Raise your hand if you are sleep-deprived! I would raise both of mine, but then I wouldn't be able to type. Yeah, it's a constant state of being for a mom, especially a mom of a newborn. Not getting enough sleep can make us do crazy things. Take Sue, a sleep-deprived mother of two, in Australia. She left her house to go pick up her older son from school ... and forgot her baby sleeping in his crib.
Sue just got in the car, started driving ... and then realized what happened. She freaked out, and rightly so. She was too far to turn around. What's a mom to do? Not caring if she would face child endangerment charges, she dialed the emergency number for the police, all of her neighbors, anyone she could think of to go and check on her baby son. Who was found still sleeping in his crib.
I think the best part about this story is that she didn't get in trouble. She didn't get her son taken away. Nope, everyone understood this was an accident, this was a result of a mega lack of sleep. I'm not so sure if that's because of where it happened (in Australia) or that it was a small town or what, but I'm thrilled that common sense ruled in a situation like this.
Now, I've done a lot of wackadoo things because of lack of sleep. Put my wallet in the fridge, forgot to put on a bra only to realize it in the middle of a big work meeting, blanked on my phone number about 83 times, just to name a few. Okay, I've never forgotten my kid. But I can totally see how it can happen.
Sleep-deprivation is a serious thing. Check out WebMD, and you see the list of all of the ailments that result from not enough zzzzzzzs: decreased alertness, memory impairment, depression, heart attack -- do I need to go on?
Sue explained she hadn't slept for two days! It's a good thing she didn't get into a car accident, especially once she realized what had happened and got all fuggumelled. Geez, no sleep for two days while caring for two kids? I doubt if I'd be able to say the alphabet, let alone drive a car.
Should she have gotten in trouble? What have you done because of lack of sleep?
Image via peasap/Flickr
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Comments 26
It sounds ot me like she just made a mistake and realized it and freaked out and told on herself, essentially, so no, I don't really think she needs to be in trouble.
No, this happens. It sucks that it happens but I'm so glad that it was handled properly.
My mom did the same thing right after she had my older sister. She got my older sister dressed in her snow suit and laid her down on her bed where she fell asleep than she went to wrangle my oldest brother into his clothes and just went out the door and didn't realize she'd forgotten my sister until she made it to her destination. Luckily when she got home my sister was still sleeping but probably close to overheating. I've personally never done this but that's not to say it couldn't ever happen to me lol.
I just really like your use of "fuggumelled" ... but to answer the question - I am happy she didn't get in trouble ... no harm done (thank goodness she realized it!)
I'm glad she didn't get in trouble too. Sadly, though, stuff like this sometimes leads to tragedies (like accidentally leaving a baby in the car on a hot day).
i'm glad she made the right decision to call, i hope this is an indication that other's could and should do the same without implications. if it happens once, it's an accident, if it continued to happen then it's time to think about the real dangers that could ensue. thanks for this article.
So glad she didn't get in trouble and was more concerned in making sure baby was all right. I was relieved that this article didn't take a turn for the worse.
I can't remember what I did as a result of lack of sleep but I forget my phone number on numerous occasions and have put on my clothes inside out, backwards, etc. D'Oh!
OK...I have a toddler and kids in school. This story is a little weird to me. Why couldnt she have called the school. Said she had car troubles. Turn around and go BACK for the baby THEN. I mean if she is in her school district her house CANT be far and she says she was only half way there! I would hav gone BACK for the baby that was home ALONE! The child at the school was in safe hands already! I amglad everything worked out and she wasnt in trouble but geeze.
I think I would have turned around and gone back for the baby immediately, and called the school to tell them I would be late because of a family emergency. I have worked as an elementary secretary and I happen to know that they are there a good half hour after the school day. I'm glad they didn't take her kid away, but it's sort of odd that she couldn't go back for the baby.