There have been several instances in the past week or two in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in which children died due to negligence. A neighborhood pool was closed after a woman left a two year old to be watched by her 12 year old sibling while she went to get a diaper. A few years ago a man who did not ordinarily take his child to daycare before going to work drove to work, parked his car, went into work - forgetting his child was in the car - in the heat of the summer. The child - a baby - suffocated in the heat.
My wife, Cyndy, and I have four children. Our daughter is in her later twenties and married - our first grandchild is due in November. Our three sons are eleven, thirteen, and fourteen. I have a habit of checking to see if my children are in the car when they are in school or other places (safely) and I am by myself. When I am shopping by myself and a child says “Dad,” I turn around automatically, making sure it is not my child.
Yesterday was our youngest son, J.D.’s birthday - he turned eleven. I took him to breakfast while the rest of the family was still asleep. We went to McDonald’s and found a booth out of the sun through the windows. There were very few other customers present, most of them older and alone. I set up my computer, only to discover I could not get wifi access without signing up to the accessible service. I told my son I was going to the restroom and would be right back. It did not take long.
When I came out of the restroom the table was as I had left it, but J.D. was not there. My heart began to race and I went into panic mode. I returned to the table while looking around to find my son who was nowhere in site. The children’s area with the play station was dark - I had assumed it was not open yet. I looked through to see only darkness. I looked at all the other customers - looking for any signs that something had happened. They all seemed absorbed in their own thoughts, paying no attention to me.
A few minutes later, after scanning the children’s area for the “umpteenth” time, J.D. suddenly appeared through the glass partition waving at me. When he again joined me at the table, he assured me that he had been watching the computer. I told him that I did not know where he was, could not see him, and had panicked. Naturally, he apologized and told me again that he had been watching the computer - which had not been my foremost worry.
The Dallas-Ft. Worth area has grown considerably in the last few decades and continues to do so. Towns (now cities) between and bordering the two major metropolitan areas making up the Dallas-Ft.Worth moniker have now blended into the “metroplex.” Even though many of them are towns as old as the two larger cities that comprise the name of the general area. The population has expanded with mind-bending speed. So much so that my fellow bloggers in Ft. Worth, Arlington, and I will often overlap. We will also cover the areas that now “blend in” with our primary city of focus.
The majority of citizens are basically kind, generally caring, people. But we are all often self-absorbed in our personal activities. But please, take the time to smile or wave at the neighbor you do not really know. Even if you are single, if you are shopping and hear some child say “Dad” or “Mom,” take the time to look to see if there is a problem you can help with. Pause your cellphone conversation long enough to lend assistance to a lost child. Or politely correct them if they are acting up. And please be aware of what is going on around you when you are driving. School is starting soon.
The internet has created the global community - as this community of bloggers is an example. We need to wake up, take a breath, and pay attention to the world around us - we are all in it together. But remember - if you are parents - I, for one, and there are others like me, will help out if we see your children in store or shopping center. But I cannot help you remember that your child is in the car with you. I cannot help you in a situation in which you forgot to take diapers with you to the pool. We need to be aware of the world around us. We can always reply to, or send, a text message when we get to a long stop sign or pull into a parking space. The urgency is often only in our minds.
Have a good day. Peace be with you.
