Child Forgotten at Chuck E Cheese

[AnnieC 305]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/09/us/texas- ... ?hpt=hp_t2

A mother of 10 who threw a birthday party for her 5-year-old daughter at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in suburban Houston, Texas, apparently forgot about the girl, went home without her and failed to realize her mistake until the next day, police said Friday.

Granted Chuck E. Cheeze does not normally go with "fundie", but that's still up in the range of the size of the families we observe. I'd be surprised that the Duggars haven't lost one, but the camera crew supplies an extra 3 adults easy.

[Third]

She didn't notice until the next day. :( None of the siblings or Dad [if he's in the picture] noticed either. How sad.

[Hane]

One of my mom's friends had 12 kids (devout Catholic but not an extremist anything). One Saturday, when she was out with most of them running errands, she did a head count and realized one had been left behind at the library. She immediately called the library, and was told not to worry--the librarian had the tot sitting quietly at a table with a picture book--and mom rushed right back to retrieve him.

[AnnieC 305]

Too many kids, clearly.

The woman left the restaurant at 10 p.m. with her other nine children and it wasn't until she was getting them ready for school the next morning that she realized her mistake, Mink said. He added that the mother, a relative and a friend were the only adults involved in hosting the event, which was attended by 19 children

Now who does that remind you of?

My favorite thought-stopping reply from Jim-Bob when told that they have too many children is usually something like "Well, which ones do you want us to get rid of?" To which I would like to reply "Stop that, it's annoying. Stick a crowbar in your wallet and hire more adults to raise them all." But, like I said, he pads out the numbers with the camera crew, surely, since no responsible adult is going to let a child just wander off. Pick their nose maybe, but not wander off.

[silverspoons]

I just read my husband this story. He came from a mega family (they had between 13-23 kids at any given time). He doesn't know how a mom could forgget a child that long and then I reminded him of his story (which I think is just as bad). His parents had an very old ford van and the door woudn't shut. My husband fell out of the door on a curve and they did not notice. A friend's parents found him in the road and took him took the dr (it was a small town so the dr took him in, 17 stiches and a broken arm). It wasn't till his family got to the city they were driving to they realized my husband wasn't there.

[doggie]

I thought the one that was left till 10:30 at night was bad. that was a large party of kids and the girl ran back in with her left over tokens. but till morning there is no excuse.

[ricky_ticky]

I can't decide if it's even stranger that it was the birthday child who was forgotten -- the reason they were all there in the first place -- to celebrate the forgotten child's birthday.

It's terrible that she left a child behind. Makes me wonder why they were really at Chuck E Cheeze

[Third]

I could see forgetting and getting home and freaking and running back and forever begging forgiveness but the whole night....nobody noticed...

A lady I know with 5 kids says she could see if happening if the child is easy going and normally puts herself to bed.

[doggie]

I think she wold be hysterical not just remorseful.

[LilBit0318]

I think one of my big questions (Aside from the blatantly obvious, of course...) is why was a 5-year-old's birthday party just wrapping up at 10:00 PM? Wouldn't most kids that age be in bed probably a good two hours before that, especially on a weeknight? I wouldn't have even guessed Chuck E. Cheese would be open that late! Wouldn't it be more convenient for everyone & more the norm to have the party on, say, a Saturday afternoon? Not that any of that makes a difference to the real issue at hand. I completely agree with all of your sentiments as far as that goes. But the timing of the party sorta got my wheels turning.

ETA: Because I've apparently forgotten how to use apostrophes tonight.

[ItISjustme]

Even if they thought that another relative had taken the little girl home, wouldn't they have at least phoned to say goodnight to her or even just to speak to her or the relative to check everything was okay?

My mother in law left her baby son (now my husband) in his pram outside a shop. She did all the rest of her shopping and was home before she realised what she had done.

[Rachel333]

I read that the parents are separated and each thought that the other was taking the daughter home. I can sort of see how that would happen, and I feel bad for all of them.

[Third]

The divorced parents was a different kid according to what I read. I was also shocked the restaurant was even open that late.

[golden_love]

Doesn't the mom kiss her children and tuck them in at night? Especially at five years old, I had to check under the bed for the boogie man and make sure there were no spooky shadows on the wall or my daughter didn't want to relax. And how come the other kids didn't notice the birthday girl wasn't home with all her fun new toys laid out all over the bed? Really weird.

[Rachel333]

The divorced parents was a different kid according to what I read. I was also shocked the restaurant was even open that late.

There were two similar cases recently? Yikes. :lol: :shock:

[ilovetchotchkes]

I think one of my big questions (Aside from the blatantly obvious, of course...) is why was a 5-year-old's birthday party just wrapping up at 10:00 PM? Wouldn't most kids that age be in bed probably a good two hours before that, especially on a weeknight? I wouldn't have even guessed Chuck E. Cheese would be open that late! Wouldn't it be more convenient for everyone & more the norm to have the party on, say, a Saturday afternoon? Not that any of that makes a difference to the real issue at hand. I completely agree with all of your sentiments as far as that goes. But the timing of the party sorta got my wheels turning.

