Thursday, May 27, 2010

CHILD LEFT IN CAR WHILE MOM GAMBLES FOR OVER 9 HOURS


Talk about gambling!  Listening to the news early this morning... a story about a mom who left her 3 year old strapped in his car seat while she played in a casino for more than 9 hours!!
Poor little thing was soaked through and frightened.

A security guard noticed the child crying, found it alone in the car and an announcement was put on the P.A.
Out walks mom, who says that the child was sleeping and she checked on it several times.
No big deal right?

Yes, the child is now in protective custody.

I am sure that the defense will be along the lines of a gambling addiction.  Is that a valid excuse?

There will be those who blame the casinos for fostering addictions.

I have several thoughts about this.
I do not know if this casino offers babysitting, but I know that many do.  Some give the service for free.
I also know that most casinos offer gambling addiction treatment programs.

As a  mom ... I am stunned by this behavior.  Maybe its because I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley where every year you heard a new horror story of a parent leaving a baby in the car in summer time and the child perished... or of abductions of children from cars... or children left in cars that were running while someone popped into the mini mart for smokes and low and behold, the child put the car into gear.  

You never leave a child alone in a car.  
Never.

So many people who can't have kids would love to have a child like that.  Must frustrate the snot out of them to hear stories like this.
Sheesh!
That woman gambled on the life of her child.
What a loser.

12 comments:

  1. Oh, that gave me goosebumps. Amazing. And the woman's not in jail???

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  2. Pamela-- I am sure that she is. She goes before the judge today. Freaked me out too!

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  3. Yikes! Bad, but is it as bad as the one I've heard about who brought her two children to work with her each day and left them in the trunk with a bottle of water until she was found out?!? A co-worker she was giving a ride home heard thumping in the trunk. Mom's response, to turn up the radio!

    Gives new meaning to "my car is making a funny noise."

    Actually, "yikes" all around I suppose.

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  4. Cricket-- AAAGGGHHH! I think that one tops it.

    Here's another one from many years ago. One of the daycare workers my mother supervised had been keeping her child locked in a closet with a carton of oatmeal and a bottle of water while she took care of other people's kids.
    Scary!

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  5. We had that happen in Iowa and then the casinos started offering free child care.

    My dad was a compulsive gambler, and we just ended up running around the race track all day when my mom was working. It was soooo boring.

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  6. Churlita-- I bet it was.

    It must be a big problem that I was totally unaware existed.

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  7. Compulsive gambling is a huge problem but it in no way excuses child endangerment and neglect. I hope they are able to place that child with a good family. But there is no way out of it being a sad outcome.

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  8. so sad. that poor child will either grow up with an addicted mom or in foster care if mom doesn't get her act together. either way paints a bleak future for the child.

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  9. secret agent woman-- I am sure that you are right. I see kids in the school who live in foster situations and while they are well cared for, they are not home and know it. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to grow up without feeling secure that my home would be there tomorrow.

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  10. lime-- Let's hope all this scares mom enough to inspire her to get it together.

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  11. Very sad. I've had some strong gambling pulls in my life, possibly bordering on addiction, but never in my wildest imaginings would I have even considered doing something akin to that. Amazing.

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  12. suldog-- Yep. I am not a gambler. I have had to struggle too much for my money and never had any that I could consider as entertainment cash. But I have no problem with others enjoying that.

    Truth be told, I had to rely on the bear to help raise her younger brothers from the time she was 14 and she did an amazing job. I feel guilty about it... but never, never could I have left them alone and exposed like that. It is tragic.

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