday of this week, a story aired about a 21 year-old mother in Lynnwood, WA leaving her infant son in her car for seven hours in 69-degree weather while she was at work. Her son, consequently, died from this... and I can't get it out of my head.

While I understand that there are relative factors that play into her decision-making (1 - her age/education/maturity, 2 - childcare availability, etc.) here, I'm flabbergasted. How could a mother do that to her baby? According to police reports, the woman didn't even walk out to the parking lot to check on him, not that the small act of checking on him would have made what she did any better, but still. I keep picturing what it must have been like for that poor little baby, and it breaks my heart; I can almost hear him crying for his mother, hungry and wet and overheated in that car.

This story has been heavy on my heart this week. I can only pray that that sweet boy didn't suffer, and that he is resting peacefully with the Father.

Sorry for the downer, everyone... but sometimes you just have to get it out.