Have you ever seen someone do something that you know was wrong but were too afraid to tell them? For instance…. let’s say you know a good bit about car seats and you see a lady in the Wal-Mart parking lot that has her child in a forward facing car seat and you know that child should still be rear facing and buckled in properly. You don’t know her so you decide it’s best not to interfere because your scared she may get upset or think your crazy.
WRONG
I can NOT stress this enough….TELL THEM HOW TO FIX IT!!! I was that mom… the one placing her child, the most important thing to her, in the car seat wrong. I was that mom that would share pictures like the one above on social media sites and never was corrected. I was that mom that would allow friends and family to take my children places and assumed they were safe in the car. I was that mom that would put hundreds of miles on the car without a care in the world assuming everything was perfect until…………..
it was too late.
It only takes a second for your life to change.
My son was 11 months and 27 days old when my (now EX) boyfriend ran a stop sign. My perfect little baby went through the windshield……. and was found dead in a ditch. He was resuscitated and spent 16 days in ICU. 8 surgeries in the first three days…. his brain was damaged beyond repair. It would not allow his body to absorb any nutrients and my child was starving himself to death. I had two choices….
1:Let him starve …. or
2:Remove life support
I had to make a choice.
May 13, 2013 Cameron grew his wings.
Now, I’m that mom who doesn’t sleep at night. I’m that mom who spends most of her shopping trips avoiding the baby boy clothes. I am the mom that has learned from her mistakes.
I AM THAT WOMAN THAT WILL TELL YOU YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG!!!!
And you know why??
…..because I wish every single day of my life now that someone would have told me I was doing it wrong BEFORE it was too late.
*below is a link to Cameron’s story . It has more detail of the night of the accident.-
Cameron’s facebook page-
SailorJackVonMunster said:
Wow your story was very touching! First off sorry for your loss! I have a 19 month old son and I totally felt your pain just reading that. I was very hesitant to change my son’s car seat even when my son was 22 lbs. Hope you know you have an angel watching over you! You will be in my thoughts 🙂
SailorJackVonMunster said:
Reblogged this on sailorjack and commented:
This woman’s tragic story is such a life changer! We, sometimes, don’t think about the little things in life. I know I have! My Jack is 19 months going on 20 and weighing about 22-23 lbs. I myself was very hesitant about transitioning his car seats. I hope you can speak up to someone who’s wrong
Melissa brouillette said:
I am soooo very sorry for your loss. He was a precious precious baby boy. Thank you for sharing your story with the world.
Nicole Carlson said:
My heart goes out to you. May your sweet angel rest in peace.
Gus h said:
I can honestly say thst I am that annoying friend/neighbor/co worker that will bring up this topic and tell people that their car seat practice is wrong.
I know most people don’t know the importance of the small details when it comes to car seat safety.
Keep the message going fwd. there’s always a way to tell even a stranger that their kid isn’t sitting in their car correctly.
Matthew Franzeen said:
So sorry for your loss. I don’t mean to be rude but it would help people a lot to post a link to the website to show people the recommendations. I haven’t seen anyone else post it so here it is.
http://www.safercar.gov/parents/Right-Seat-Age-And-Size-Recommendations.htm
Again so sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine losing a child in that way.
Tara said:
I’m so sorry for your family’s loss of your sweet baby boy. Thank you for sharing your story to help others. Love and peace to you.
Judy E said:
So sorry for your loss! My prayers are with you. You have an amazing young man.
Tanya said:
I’m sorry for your loss, I pray that you will find comfort and healing of your broken heart. I also lost a niece in a car accident, she was 13 months old. Father was speeding and lost control of the car, and unfortunately she paid the ultimate price and died on the spot. I don’t know how well she was strapped in her car seat, but if it was rear facing she might still be with us. Thank you so much for raising awareness; its not easy losing a child.
Richard G said:
This story angers and saddens me at the same time. Why? It wouldn’t matter that much about the straps being twisted or him ff or RF.
The problem is that her murderer boyfriend failed to clip both of her children in the car correctly, using only the chest clip, not the 5 point at the crotch. His laziness cost one of her kids his life. Add to that his illegal driving by running the stop sign.
He may have at least had a chance for survival if this guy used the straps fully (which is too logical) and if she read the manual.
Karen Crouse said:
Words cannont express how sorry I am for your lose. My son was in a different kind of accident when he was 18mns. He spent a week in ICU, and we were unsure of the outcome. It was the worst experience of our lives. He survived and not a day goes by that I am not grateful to the Lord for giving us a second chance. I could not imagine life after losing a child. I pray that the Lord is near to you and gives you strength. Take comfort that he is safe in the arms of Jesus, and if you know the Lord, you will see him again one day. Don’t blame yourself Mama, you showed him love while he was here. It’s the best gift we can give.
Dot craft said:
We are sorry for your loss May God give you the comfort you need! Let us all learn a lesson from this tradgedy!
Hoai said:
I am truly sorry for your loss. I hope your message gets heard. I have told people before also.