"Help Us, Our Mom is Trying To Kill Us!" 

Since hearing the story yesterday about the pregnant Mom trying to drive her van that was filled with her children into the ocean, in Daytona Beach, I have felt really sad. Every time they show the story on the news my heart breaks a little more.  I can't imagine how those children felt as they were screaming for help to people on the beach. Witnesses said they were yelling for help, saying their Mom was trying to kill them. There were three children in the car two girls and a boy, ages 3, 9 and 10.  They were rescued by people on the beach, but it is unlikely that they will soon forget this. 

I think it is heartbreaking anytime a child is neglected or abused but there is something absolutely devastating about that abuse or neglect coming from the person (or persons) that are supposed to be the ones that protect them. As a Mom, I feel really angry when I hear about a parent that willfully inflicts pain on their child. I imagine my own child and even though he is actually now an adult, I still instinctively want to protect him and keep him safe.  I can't imagine what abuse at the hands of a parent, does to who that child is, or would have been if they had known the love and security that every child should feel in the arms of their parents. 

On a positive note, there were heroes in this story.  One of those is Tim Tesseneer, a truck driver and former volunteer firefighter visiting from North Carolina, was one of the first men to reach the van and rescue the children. There were several other heroes yesterday including the woman's sister who called the police earlier in the day to report that her sister was acting strange and that she was concerned for the children. The police questioned the Mom, but she seemed ok, so they didn't do anything. They now state that if the family had requested the Mom be Baker Acted, it may have been different. I am not sure how that would work if the family didn't know enough about mental health, to realize she may need hospitalization.  There is some talk that she may have been suffering from Postpartum Depression.  

This story reminded me of the Andrea Yates story from 2001. She drowned her five children in a bathtub, one by one. I cried when I heard that story. I couldn't stop thinking about the last minutes of those little lives. How confused and terrified they must have been. She had been showing all kinds of signs that something was seriously wrong, yet she was still left alone with her children. 

I can't help but wonder; do we do enough to support mental health in this country? What can we do differently? Especially when it comes to Postpartum Depression. I hope that something can be done to help prevent something like this from happening in the future. If you know someone that may be suffering from Postpartum Depression, you can get some helpful information here. Or if you feel someone you know may be a danger to themselves or others, you can get some information here or here.