When will people learn?

Within the past couple of weeks, during the time I've listened to the radio, there have been three reports of children who have drowned in pools, as well as, one baby who was left in a car, and inevitably died. I rarely listen to the radio, usually when my husband and I are in the car together, which isn't every day. Realizing that, who knows how many reports of these incidents I have missed, Since I was a little girl in elementary school, there have been numerous reports every summer on children drowning and being left in cars to die. Every time I hear these tragedies in the media my heart breaks, I cry, and then become enraged at the irresponsible parents.

When will people learn that if you have a pool you cannot take your eyes off of your children? It only takes seconds to lose a child to drowning. If a family has younger children, their pool should absolutely have a fence around it, no excuses. The fence should also have very little space in between each bar, so that a small child cannot fit through it. The gate latch should also be completely out of a child's reach and have a lock as well. This will help to ensure that children do not have access to the pool. Along with this, parents need to teach their children that opening doors in the house without permission is not permitted. "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). I realize that children do not always listen, and this is exactly why they MUST ALWAYS BE WATCHED! "The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother" (Proverbs 29:15).

When will people stop being selfish and/or absent minded when it comes to leaving their child or children in the car? First off, children are a parent's first priority over anything and everything in their life. Therefore, no matter how busy or preoccupied a parent is, there is no excuse to being absent minded when it comes to the safety of their children. Now, there are many people whose minds are constantly running and being forgetful comes naturally. I happen to be one of those people. However, there are ways to avoid ever leaving a child in a car by accident. For example, one can put a post-it on their steering wheel as a reminder or talk with the child continuously while driving, to make oneself aware that the child is present.

I cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, relate to the pain that one experiences when dealing with the loss of a child, no matter how the child died. So PLEASE, parents, PLEASE look after your children as God has instructed us to do so. They are a beautiful and precious gift that cannot be replaced!