Reply #68

The wealthy do, it turns out. And the poor, and the middle class. Parents of all ages and ethnicities do it. Mothers are just as likely to do it as fathers. It happens to the chronically absent-minded and to the fanatically organized, to the college-educated and to the marginally literate. In the last 10 years, it has happened to a dentist. A postal clerk. A social worker. A police officer. An accountant. A soldier. A paralegal. An electrician. A Protestant clergyman. A rabbinical student. A nurse. A construction worker. An assistant principal. It happened to a mental health counselor, a college professor and a pizza chef. It happened to a pediatrician. It happened to a rocket scientist.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549_2.html?sid=ST2009030602446

This was almost me and I consider myself to be a very good parent with a decent intelligence. Over 20 years ago I forgot my daughter in her carseat. In my mind, she was already at daycare. When I got out of the car, I happened to glance at the back and there she was as quiet as could be. It's a tragic accident and it happens.

Read the entire article and it will explain how this kind of thing can happen to even the best of parents.