Mom was upstairs, on Facebook, when her toddler was fatally hit by van

@chisa96 Said


That the toddler was left alone in the yard is where the problem lies.

@DorkySupergirl Said

My two cents, I find a lot of times when something horrible happens to a child we blame the parents. The fact is that even the best mom can have something horrible to their child, it does not always mean that the parent was negligent, a horrible mother or that criminal charges should be brought about.

How many times have we gone out to play and broken a bone, got a scratch, are our parents always to blame? Accident can and do happen and even death of a child can happen under proper supervision.

This mom may be negligent and the facts will be found out and if negligent then yes, she needs to be dealt with for not providing proper supervision for her child. But a parent is not always negligent with things happen.

Just because a bad things happens does not mean a person is legally culpable. Buy yes, anytime a person is being unfit an something happens to their child, something needs to be done but at the same time, not every case is child abuse or neglect, sometimes it just an awful tragedy.

@chisa96 Said



That the toddler was left alone in the yard is where the problem lies.

@someone_else Said

I'm a little confused about that part. The first part of the story says that the 22 month old and a 3 year old were playing in the yard. Somewhere towards the middle, the Mom says that she was the one who should have been supervising.

But then it mentions her 12 year old daughter running into the house to call 911. Where was she? She was apparently outside...was she not with the kids?

@someone_else Said

I'm a little confused about that part. The first part of the story says that the 22 month old and a 3 year old were playing in the yard. Somewhere towards the middle, the Mom says that she was the one who should have been supervising.

But then it mentions her 12 year old daughter running into the house to call 911. Where was she? She was apparently outside...was she not with the kids?

@sTreetAngeL Said

She is a kid too. And kids will be kids. She clearly was playing and not paying attention to her sister...That is why, in one of my posts I said I would't put it past the mother to somehow try and make the 12 year old feel guilty for this; when in fact, they 'all' were 'her' (the mother's ) responsibility.

@sTreetAngeL Said

She is a kid too. And kids will be kids. She clearly was playing and not paying attention to her sister...That is why, in one of my posts I said I would't put it past the mother to somehow try and make the 12 year old feel guilty for this; when in fact, they 'all' were 'her' (the mother's ) responsibility.

Quote:
Detectives said they asked Pena who was supposed to be supervising the children when they went outside and played. "Karen Pena said, 'Well, it was me, obviously,' " police Detective Christine Hurley wrote.

@someone_else Said

D'oh. I put it in at some point but I must have left it out of the 'final draft'...I wasn't asking that because I felt that it was her fault. I'm just confused as to where she actually was. The mom clearly said that it was her own responsibility...I was just curious about the logistics of the situation.

@chisa96 Said

She seems to acknowledge her responsibility for it.

@sTreetAngeL Said

It is the mother's fault; and I'm glad she acknowleges it, as hard as it must be to live with.


@Someon_else:
My mother's mother's, two year old son was hit and killed by a car.

My uncle, who was just a child himself at the time, was out there when it happened to my understanding, and made to feel, however indirectly, 'responsible' for it thoughout life. (that is why I bring it up,.. and still may happen here as well, as you raise a good point. And who knows...maybe the 12 year old did run out of the yard first, and the little one followed, to their demise.. )

It's an awful thing to have to live with though. I can't even imagine it... - My grandmother's once brunette hair turned completly white over night from the shock. She was never the same.

@someone_else Said

I agree. Hopefully the 12 year old will get some grief counseling.
My best friend's brother drowned in their backyard swimming pool. Each parent thought the other parent was watching him. I forget if my friend had been born at the time (I think she was) and I don't recall how old her other brother was, but I don't think that either one of them ever felt that they had any blame placed on them one way of the other.

Needless to say, the pool never had water in it after that.

Quote:
The affidavit also accounts numerous reports about Pena to social services. Neighbors told investigators they often saw the young children outside alone, wearing only diapers so soiled that they hung down to their knees.