ETA: Because I've apparently forgotten how to use apostrophes tonight.

My 2year old falls asleep normally round 10ish. But I purposely did it that way because my biologica schedule is borked. If left to my own devices I won't go t bed til 2:30. Its like perpetual jet lag, however most normal kids? You are 100% correct.

I've been out with my 6 cousins and my own kid and was CONSTANTLY doing head counts, and they for the most part were not even all my kids! How you could misplace your own kid and to the next day even!!!!

[Witsec7]

Doesn't the mom kiss her children and tuck them in at night? Especially at five years old, I had to check under the bed for the boogie man and make sure there were no spooky shadows on the wall or my daughter didn't want to relax. And how come the other kids didn't notice the birthday girl wasn't home with all her fun new toys laid out all over the bed? Really weird.

This

[sassyNoz47]

yeah I heard a story on the news about a divorced couple who didn't know thier own child was missing until they both saw it on the evening news. She was found safe each thought the other parent had her. I guess she vanished from a party at Chuckie Cheese...odd stuff

[mirele]

My parents accidentally left me behind at a gas station in Houston (on Telephone Road by the airport). I came out of the restroom to see them and my two siblings driving off. It was my first time in Houston and I knew NOBODY. But I didn't panic, I just waited until they came back about 10 minutes later.

Moral of the story: even with three kids, you can still leave one behind.

[ladypuglover]

I forgot Navypuglover a couple of times. The first time was my first outing with him and my sister and I had left our older toddlers at home to do a little X-mas shopping. My little guy was about a week old and very silent compared to his 1 year old brother and 2 year old cousin, so we forgot he was there in the backseat. My sister hurried around to help me out of the car when we looked in the back of her car and saw this pretty newborn. We both said awww, what a pretty baby! When it hit us that pretty baby was our pretty baby. We blamed my just having him and being dead dog tired with 2 babies under 12 months and her pregnancy brain.

The second time was after a horrid grocery shopping trip with the 4 year old twins from hell that I used to babysit. I had my 2 and the terrible duo and after getting my 18 month old and the twins buckled up and all the groceries in the car while fighting of the folks who would troll the parking lot begging, I had had enough. As I was driving away my toddler said bye-bye baby and that was when I noticed I forgot the baby in the shopping cart. I turned right around and there he was in his infant seat in the cart in the cart corral. What was really bad is that there were 3-4 carts that had been put in the corral after I did and no one noticed the 6 month old sleeping in his carseat in the back of the shopping cart. I cried buckets all the way home of what a terrible mother I was.

Granted both times were under seconds, but I still feel as guilty as if I had left him alone for weeks.

But it even happens to better mothers than I*. My husband was left at a rest stop in another state for 4 hours before his parents noticed he was gone. He is the oldest of 4 and was 13 at the time which causes my family to think it wasn't an accident. Thankfully he lived to tell the tale.

* Just ask my MIL and she will gladly tell any and all what a horrid mother and wife I am even though she never can come up with one reason. She on the other hand will say how much better my husband's and childrens lives would have been if only my headship and married someone just like her. There is a very good reason why we live 3000 miles away from his folks.

[freejoytoo]

When my dad was two his older sisters in charge of him (six and four) left him at a building site and then accidentally sent his pram going into a stream (someone grabbed it luckily). That was during the fifties though (and in Liverpool!)

[bellamonster04]

I never knew that people accidently left their babies and children so often. I remember having vivid pregnancy dreams about losing my baby or forgetting that I gave birth and suddenly realizing in a panic that I had a baby but had no clue where he/she was. I would wake up devastated until I felt my belly and was snapped back into reality where baby was still safe inside and I wasn't negligent enough to not know where my baby was. I would then laugh at myself at the thought of forgetting that I gave birth already, especially after my first baby when I was certain that it was impossible to give birth and suddenly forget the cause of the physical trauma that I just went through (at least not without a brain injury.)

I've got almost 10 years of motherhood under my belt so far and I have yet to leave a child somewhere they were not supposed to be left or temporarily forget that they exist. I guess my dreams weren't prophetic. :)

I couldn't imagine coming home and not realizing that one of my children was missing. But I also couldn't imagine myself with so many children that I couldn't easily keep track of them without a head-count.

[Guest Anonymous]

Wait a minute. A mother "forgot" one of her kids? Has she ever heard of doing a "head count"? Apparently not. Granted I don't have kids, but still, forgetting your own child and not realizing it for hours..that's bad to say the least! :shock:

[thoughtful]

Doesn't the mom kiss her children and tuck them in at night? Especially at five years old, I had to check under the bed for the boogie man and make sure there were no spooky shadows on the wall or my daughter didn't want to relax. And how come the other kids didn't notice the birthday girl wasn't home with all her fun new toys laid out all over the bed? Really weird.

Maybe this is one of the things that falls by the wayside with some super-sized families.

[AudreyE]

I'll admit that I only watch 19KAC out of the corner of my eye while I'm doing other things, but didn't they forget to bring Jed along to his mouth surgery appointment this week? It looked like that was happening. They got to the office and were, like, "Time for surgery, Jed. Where's Jed? Oh, balls!"