Thursday, March 25, 2010

sometimes i think there should be a test to become a parent...

Very few crazy things happen here in KG. Crime is low, there isnt much to do here after dark (or during the day really...) and its a pretty quiet town. When something does happen, it shocks the community, and since everyone is connected in this town, its hard to not feel affected by it.

Last night a single mother put her four year old son to sleep in their apartment. Her ex-husband lives in a near by moshav (of course the same moshav my husbands parents are from), but it was the mothers turn to watch their kids. Their elder child was at a party, and needed to be picked up... so she left the younger son asleep in his room, and stepped out for just a minute. The four year old woke up, went looking for his mom... and at some point fell off their balcony... on the 10th floor of an apartment building. Two of my husbands cousins were in the rescue team which first got to him, but he was pronounced dead on the scene.

This is one thing I just will never understand about Israeli culture. They pride themselves on the fact that their kids can go outside after dark alone without worry... they have no qualms about taking their infants in the car without seatbelts and no qualms about leaving children alone in the house... i just plain dont understand! There are so many things that could happen with a four year old alone in the house, and I am puzzled as to what the mom was thinking. There are so many times that I get into arguments here about whats safe for my child... its such a pity.

My inlaws are going to the shiva, and we may go also. I feel so horrible for the parents, especially the father. Its such a sudden thing, to have a child one day and then hes gone. baruch dayan haemet

4 comments:

mother in israel said...

What a sad story. Unfortunately there are many similar ones.

be'ershevaboheme6 said...

I think it is harsh that you say you feel sorry "especially for the Father" yes the Mother did something horribly stupid...but if anything that makes her pain much greater not less as she mourns.

Lisa said...

believe me Claire, I did think about that. But how is this any different from involuntary manslaughter.. driving drunk and getting into an accident? She must feel horrible, but she was negligent, and I feel less sorry for her than i do the father.

if this had been a total accident... something that she had tried to prevent, or had at least been there for... that would be a different story

be'ershevaboheme6 said...

Not being a Mother I know it is harder for me to feel this as profoundly as you or any other parent...I just think her negligence is a bit different than purposely downing a whole bunch of drinks and getting into a car...you don't intend to hit someone of course, but you did actively make yourself into a potential weapon. although admittedly both are idiotic.