Toddler mauled to death at Pittsburgh Zoo

[yoko]

Originally Posted by Greenmagick

No, kids are very aware at three. They may not remember it for life but the are certainly cognizant and wanting to look then and learn a lot from life. Now, that is NOT excusing the mother making the decision to put him up there, that was stupid. BUT, it most likely WAS for the child wanting to see.

And all she had to do was say 'no it's dangerous'.

Sorry kind of pissy about it. Kid got killed on Halloween here because the parents let his 'older' sister walk him to school. I say 'older' because she was only 12. They dressed him in all black/dark clothing saying it was a 'costume' and the kid got hit and killed by a car.

It kind of annoys me that people who are that irresponsible are allowed to have kids.

[sparks19]

Originally Posted by Greenmagick

No, kids are very aware at three. They may not remember it for life but the are certainly cognizant and wanting to look then and learn a lot from life. Now, that is NOT excusing the mother making the decision to put him up there, that was stupid. BUT, it most likely WAS for the child wanting to see.

This.

Also, I kind of hope this mother was just another nut trying to kill her child because I can't imagine having to deal with your childs death, knowing you dropped them and THEN have the whole world villifying you as a murderer and a psycho .

[sparks19]

12 is old enough to babysit in this country.

Sometimes things are just a matter of BAD THINGS HAPPEN. I don't think there is much wrong with a 12 year old walking with her brother

Our babysitter is 13. Should I not be allowed to have a
Child because it is just so stupid?

[Greenmagick]

Originally Posted by sparks19

Also, I kind of hope this mother was just another nut trying to kill her child because I can't imagine having to deal with your childs death, knowing you dropped them and THEN have the whole world villifying you as a murderer and a psycho .

Exactly. Its awful, just awful

[Romy]

This is so horrible and heartbreaking for the child especially. It makes me want to cry just picturing how it ended for him. If I was there I'd have jumped in and tried to save him. 14 feet isn't that far for an adult. I can't understand why nobody did that. Why the zoo workers just fired darts instead of running in screaming and waving their arms and kicking at the dogs. Anything to stop what was happening. He might not be dead if someone had.

[yoko]

Originally Posted by sparks19

12 is old enough to babysit in this country.

Sometimes things are just a matter of BAD THINGS HAPPEN. I don't think there is much wrong with a 12 year old walking with her brother

Our babysitter is 13. Should I not be allowed to have a
Child because it is just so stupid?

12 years old obviously wasn't old enough to realize that she needed to hold her brother's hand so he wouldn't run into the street.

I think having a babysitter who is 13 is your choice. But if anything happens and she/he reacts like a child, since they still are, the situation may not be handled as well as it should be.

[Greenmagick]

Originally Posted by yoko

The ONLY reason I could think of that a not crazy mom who is trying to kill their kid is that she wanted them to have 'a better view' and IMO thoughts like that are more for the mom/parent than it is for the kid.

My point was the thought was FOR the kid, not for the parent. YES, obviously the mom shouldve said no but I stand my the most likely scenario was she was thinking of her child and wanting him to see.

Originally Posted by yoko

Sorry kind of pissy about it. Kid got killed on Halloween here because the parents let his 'older' sister walk him to school. I say 'older' because she was only 12. They dressed him in all black/dark clothing saying it was a 'costume' and the kid got hit and killed by a car.



It kind of annoys me that people who are that irresponsible are allowed to have kids.

Tragic, but 12 is definitely old enough to walk a younger child across the street. Geez, I was walking to school by myself with a group by the time I was 6. Babysitting infants by 12. My aunt's neighbor was killed while crossing the street with his baby, he was an adult. Its tragic and horrible. Was he not old enough? In his 30s?

[Shai]

Originally Posted by Greenmagick

No, kids are very aware at three. They may not remember it for life but the are certainly cognizant and wanting to look then and learn a lot from life. Now, that is NOT excusing the mother making the decision to put him up there, that was stupid. BUT, it most likely WAS for the child wanting to see.

Yeah, you can't judge the value of an experience for a young child by whether they will remember it as adults or even as teens.

This sounds like a horrible tragedy all around, for the child and for the animal that was killed as a result. Hopefully more details will come to light as to what went wrong so it can be prevented in the future, but so far this sounds like a serious lapse in either parental judgement, attention, or both.

[Fran101]

This is a horrible tragedy. People make mistakes.. parents makes mistakes. How many times did I climb trees I certainly shouldn't have? Played by oceans and rivers? rode my bike down roads? These are all mistakes my parents made by allowing me to do and could have ended in tragedy.

I think rubbing salt in an already open wound is a little much. I wouldn't want to see anyone bear the loss of losing a child. And to know that loss was your fault and that the child suffered.. I can't even imagine the pain.

I normally never quote the bible of all things, but doesn't it go something like "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone"

.. I've done irresponsible things that could have gotten the children I love injured and killed. ... I've let kids play at the park whilst half paying attention, I let kids go to the pool and went inside to cook or go to the bathroom, I took them to the movies and didn't put them in car seats..
I starting babysitting my younger family members at a young age but I KNEW BETTER. They were my responsibility and I love them and can't imagine how I would feel if something had happened.

I am all for punishing negligence and abuse...and if this was an issue of either I would agree. but from what it sounds like, this was a horrible mistake.

My heart goes out to the entire family..and even the mother. Is she irresponsible? Yes.. but nobody could hate her more than she probably hates herself right now.

[yoko]

Originally Posted by Greenmagick

My point was the thought was FOR the kid, not for the parent. YES, obviously the mom shouldve said no but I stand my the most likely scenario was she was thinking of her child and wanting him to see.



Tragic, but 12 is definitely old enough to walk a younger child across the street. Geez, I was walking to school by myself with a group by the time I was 6. Babysitting infants by 12. My aunt's neighbor was killed while crossing the street with his baby, he was an adult. Its tragic and horrible. Was he not old enough? In his 30s?

Was he wearing all back while it was dark and then running into a busy street? If so obviously it wouldn't be an age issue at 30 but it is a responsible thinking issue. Now if he was crossing safely and a car came from no where and hit him that's a totally different story and isn't even similar to what I posted about.

And I'm sorry if it sounds heartless I feel horrible for the child who died. Not so much for the mom who thought putting her child in a dangerous situation was a good idea.