The face of a child
I had steak for supper. I didn’t taste it. We went to the symphony after dinner. I didn’t hear it. It’s bed time. I can’t sleep. All I can see is the face of the young girl, probably ten, trying to be brave with her younger brother at her side, telling someone at customer service she thought her mom had left them.
Left them……..LEFT THEM !
How does someone do that ?
Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe the mom had gone to another store thinking the kids would be ok for a few minutes. Maybe not.
The child had looked throughout the store. She was being very stoic. She had called her mom on her cell phone with no results. She knew to ask for the help of an adult.
My heart is breaking.
I remember being 10. Things can be scary. Your body is changing, Your feelings are all over the board. Sometimes you think you hear noises in the house if you are home alone. Sometimes you hurt because I friend said something hurtful. But I always knew Mom was going to be there. I don’t know how much hurt there must be in thinking that your mom has left you – intentionally.
There is something in Ohio (and other states as well ) called a Safe Haven Law. It was enacted to enable women who delivered babies they didn’t want or couldn’t keep to leave them at designated areas, hospitals, police departments, ODJFS, without criminal charges being lodged against them. While its helped decrease the number of babies found in dumpsters or trash bins not enough people know about it. And is only good until the child a few months old. What then? What about the children that for whatever reason – a parent with no job- no money- no home – stress- mental illness, – are left behind. A parent just walks off. Even if there is no law to protect the parent I would hope that anyone who has the thought of abandoning a child would do it somewhere safe – a hospital or a police station – even if its to drive off and leave the child in the doorway – at least the child would be safe.
This is not the first time I have seen this happen. Last year it was a little boy about four years old. He was terrified and crying. It took the mom two tries to successfully get out of his site. I watched it happen hoping what I was seeing was not what was really happening. Long story short, I knew what the mother was wearing and I found her outside the building and brought her back. In retrospect I should have called the police. I worried after that she would leave him at a gas station or worse. What fate would befall him if he did get home. This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
I ask you all , please, if you are under so much stress you don’t think you can cope with your child another minute get help right now.
Call someone, a family member, a friend, the police, go to a store clerk if you are in a store and tell them you need help. TRUST ME – People would rather help than judge you. If YOU see a parent that appears to be out of control or a young child alone in a store or in a car, PLEASE INTERVENE. If you don’t feel you can safely help or that you may be in danger call for help immediately. Don’t leave the child alone. All stores have procedures for getting security or the police there quickly. Don’t count on someone else doing something. Get involved.
The situation today was being handled by someone else but I waited to see that Security was involved.
I hope the child and her brother are safely at home asleep in there beds and it was all a misunderstanding.
My heart tells me it wasn’t. The face of that brave, scared little girl will be with me a very long time. No child should have to be that stoic. No one should be a child and be alone.