Some stories require more scrutiny than others.
For instance, "The Whiz Kid," the Crestview Public Library's iconic bronze sculpture, is vandalized and a Baker man steps up to repair it — just because his kids love visiting the library.
It's an uplifting story about one man's decision to give back to the community; there are no holes — all sources are covered — and there's not much more to tell.
Not much, of course, other than learning about who vandalized the sculpture. (And I wouldn't want to be that person, based on comments the News Bulletin's Facebook fans posted about him or her.)
Yes, that story's pretty cut and dry.
But when an editor receives a story about the dangers of leaving a baby in a hot car, it's much different.
After all, lives are at stake.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Brian Hughes' recent report about the Crestview Police Department's efforts to warn parents about leaving children in an unattended vehicle drew plenty of response.
A number of people who commented shared their children's ages, indicating that they successfully kept their kids alive.
Some folks said it all boils down to responsibility or negligence; a woman who carried a child for nine months surely could never forget the little one exists, right?
Still others contended that burdened parents who supposedly forget their toddlers in the car have a more sinister agenda: murder.
If that's what people think of parents who experience this kind of forgetfulness that results in tragedy — like a Bay County teacher who forgot her 18-month-old on June 2 — then the CPD's giveaway of MyCue Streamers seems like a waste of time and money. As Hughes' report noted, "The streamer attaches to the child’s seat. The driver can strap the child in, unclip the streamer and snap it to a key ring to remind them the child is aboard."
When the story first crossed my desk, I had feelings similar to the detractors'. "Parents really need this neon eyesore on their key ring to remember their child is in the backseat?" I thought.
Yes, this was one of those stories that needed extra scrutiny. What I found after researching the matter was shocking.
'MEMORY IS A MACHINE'
When a Pulitzer Prize winner writes something, that carries plenty of weight.
So Gene Weingarten's 2009 report in the Washington Post about this issue immediately captured my attention.
Particularly this passage:
“Memory is a machine,” he quotes David Diamond, a professor of molecular physiology at the University of South Florida, as saying, “and it is not flawless. Our conscious mind prioritizes things by importance, but on a cellular level, our memory does not.
"If you’re capable of forgetting your cellphone, you are potentially capable of forgetting your child.”
That puts things in perspective. For parents who honestly forget their children in the car, this isn't about loving someone or not loving someone.
It's about a memory failure.
MIND IN 'WORK MODE'
A G.I. nurse helped clarify the matter on our Facebook page:
"Imagine months of broken sleep, stress and lack of proper diet and exercise (all common things to be deprived of with a small child)," she writes. "Now imagine dad takes baby to day care every single day because it's on his way, but one day he needs to go to work early so he asks mom to drop baby off.
"Mom loads everything in the car, including her sleeping baby, and starts her 45-minute drive to work. Most people kick into auto pilot at that time — office thoughts; getting your day started; this afternoon's lunch meeting isn't finalized. Whatever the thoughts may be, they're about work and what you'll do when you get there.
"The ride is quiet (baby's sleeping), the turn comes for daycare and you pass it. You get to work, grab your stuff like you always do and head inside.
"Mind still in work mode."
I also asked my friends about the issue. Many moms my age (in their 30s) said forgetting their child in the car is their worst nightmare.
They championed the CPD's efforts with that key ring I initially considered a "neon eyesore."
Then it hit me: If anyone's memory could fail due to lack of sleep, change of routine or whatever the case may be, then every Okaloosa baby's parents need this key ring.
It's easy to judge others until this type of tragedy befalls you. So please don't take that chance.
Contact community policing Officer Sam Kimmons, 305-7831, for a free streamer, while supplies last.
What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BONI: Every Okaloosa baby's parents should have this keychain
