Talk about heartbreaking. On Monday, a mom who was riding the subway in New York City with her baby allegedly abandoned her at a stop. The woman, Frankea Dabbs, has been arrested and charged with abandonment and acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17.
In a video, cops say Dabbs can be seen pushing a stroller with her 10-month-old child in it onto the platform and getting back on the train alone. Soon after the incident, another woman found the baby, stayed with her for 20 minutes, and then called the authorities.
The baby, who's healthy and unharmed, is currently at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. Dabbs allegedly told cops that she was homeless, that she felt she could no longer take care of the child, and that she felt that leaving her in a safe public place was her best bet.
Details for this horrible situation still remain pretty scant, but at first glance, this is a pretty strange scenario. In the photos, and after being examined, the baby looks extremely healthy and well-cared for; not like a child who was abused or malnourished during the past few months or weeks. In fact, if you only saw a photo of the girl, you'd think she came from a perfectly normal household. This doesn't appear to be a case of constant neglectful parenting.
What caused Dabbs to suddenly feel like she couldn't go on? Was it a moment or something she'd been thinking about for a while? As parents, most of us have experienced a fleeting feeling like we simply can't make it another day. We're so exhausted and stressed that we just want an out. Clearly, abandoning our children is definitely not the answer.
What is?
Parenting will never be an easy game -- especially when you're homeless -- but when you decide to have a kid, you have to put them first. Always. It isn't always easy; it isn't always fun, but it's the right thing to do. Not sure if Dabbs truly thought leaving her baby at a subway was the best option, but it's important we, as parents, always think every decision involving our kids through thoroughly.
Obviously, most parents' situations are quite different from Dabbs', but she's certainly not the first mother or father who's felt completely overwhelmed. An important thing is to remove yourself from the situation as much as possible, try to think of a course of action, and then return with a cooler, more even-keeled head.
Right now, the important thing is that this sweet baby girl is okay. Hopefully both she and her mother will get the help they need -- and more so, hopefully this angel will never have any recollection of what happened.
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Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed?
Image via New York Police Department