May 28 2006
Bad parenting turns to tragedy…
A toddler trying to find her mom ran into the path of a car in Harlem and later died - only 90 minutes into her second birthday, cops and family members said yesterday.
Nayleen Tapia was hit about 10:40 p.m. Friday on W. 136th St. after she let go of her stepfather’s hand as they crossed the street and took off toward her mother, who was in a store on the opposite side.
“Her mother used to call her ‘little treasure,’” said Jeanette Colon, 25, the girl’s aunt.
And now they have to bury her.
Look. I’m not saying she deserved to die. This really was an accident, and a very tragic one. My question is, like the many other similar stories like this one, why was a two year old even up at 10:40 pm? Let alone out on the street? Let alone not in a stroller or something else? It’s amazing how many stories come across the Daily News like this. I actually once read a story about a 1 year old who was killed in the crosswalk of a street at 3 in the morning. A 1 year old.
I would just love an answer to that question. I don’t blame the parents for the death of their children. That would be vicious, cruel, and heartless, and I’m not cruel. But someone has to start beating into these parents’ heads that kids should be in bed at reasonable hours.
Or at the very least, not out on the street in the middle of the night.
Technorati Tags: accident, child, nayleen tapia
May 28th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
Friday night, after CJ’s graduation ceremony, we all went out to dinner to celebrate (what we thought wasn’t gonna happen at all). We took all the kids, including Destiny and Natasha. We didn’t get out of the restaurant until after 10:30pm that night - more than two hours past Natasha’s bedtime. She was exhausted, cranky at times, but otherwise handles things ok. In the parking lot, Gary carried her. When she wanted down, her hand was held firmly. She wasn’t gonna be able to break lose to run to me or the car.
Do I blame the parents in situations where a tragic accident happens? sometimes, yes. I have read stories about how a mother is window shopping for clothes, her child playing in the racks of clothes (heck, this I’ve seen firsthand), then turn around 10 minutes later realizing that their kid is nowhere to be seen. Who’s fault is this? It is the parent’s fault. That child is lost, scared, possibly abducted, or worse - wandered out of the mall and struck by a car. When you have children, you have to be vigilant in watching them ALL of the time. It is the parents’ responsibility to hold that child’s hand FIRMLY. There is no breaking lose to run to mommy. Hold her hand and say “Ok, we’ll catch up to mommy, just be patient.” I have had to do this many times, as has Gary.
It is a tragedy that this child’s life was ended so abruptly. But I have to say that from what I read, I would place at least partial blame on the parent that was supposed to be holding her hand. She breaks lose (and children can and do), the parent should quickly grab her back and say “NO!” Don’t just stand there and watch her run in to the street to get to mommy.
As a parent of three children, one of whom is still a preschooler (only 3 years old), this is stuff that I hate to read and, frankly, angers me to no end. I see things in Walmart and the mall all the time that just astounds me. If I am clothes shopping, my children are right next to me at all times. If I am grocery shopping and there is something at the end of the aisle that I am in, I don’t leave the cart with my child in it at one end so that I can walk to the other. I take the cart with me. Period. Too crowded in the aisle? Then I ask (yes I do ask sometimes) for some space to get through. I do not leave my children unattended for one second. And they know what is expected of them when they do go out.
I’m sorry for the little one that her life was ended so painfully and adbruptly. Perhaps a lesson will be learned from this tragedy. My prayers are with this family.
May 28th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Just in defense of whoever was holding her, the sidewalks in some parts of this city are narrower than you think, so by the time he realized she was out of his hand, she was probably already in the street.
May 29th, 2006 at 9:07 am
I don’t doubt that at all. I have had the problem of my youngest being able to get out of my grip in the parking lot easily. But my question is, how do you not know that you aren’t holding the hand of a child anymore? How long does it take to realize that your hand is empty?
And I have seen many a time children getting lose of one parent to run to the other. I’ve watched the first parent allow the young child to run across a parking lot or finish running the crossing of the street or even up the hallways of the mall instead of taking a few running steps to retrieve said child.
I wasn’t there so I don’t know what exactly happened. I do know that it breaks my heart whenever any child’s life is ended, wether through violence, an unfortunate accident, parental neglect, or illness (i.e. cancer).