You may not have noticed, but we've been trying to cut down on the unnecessarily gruesome stories here on the 'Derby. Teens have been decapitated by rollercoasters, toddlers have drowned in swimming pools and we haven't even mentioned them.
But is there such a thing as "necessarily gruesome"? Stories that, despite their disturbing nature, raise basic and important childrearing points?
For example, this case: yesterday, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a two-month-old boy was mauled to death by a six-week-old black labrador puppy. Those aren't words you hear very often in conjunction with dog attacks: "six-week-old puppy" and "black labrador." Pitbulls, sure. Sweet, family-friendly black labs? Not typically.
The fact is, it's just not safe to ever leave any dog alone with a child, no matter how sweet and family-friendly.
And where were this baby's parents while their son was being attacked? In the home, as was the child's grandmother. But the baby had been left alone in a swing - where the adults presumably considered the baby safe.
Babies should never be left alone, not in a swing, or carseat, or any piece of equipment that can be tipped over, or provide a tempting target for siblings or pets. I don't know . . . you really want to blame this on the fact that the parents were young and therefore irresponsible - Mom is only 17. But how many of us can say we've never left our babies sleeping in the swing to take a shower, or to help get an older child ready for school?
Sure, these tragic cases are extremely rare. But I have to imagine it's worth waking the baby up, taking him out of the swing and letting him cry for ten minutes in a safe place like his crib if your attention is needed elsewhere, rather than have to live your entire life knowing that your child's death was completely preventable.
Related Post:
Maybe These Pitbulls Are Dangerous
