Saving babies

As though "saving" a toddler more than two years ago wasn't enough to semi-validate my worth as a human being, I was required to endure it once again this morning.

I was dropping the kids off at my dads so they could go to church with my step-mother, when I noticed across the street from his house, there was a very little kid wandering around a yard, apparently unsupervised.

As I sent my kids into my dad's, I noticed the kid across the way had entered the street, though I still did not see any adults. So I ran across the street myself into the what I presumed was the kid's yard. It was then I could see that this was no full-sized kid, but rather a baby. A little girl. Binky in mouth, blanky on shoulder; not much, if any, older than two.

I tried to coax the youngin out of the street and back into the yard, but it wasn't working so well. So I rang the doorbell of the house we were in front of, noticing about then that while the storm door was closed, the front door was partially open. The first ring went unanswered. And then the second, and third, and fourth. I was running out of ideas.

Then the little girl walked up to the door of the house and grabbed the handle as though she were about to enter, when it occurred to me that I still did not know if that was even her house. No no! I said. I'm sorry, but I don't know if this is your house.

I rang the doorbell twice more. Finally someone came to the door. The man looked rather freshly awaken. I apologized for my intrusion into his day, explained what I had observed and asked if the child was his. He said yes, thanked me, and took the little girl back into the house.


Call it a personality flaw, but I simply cannot ignore a child in such apparent distress, particularly when there is no clear alternative to myself for rectification. One of these days this may get me in trouble. But even so, I'd rather not judge the parent in today's incident, as I'd want the same non-rushing-to-judgment were the situation reversed.

The fact of the matter is that the man that came out to claim his child is a police officer in this town. Who works nights. And is probably overworked. I believe his wife was not home, and suspect his fatigue caught up to him. Perhaps one day I'll be in a situation that will require pause for consideration. I hope in that case he'll be opposite myself and will grant me my due.