Thursday, August 27, 2009

You need a license to catch a fish...

...to drive a car, to sell real estate, to practice medicine, to sell liquor, blah, blah, you get the idea. But you do not need a license to have a baby and raise that child. Any idiot can do that. And most do.

Case in point, the woman I saw today at the lake on the Subase. She walked onto the sand carrying the usual paraphernalia: beach bag, blanket, toys, and a car seat/baby carrier. A young man/teen was accompanying her holding the hand of who I can assume was her son, a very small child, probably 2-ish. Nothing out of the ordinary yet. The young man took the little boy into the water and they played while the woman watched from the shore. The baby stayed in the car seat. In the sun. The woman went into the water and swam. The baby stayed in the car seat. In the sun.

Finally she took the baby from the seat. This little one could not have even been a month old. She was so tiny, with little chicken legs waving. The mom held her in one arm while she sprayed her, front and back, with sunscreen. Then rubbed some on her little face. I was in shock, and commented so all within earshot could hear me. No one else seemed to care or notice.

Once "mom" deemed her child was safe from the sun, she took her into the chlorinated lake, splashed her around, dunked her once or twice (now into the sunscreen-slick surrounding them), and then put her back into the car seat. She didn't rinse her off, change the chlorine-soaked diaper, or dry her. I just stared. I wanted to approach her, and I know I should've - I am ashamed I didn't - but I could predict the outcome and was not up for a confrontation. In the mood I have been in I am sure I would be writing this from jail.

I know this mom was not beating her children and it could have been worse, perhaps she does not know any better, and it was obvious she loves her kids. My only hope is that these two children grow up to be healthy well-adjusted adults despite their naive or incompetent mother. I hope it is the former and she learns right from wrong soon.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

so how are the brain cells doing since I saw you at the bookstore? LOL!

Anonymous said...

Nashville, TN... Yup, just visiting... We're up in New England for a project hubby is working on. We're here visiting a friend in Norwich (blog buddy) and a few other blog buddies.

I get around... ummm.... figuratively speaking...LOL!

Traveling Bells said...

Hey from GA from a friend AND blog buddy of Lois.

I also would have been hard pressed to ignore that wee babe in the sun. Yep, that woman needed a baby license!

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

hi, from west palm beach and a friend of lois!

i would have confronted her but then i'm old and don't have much to lose! ha ha ha

smiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Linda said...

Hi from just down the road in Norwich! I'm the friend that Lois was visiting when we she met you at the bookstore! We both had a good laugh over the comment you made about "this is a bloggable moment!" as we both do that ALL the time!

As for this mother ... kids don't come with an instruction manual and it appears that she has yet to figure it out on her own, hopefully she does soon. I would have been tempted to say something myself but that's probably because I have a big mouth and don't know when to keep my opinions to myself half the time!

Anonymous said...

I am another of Lois' bloggy friends! I'm in south GA now, but originally from MA.

I totally would've said something. I've got big shoulders. I can take it. In the interest of being the baby's advocate, I would've given the mother the benefit of the doubt that she just didn't realize the danger and pointed out the danger.

Queen-Size funny bone said...

Lois sent me over. I too am a CT. blogger. Most parents have no common sense. Too bad it is always the poor kids who are the guinea pigs of their learning process.

j said...

Yep. Me too, I'm here by way of Lois.

I hope that child made it home without being sunburned horribly.

Glad to meet you Denise.