Anger...
The story of this couple in Atlanta that allowed their toddler son to cook to death in the car in the hot Georgian sun is just disgusting me to no end. That they were running web searches for how long it takes animals to die in a closed-off car? That they were searching for tips to survive in prison? That they couldn't act their way out of a box when confronted by cops (him) and coworkers (her)? That he was sexting up to seven different women including a 17-year-old girl while his son cooked?
It's all just disgusting.
There are far too many cases in which this has been happening lately.
Parents killing their kids because they cannot afford them.
Parents killing kids because parenthood is not the rainbow and sunshine affair they expected it to be.
Parents killing kids in divorce cases to keep the other from getting them in a settlement.
I. DON'T. GET. IT!
How can you take out your frustration on an innocent child? How can you think that killing your kid will make life better? How can you think that you are actually that much better than the others who have done it and been caught that you think you won't be caught?
To anyone who may be considering such an action in the future, please, I beg of you, DO NOT DO IT!
Your child did nothing to deserve this.
If you, as a parent or parents, cannot handle parenthood, leave the kid with your significant other or a family member or a friend or a church or whoever and JUST WALK AWAY! It's not the ideal way to do things. And your child may grow up wondering what he or she did to drive you away. But the key is that they will grow up. That child will live.
I cannot imagine a situation in which I would want to hurt Nathan. Sure, he's not always perfect. What child is? There are times I get frustrated when he refuses to go to bed or makes a mess or starts a fuss in public or God only knows what else.
Parenthood is not easy. It's not meant to be. But you deal with it or you find someone else who can.
I don't get it.
Please help me understand.
I can't help you understand it as I don't get it. As someone who WANTS a child but can't have them, I'm like- there are lots of us who would take them!
Posted by: Sizzle | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 11:39 AM
That's the stance Katie and I always took when we were trying unsuccessfully for so long.
Posted by: kapgar | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 02:07 PM
So, the mother was in on it too? I thought it was just the POS dad. Geez.
Posted by: Samuel | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 03:13 PM
I wish I could help you understand but I don't get it either. I can't imagine not having my "kids" around. ( niece nephews, friends kids).
Posted by: Rachel | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 05:46 PM
It is a very tough pill to swallow, made even harder because you and Katie are such good and loving parents to Nate!!
Posted by: Suzanne Kurtz Apgar | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 08:36 PM
I read an article where they said coworkers found her after it all went down and she immediately said, without prompting, that the husband must've left their kid in the car and he overheated to death. They tried to suggest something else as no details were yet known and she kept insisting on the car situation. She had to know ahead of time of it.
Posted by: kapgar | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 08:44 PM
Nor can I.
Posted by: kapgar | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 08:44 PM
We try to be.
Posted by: kapgar | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 08:45 PM
Considering what a wonderful little boy Nathan is, and how much you two wanted him, I know it's not hard to be!! Parenting, as you have heard me say countless times, is the most difficult job for which you are never prepared. I'm not saying it's always easy. It's not, but the three of you are great as families go!
Posted by: Suzanne Kurtz Apgar | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 10:09 PM
You most definitely are great parents! You waited too long for that little miracle. Nathan is well loved by all of us! How could he not be? He's perfect!
Posted by: Marjory Adams | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 10:13 PM
Thank you.
Posted by: kapgar | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 11:33 PM
Thank you. Yes he is.
Posted by: kapgar | Saturday, 05 July 2014 at 11:34 PM
I didn't hear about this story, but of course it is awful. There are a lot of people out there who quite honestly shouldn't be parents. There's also the issue of social responsibility in educating our kids from a young age about sex, birth control, etc. Something that isn't done much in this country due to extreme conservatism (and rolling women's reproductive health rights back to the middle ages). This essentially leads to unwanted births. I'm not saying it's an excuse to kill the kid, but it's an issue that isn't being dealt with.
What leads people to do such things? Who knows. Hopefully they will get properly punished for what they did.
Posted by: Marie | Monday, 07 July 2014 at 09:16 AM
They'd damn well better be punished.
Posted by: kapgar | Monday, 07 July 2014 at 11:34 AM
Makes me sick to read these stories of parents that don't care about their kids. Marie said it all above.
Posted by: Marty Mankins | Monday, 14 July 2014 at 11:06 AM
Yes she did.
Posted by: kapgar | Monday, 14 July 2014 at 02:37 PM