Forgetting your child in the car: ‘It can also happen to you as a responsible parent’
Image: Getty Images
Forgetting your child and leaving it in the car, what parent does that happen to you, you might ask? According to the American organization Kids and Car Safety can it happen to anyone. Also caring, loving and – normally – orderly parents.
It is unknown how many children in the Netherlands are forgotten in a hot car every year and die as a result. It usually happens because the driver forgets about it. Many parents think that this cannot happen to them, but that is not the case. Professor of neuropsychology Erik Scherder says: “Don’t judge too quickly. An American study shows that this can happen to anyone. Also very loving and caring parents,” he says RTL News.
Deviation from daily routine
The study Scherder refers to was done by David Diamond, a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida. According to his research, in the case of parents who forget their child and leave it behind in the car, something is wrong with the communication between the brain regions. Causes of this are deviations in the daily routine that require the brain to switch over. Think of a parent who suddenly has to take the child to daycare and does not normally do so.
Read also: Long car ride ahead with your child? These tips will get you through it
Other things that cause the brain to go on autopilot are stress and fatigue. As a result, it can happen that you forget that you would take your child to daycare or school today, and leave your son or daughter in the car. Also caring, loving and – normally – orderly parents.
Never say never
It also happened to blogger Rita Templeton. She felt so bad that it took years before she dared to share her story: ‘I felt terrible. I put my child’s safety at risk. Still, I’m sharing my story now, as a warning that it can happen to anyone. Even if you think you would never do such a thing – like me. And if I’ve learned one lesson, it’s this: “Never say I would never do it.” You don’t have to be negligent, drunk or stoned. It can also happen to you as a good, responsible parent.’
Hints
What you can do to prevent this as much as possible? A few tips:
- Always put something important in the back seat, such as your (hand) bag. When you grab your bag, you see your child sitting there.
- Ask someone from the daycare or school to call you if your child has not arrived after an hour.
- Always close the car doors. This prevents children from secretly sitting in it to play.
- Do you get out of the car because you have to make a phone call? Stay with the car. This prevents you from being distracted by the call and running away.
Source: Parents of Now
