MO - Sophia Knutsen, 7 mos, dies in hot car, St Louis, 23 Aug 2007

[Kim Ii]

That should have read, "I realize I may sound incredibly INSENSITIVE."

 

[kittykat1]

Yes - I hear you. But do you remember that recent case in TN where a father of four accidentally left his daughter in his BMW all day at work - his alarm sensor in the car kept going off and it didn't remind him - he kept turning it off remotely.

I looked up this case to see what was going on. I had never heard of it.

Original story:
Alarm Sounded Several Times While Child Left In Hot Car For Hours
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_106586.asp

Update:
Grand jury opts not to indict father in child's death
http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/breaking.aspx?articleid=19476&zoneid=41

 

[southcitymom]

I looked up this case to see what was going on. I had never heard of it.

Original story:
Alarm Sounded Several Times While Child Left In Hot Car For Hours
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_106586.asp

Update:
Grand jury opts not to indict father in child's death
http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/breaking.aspx?articleid=19476&zoneid=41

Thank you for this update. I am so happy to hear that this father was not indicted. I think of him and his family every day and hope they are healing from this unspeakable tragedy.

 

[2sisters]

heres another oen. What is going on?!?
http://wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=7012684&nav=menu40_3

 

[JBean]

It has been so unbearably hot around my area, I find myself looking inside every car when I am out. If a child were left in any cars around here this past couple weeks it would be a death sentence.
This is just so maddening.

 

[Jodibug]

A little off topic but....

I'm really glad that I don't have any babies anymore, I don't have to worry about doing this with my own.

:silenced:


My, my, my... how my whole world has turned upside down in just a few days.

On Monday night, 8/27, DH and I had a huge surprise. We're expecting again!

Our kids are 13 and almost 15 and now we have to start all over!!! :doh:

Sadly, about 20 minutes after we found out the big news, we received a call that his grandmother had just passed away. Talk about timing! What an emotional roller coaster this week has been!

Her funeral was this morning.... so now we can concentrate on brighter days ahead. And planning for a very unexpected baby who will be here in about 5.5 months!

 

[Reannan]

A little off topic but....



:silenced:


Off Topic............

My, my, my... how my whole world has turned upside down in just a few days.

On Monday night, 8/27, DH and I had a huge surprise. We're expecting again!

Our kids are 13 and almost 15 and now we have to start all over!!! :doh:

Sadly, about 20 minutes after we found out the big news, we received a call that his grandmother had just passed away. Talk about timing! What an emotional roller coaster this week has been!

Her funeral was this morning.... so now we can concentrate on brighter days ahead. And planning for a very unexpected baby who will be here in about 5.5 months!

Congratulations Jodi! God apparently, has a sense of humor. My mother had three children, one year apart.......and then 21 years latter, when she was 44, I showed up. She was having some problems anyway, and the pregnancy test was negative, so they decided she had a tumor. The tumor, of course, needed to be removed, so the family gathered for the surgery, and they took my mother back. When they cut into her.....there I was. She was three months pregnant with me. The doctor debated with his colleagues whether or not to just abort and do a hysterectomy, but the senior physician decided to sew her back up.....and "let nature take it's course". Six months latter when I was born, it was written up in the local paper as "Tumor Baby Born". My claim to fame, I guess. :blushing: My daughter was born on my tenth wedding anniversary when I was 30 years old. Then, God decided to be funny, and at 40, I discovered I was pregnant!!! Thus, I have an 18 year old and a 7 year old. Big Sister and Big Surprise. :woohoo: They are both the light of my life, and I treasure every single moment. I wish you all the best.

 

[LNL]

A little off topic but....



:silenced:


My, my, my... how my whole world has turned upside down in just a few days.

On Monday night, 8/27, DH and I had a huge surprise. We're expecting again!

Our kids are 13 and almost 15 and now we have to start all over!!! :doh:

Sadly, about 20 minutes after we found out the big news, we received a call that his grandmother had just passed away. Talk about timing! What an emotional roller coaster this week has been!

