Stage 3

I read an article in the editorial section of the Statesman called Another Tragic Reminder. The article is about a man, Jing Hu, who left his 18 month old child, Daniel, in his car, and forgot about him. Yes, forgot he was in there. He was driving to the daycare to drop little Daniel off when he received a phone call claiming he did not pay a utility bill. He became so distracted by the argument that was taking place between himself and the person claiming his forgetfulness about the bill that he bypassed daycare and drove straight to work. Instead of realizing his mistake before walking in and taking him to daycare then, he neglected to even notice his only child in the back seat. It was not until hours later when he realized his errors. By that time the scorching Austin heat had taken the baby's life.
I get a sense from how the author of this editorial is writing that he is on Mr. Hu's side because the supporting evidence he brings up is about how distracted our lives are and what will finally bring us to slow down and notice life passing by. Yes, this person is deeply moved by the story of little Daniel, but it has more to do with how the vividly the reporter gave the story. His/her editorial begins by saying how well written the article was about Daniel, but still "a hard read" considering what it was about. In my opinion, this person has his wires a little crossed. Hearing that a man forgot about his only child in the back seat of his car pretty much pisses me off. How on earth does that happen? Busy or not, distracted or not, everyone has things and activities and errands and bills and problems that they have to face. Personally, simply remembering my child (if I had one) would NOT be included in this list of responsibilities. The editorial argument is on the side of the father in a way that he is literally justifying the forgetfulness by offering little tid-bits on how to remember your child. For instance, "put a diaper bag on the front seat to remind yourself" or "put your purse on the back seat so you remember." Really? I assume his target audience is the other parents that frequently forget their children in the car because of his awesome advice on how to avoid that. OK, enough sarcasm, clearly I don't agree with him/her. As far as the credibility goes, I don't really think it exists because I get the feeling he/she does not have children. For someone to give advice on how to avoid forgetting your child, I feel like they need to be a parent. All in all, I was upset to hear that people in this world are so caught up in their minuscule problems that they are doing something as ridiculous as forgetting a child in a scorching car. The author of the editorial needs to rethink his/her approach and realize that its not about this "fast pace" lifestyle that everyone seems to hold but more about people's lack of common sense.