MoM Charged With Deaths of Children Left In Car
Source CNN
In my opinion this story below happened, at least in part, because today's society is much more individualistic than decades past. Promoting independence, individual achievement, self-expression and personal choice. People no longer have interdependence on one another as it was when I grew up in the 50s.
Sametta Heyward was in a bind. The single mother was scheduled to start a double shift at 3 p.m., and her baby sitter had just canceled.
"She was either told to come to work or be fired, or she was afraid to call in sick -- one of those things," said police Lt. Michael Fowler.
She made it to her job at a county-run group home July 29, a typically warm summer day. After eight hours, she called a supervisor and said she had to leave because of child-care issues.
According to her employer, she didn't tell the supervisor or a co-worker that for all that time, she had left her 1-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son in her Chevy Cavalier hatchback, parked on a residential street.
She had left Triniti and Shawn with battery-powered fans, food and drinks, but it was not nearly enough to combat the sweltering conditions inside. She later told relatives that when she got to the car at 11:30 p.m., the children were unconscious and had weak pulses. ...
Heyward, 27, was charged with two counts of homicide by child abuse. A funeral for the children was held Saturday.
"She was either told to come to work or be fired, or she was afraid to call in sick -- one of those things," said police Lt. Michael Fowler.
She made it to her job at a county-run group home July 29, a typically warm summer day. After eight hours, she called a supervisor and said she had to leave because of child-care issues.
According to her employer, she didn't tell the supervisor or a co-worker that for all that time, she had left her 1-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son in her Chevy Cavalier hatchback, parked on a residential street.
She had left Triniti and Shawn with battery-powered fans, food and drinks, but it was not nearly enough to combat the sweltering conditions inside. She later told relatives that when she got to the car at 11:30 p.m., the children were unconscious and had weak pulses. ...
Heyward, 27, was charged with two counts of homicide by child abuse. A funeral for the children was held Saturday.
Too sad a story, and Sametta Heyward is a despicable negligent woman. The worst part is that in spite of Sametta Heyward's being irresponsible leaving the children in the hot car, they were still alive when she returned. Yet instead of getting immediate help, she tried to hide her negligence, costing the children their lives.
When I grew up we adhered to social norms: like respect for authority and our elders, group consensus (what society thought mattered). We had stable hierarchical roles dependent on age and gender, we shared more, both physical property as well as on an emotional level. And I think we had a lot more success at finding happiness. At least I did.
Society needs to strike a balance between Individualism and Collectivism. Otherwise too much Individualism weakens moral bonds, and preserves a welfare state, cultivating a social environment where stories like this one will be often be the result.
Posted Sunday August 5, 2007 | Catagory: (Crime, Social Issues) | Permalink
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