Her funeral was this morning.... so now we can concentrate on brighter days ahead. And planning for a very unexpected baby who will be here in about 5.5 months!

WOW! Congratulations on the baby. Fun Fun Fun.

 

[Jodibug]

Yes, God definitely has a sense of humor! I was so upset Monday night and about half the day Tuesday. I was terrified and felt like we were doomed. We were getting ready to buy a Mustang (not exactly car seat friendly!) and had a plan to have our house paid off in about eight years. Well, you know what happens to plans!

But by Tuesday afternoon, I was doing lots of online window shopping for baby stuff, and now I'm excited. Yesterday I moved on to actual shopping and have already bought a ton of onesies and blankets. I can't wait to find out what it is so I can buy pink or blue stuff!

 

[JBean]

Yes, God definitely has a sense of humor! I was so upset Monday night and about half the day Tuesday. I was terrified and felt like we were doomed. We were getting ready to buy a Mustang (not exactly car seat friendly!) and had a plan to have our house paid off in about eight years. Well, you know what happens to plans!

But by Tuesday afternoon, I was doing lots of online window shopping for baby stuff, and now I'm excited. Yesterday I moved on to actual shopping and have already bought a ton of onesies and blankets. I can't wait to find out what it is so I can buy pink or blue stuff!

Oh how cool! Jodib my gf had two teens ages about 17 and 19 when she found out she was pregnant. totally shocking! We didn't believe her for awhile lol.
I have to tell you...we have all had so much fun with this little oops angel. She is going to be 4 here pretty soon and it has been a blast for all of us.
She is so loved and the older kids have absoultely LOVED having this new sister.
Very cool Congratualtions!

ETA: My mom put one in college and one in kindergarten the same year! course there were a bunch in between but you get the idea

 

[SadieMae]

Yes, God definitely has a sense of humor! I was so upset Monday night and about half the day Tuesday. I was terrified and felt like we were doomed. We were getting ready to buy a Mustang (not exactly car seat friendly!) and had a plan to have our house paid off in about eight years. Well, you know what happens to plans!

But by Tuesday afternoon, I was doing lots of online window shopping for baby stuff, and now I'm excited. Yesterday I moved on to actual shopping and have already bought a ton of onesies and blankets. I can't wait to find out what it is so I can buy pink or blue stuff!

Congratulations Jodibug!!! New babies are wonderful...especially when they surprise you!

 

[Reannan]

Jodi, I had just purchased a new Harley when I found out I was pregnant! She just started second grade, and it is STILL sitting in the barn. :behindbar That's Ok, though because I love the "dance shows" I get treated to after dinner, and the bedtime stories, and the giggles and the laughs. I was also in the process of building a new home, and the extra bedroom was going to be my costume room. I am a dancer, and collect clothes. Odd clothes, funky clothes, antique clothes, etc. I need a place to store and display them. The room was going to be painted a fantastic tomato soup red with a starburst design on the ceiling. Instead, it ended up with a Medieval triangle design at the ceiling and purple chiffon fabric twisted with silver ribbon along the headboard at the ceiling and then falling to the floor in a puddle at the four corners of the room - in other words, a room for a princess. And that, she is......and I, of course, am the Queen Mum!:clap: :woohoo:

 

[angelmom]

Jodi, congratulations! You know what they say about making plans and making God laugh...

I have to add to this by saying that a friend of ours was telling my mom that her sister is also newly pregnant. She is 43 and has a 21, 19, and 17 year old at home. My mom congratulated her and asked how the sister was feeling. The sister assured my mom that she felt great, never better, and had been able to continue working with no trouble (she cleans houses, so no easy task), when the friend piped up and said...

"But her husband is throwing up every morning!"

 

[Brefie]

Ha.....funny tales! I am also an 'accident'. I am baby number 8, with 9 years between me and my closest sibling. Of course the others were WAAAAY closer in age, so there is no mistaking the fact that I was ahem.....a surprise. This is cemented by the fact that ALL my older sibs have bible names (ones that are most popular in Ireland) and my name is........Sally!
I love to tease my mom, who is horrified that anyone might think I wasn't wanted

Congratulations, Jodi!!

