Oprah comes to the aid of overwhelmed moms
Watching yesterday's epsiode of Oprah where she interviewed the teacher who left her baby in a hot car while she went about her day, I had the urge to shout at the screen, "Put your purse in the back seat! Put your purse in the back seat!"
You see, about a month ago I blogged here on Whoa, Momma! how I have a recurring nightmare that I might also be worthy of a guest spot on Oprah as "Worst Mother in the World" for forgetting a baby in a hot car. I admitted that one time while I had a break in my routine I was driving to work on autopilot and I had a momentary lapse where I was heading to work and forgot to take a turn into the neighborhood to drop off my baby at day care. I have since had terrible thoughts of "What if?" So ever since, I have put my purse in the back seat just in case my overwhelmed brain ever forgets there are kids back there. There's a whole scientific study about how our efforts to keep kids safe has put them in the back seat where Momma is more likely to forget they are there.
So Yahoo Shine picked up my blog post on this confessional -- and oh my goodness -- I got slammed. Granted, the hateration wasn't as bad as what was inflicted on this poor woman on Oprah, but I have an inkling of how she felt. For my effort to warn other overwhelmed moms, I was blasted: How dare I think more highly of my purse than my baby!
But the point is, how does your brain handle the normal everyday routine? Most women don't take one step without a purse in hand. So I still say: If you put your purse in the back seat, you are less likely to make the tragic mistake of hurrying out of the car and leaving your most precious cargo in jeopardy.
-- Sharon Kennedy Wynne
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
Amy Hollyfield is a workaholic mother of two young
daughters, blessed to have a work-at-home husband who makes their life possible. She was born in Detroit and moved around a lot as a kid (read: Air Force brat). She has lived in Florida since the month after she
graduated from Northwestern University. She lives for the yelps, hugs and kisses that greet her on nights that she makes it home before bedtime.
Sherry Robinson was born in the Sunshine State but she feels more comfortable inside a mall than outside at the beach -- thank goodness her husband is the outdoorsy type. He takes their two sons on night hikes, beach runs and bug hunts while Sherry does her best to take care of the homestead -- and find out what is new on the store shelves. A graduate of the University of South Florida in 19noneofyourbusiness, Sherry has been at the Times for nearly 20 years. And with nearly 10 years of parenting experience, Sherry is eager to offer up some great dish on raising kids and keeping your sanity.
Guest blogger Tracey Henry, a.k.a. Suburban Diva, is a frantic, slightly frazzled mother of four. She is a freelance humor writer and author which is the only thing that parenting four children ages 12-1 trains you for, except perhaps court jester and professional bull rider. She and her husband have lived all over the country, but settled in Florida eight years ago because the beachcombing is so much better here than on the banks of the Mississippi. Their family time includes a lot of sport -- both watching and playing -- and fun in the sun and surf. Catch her in Whoa, Momma! and on her site, 
Sherri Day and her husband welcomed their daughter into the world in early 2008. So far, she describes parenthood as exciting, exhausting and exhilarating. A self-described Southern belle with small-town values and big-city idealism, Sherri was born in rural Georgia. She received her bachelor's degree in journalism from Clark Atlanta University and her master's of journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. She is the Brandon bureau chief for the Times. Sherri moved to Tampa from Brooklyn four years ago.
Is it even legal to leave your child alone in a car in Florida? It isn't in my state.
Posted by: | November 03, 2008 at 04:08 PM
Put your purse in the back seat but please make sure the purse is out of the reach of the child in the back seat.
Posted by: Diane | October 03, 2008 at 01:17 PM
Sorry about being slammed. Holier-than-thous irritate everyone.
I have 3 kiddos and also have regular anxiety that I left or will leave the youngest strapped in the car. We'll be at the aquarium with the two older kids, toddler at Grandma's and I'll suddenly look for him, panic he's not with us and momentary conclude I left him in the car...only to suddenly remember he's perfectly fine.
I think we're so busy that it's a fear of being forgetful that gets us.
Posted by: Sandra | October 02, 2008 at 05:13 PM
I love that great idea and will pass it on!!
Posted by: | October 02, 2008 at 04:37 PM