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A mother accidentally gave her baby vodka, thinking it was water. Apparently, she was giving the child what she thought was water from a water bottle, but the clear substance inside wound up being vodka. The baby reportedly ingested about half a bottle cap of the alcohol and was immediately rushed to the hospital after the mom realized what had happened. Authorities say the incident appears to genuinely be an accident, and no charges have been filed.
Now. Before we all go Judgey McJudgerson on this mom and demand her head on a stick, let's take a step back for a moment and ask ourselves: Have I ever made an honest mistake that could have resulted in something really bad as a parent?
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that most of us have never accidentally given our children sips of alcohol. And I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that most of us don't have random water bottles filled with vodka lying around the house. But still. Mistakes do happen when you're a parent -- especially a new one. And this mother must have been terrified the minute she realized what she had accidentally done.
A few months after my daughter was born, my sister and I decided to take her to Babies R Us. Her car seat was the kind that you snap into a cart with wheels, so you never have to take the baby out. When we got into the store, I loosened the straps of the car seat, because I felt like my daughter would be a bit more comfortable. But when I snapped her back into the car seat base for the ride home -- you guessed it. I never tightened the straps again. When I got home, I realized what I had done and I all but broke down in tears. I felt like such an awful parent. But it was an honest mistake. An honest mistake that could have resulted in something too awful to even think about. And guess what? I have never done that again.
Details are sparse about the vodka incident, but if this honest-to-god was an accident, my heart goes out to this mom. She must still be reeling from this. And I seriously doubt she'll ever forgive herself.
Did you ever make a "new parent mistake"?
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