 

[SewingDeb]

My first husband and my father were both "surprises" but dearly loved by their parents. They both had age differences of more than 10 years between them and their next closest sibling.

Congrats Jodi!

 

[Jodibug]

a decision is expected today on whether or not the parents will be charged:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/ne...282A73D69406C782862573610059BE1E?OpenDocument


The open question at this point: Whether parents Russell Knutsen and Dr. Beth Koze, both 33, will face criminal charges in the death of their daughter, Sophia.

 

[wendybtn]

That is why I believe one parent needs to be a stay-@-home, so one parent has the kids as their highest priority at all times. You both cannot give 80% at the office, 5-10% to an errand and meal prep and have enough left to give to each other or a child. How can the family bond if all the members lead separate lives?

 

[cluciano63]

This is a terrific point that I had never really considered.

Phones,ipads ,etc...jmo have changed everything. Not always for the better. Teens are bad enough, but I see so many adults with their phones up to their faces while shopping, sitting at red lights, etc. I am sorry but no one has constant emergencies that require second-by-second monitoring of their devices, jmo.

 

[graysmama]

That is why I believe one parent needs to be a stay-@-home, so one parent has the kids as their highest priority at all times. You both cannot give 80% at the office, 5-10% to an errand and meal prep and have enough left to give to each other or a child. How can the family bond if all the members lead separate lives?

I disagree 100%. As a mother who has to work, I am tired of statements like this because I see them all the time lately and I am really bothered by generalizations regarding working mothers. Canonizing stay at home parents and condemning working parents is unfair because being a great parent is about quality and not quantity. I know great mothers who work and great mothers who stay home but there are crappy stay at home moms just as much as crappy working moms and this gets forgotten.

In the last month I have seen statements blaming families without a stay at home parent for school shootings and issues at daycare centers. I know this is your opinion and I know you may not have meant it to be offensive but people need to stop blaming working parents for things and put the blame on where it belongs: with neglectful parents whether they stay at home or work. I am tired of being a better parent, doing more for my child and spending more time with him then many stay at home moms I know yet it will never be good enough to many in society because I work. I have neighbors who stay home while their children wander the neighborhood half clothed and unsupervised while they stay at home smoking, texting, watching tv and being online ignoring them. There are two mothers in my neighborhood like this. I've reported them to CPS but not sure it did any good.

I've worked since my son was 5 weeks old out of financial necessity. My son and I are quite close and well bonded. My husband I have a good marriage. We are not living separate lives. My son rear faced in the car until 3. He has never been forgotten even once for even a second no matter what. My son also has developmental delays and despite working full time, we started early intervention and therapy at 18 months, occupational therapy and preschool with an IEP at 3 and I made the choice to work evenings so I had mornings free for appointments and on days when we didn't spending the morning at the park.

Expecting every family to have a stay at home parent is unrealistic. If one of us stayed home, rent alone would take up 80% of one of our paycheck. We live in a rental that is far lower than the median rent in our area. Yet we would make too much money for most housing help. And honestly I would rather work to stay off public assistance.

You can't use someone's employment status or lack of employment as a reason for their child neglect. My cousin intervened last week when a stay at home mom left her child in a hot car at the grocery store. Thanks to my cousin getting help, the child was fine but this just goes to show it can happen to any parent for being neglectful.

I'm sorry but families who are unable to have a stay at home parent should not feel like they have to justify it every time a story like this happens but inevitably someone will say something like this and it is frustrating.

MOO

 

[Zuri]

Thank you for saying this so well. I worked 3-11 part time as an RN and my DH worked 7am to 7 or 8 pm as an MD. I liked working and it kept me sane. My children enjoyed their sitter. It worked out well. I take offense when others judge. What worked for us may not work for others, and since I live in a glass house, I would rather not throw stones....