Sometimes things happen that make you stop.

I had news this week of someone I don't know personally. I know her through an online community only. Where she lives is not important, what is important is being aware of what happened to her family this week.

She lives next to her family, and her kids often go between the two homes playing during the day. One day this week the Mom realized she did not have her little shadow with her. She called the other house, they had not seen her 3 year old (almost 4) who had been playing her her older siblings. Mom had been busy with the baby and cleaning house. They live in the country, this is normal for the little girl to play with the siblings (especially since they typically just run to their family's house nextdoor). Well, they found the little girl (she was still alive) but was in the family car. The car was unlocked, but the back doors had kid locks on. The driver's door is heavy and the little girl probably could not open it. It was quite warm outside, and the paramedics think she was in the car less than 10 minutes. The car was black and in the sun. After hanging on to life for a few days in the hospital, the little girl passed away.

Please, teach your children that if they are in a car that they can not get out of to honk the horn (make sure it works without the car running before telling them this). Please, keep your car doors locked when no one is in the vehicle. Lastly, because I've heard of this happening often where a parent forgets their baby is in the car for some reason, please ALWAYS check to make sure a little person is not in the car with you. I lived in Arizona for a time, and even when I knew I did not have my children with me I still checked because I wanted the habit be for me to check.

I find this one story particularly hard because the little girl was not a helpless baby strapped into a car seat. But I imagine how frightened she was at not being able to get out...how scared when it started getting very hot in the car, and I think of how sad this mother is now.

Off to give my kids extra hugs now (and like the boys they are, I will be shrugged off...but perhaps Samuel will "wiggle me" some first).