Whole lotta head shaking going on about this story about a mom who reportedly left her her baby in the car with a note while she popped to the shops.
An article in the New Zealand Herald claims police have no plans to investigate since there were no leads about the unidentified woman. So far no one has come forward with information.
Shoppers at Porirua Pak'n Save spotted the baby in the car park at 9am on Saturday, with a note on its blanket, written as if from the infant's perspective, saying my mom is out shopping and left a cell number to call "if there were any issues."
What, so now the world at large is your babysitter?
Although the mom could be fined for leaving a child unattended, police admitted it's highly unlikely that the incident would result in criminal charges against the mom. In fact, parents who leave kids unattended in vehicles are rarely prosecuted.
The couple who noticed the note waited a while to see if the mom would come back within a few minutes. Then they called the number. They noted, for what it's worth, that the baby looked well cared for.
"Babies can dehydrate quickly and become very distressed," warned Plunket national child safety adviser Sue Campbell in the Herald. "So for a newborn that's one of the key issues. Plus there's a security issue—a small baby is unable to defend itself if need be, or call for help, or anything like that."
Sure, being a new mom is overwhelming, and many of us have little support. But we all manage in our way, and we do so (mostly) without eschewing common sense and responsibility.
Do you think what the mom did was excusable?
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