Before police took Edwards for questioning, she had to do one thing: call her husband and tell him of her fatal mistake. “Remembering that will break my heart forever,” she says.
Tragedies like the Edwards’ replay themselves each year; in 2015 there were 24 deaths from children being in a hot car; the average per year since 1998 is 37, according to NoHeatStroke.org. This is a problem our parents’ generation didn’t really face, as kids were seated up front in the car and not necessarily in car seats until the early 1990s.
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Edwards was a caring, involved, careful, loving mom. And I maintain, as I always have, that if it can happen to a mom like her, it can happen to any of us.
So be aware, moms and dads. If you don’t have that child IN your arms, CHECK THAT BACKSEAT. Even if you KNOW it’s going to be empty. That extra step just might save your child’s life. I am thankful that Jodie Edwards was willing to share her story, and I pray that instead of judging her, parents would instead honor the memory of her child by being hyper aware that this could happen to any of us.
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