Hot Car, Little Kids

On March twentieth there was an incident where a woman had left her two young children, one two year old and one six month old, in a car while she went to a job interview.

Unfortunately this in not uncommon nowadays. There are multiple sightings of this every day in the summer. Whether they were intentional or not is besides the point. But why is this story making the news and being discussed more than other cases? Well, this woman and her children were homeless.

As some of you may know, leaving your children in a vehicle with the engine off and no ventilation is considered to be child abuse. This is due to the fact that it can cause organ damage or failure as well as death. So this is obviously not taken in a light manner. It was reported by bystanders that the children were left in the car with the engine off, windows cracked ever so slightly, and in the sun for about thirty minutes. Given the conditions, you could see why someone would make a call to the local police.

In any instance like this one, the driver or caretaker of the children would be charged with child abuse and sentenced to years in jail. This mother was. Yet people are still getting worked up over it. Some are arguing that it wasn't all that hot. The kids suffered no damage, the baby was just crying. Others may argue that they were homeless and left in a car, but now they have no mother. Some say that the cops took the situation out of hand.

Well, it is the law. However, I do think it is an unfortunate situation for the mother as well as the kids. The officer even said that it was an unfortunate situation himself. Many people ask to themselves, if the officer felt bad and the kids weren't hurt, then why arrest the mother. No one really knows. The only answer I could think to come up with was that it is the law, the incident was reported and it is his job to act upon the law. Another possible answer would be that since they were homeless, at least all three of them would be housed and fed. It is just unfortunate that the family could not get the chance to have that job they were being interviewed for and given a chance to get on their feet in a stable living condition.

Hoping for a better world
~Hangin' from a clothesline