I am an idiot. I feel like such a schmuck. Here's the update....
At lunch time I heard the crying again. Again it was heart wrenching. I hesitated but the officer had told me to call if I heard it again. So I called, "there's an officer on the way..." Meanwhile I'm pacing. The crying stops. Molli comes running into the house. "MOM, I FOUND THE CRYING BABY!!!" My heart surged. "Where Molls?" We went outside and she pointed down the street, she pointed at a house where a couple from our church live, with their two small girls. Now I'm panicing...what if something happened to her and the baby is alone?????? So I grabbed my girls and ran down the street. As I knock on the door, I'm praying that everything is ok. She answered the door and the girls are at the kitchen tabel, eating lunch. While being relieved that she was ok, I was still thinking about that baby. So I spill the story of the baby monitor to her. "It was probably her", pointing to her baby. "We found out she has a hernia this morning and she has been so upset." So now I feel so stupid, not to mention mortified that I had called the police about this. There was a very simple explanation to the baby crying. She laughed and promised to tease me about it in the future, me calling the police on her! I was relieved that it was her baby and not someone else's who was really being neglected! Meanwhile, I still had to talk to the officer when he arrived. For many reasons, I didn't want to tell him what I had found out for fear that they would go down there and question her. So I simply told him that they crying had stopped and that I was going to butt out. This was his response, "Well at least if the baby was crying, it's not dead." ?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!? Oh yeah, that makes it feel so much better.
So I have learned to NOT jump the gun and to butt out! No more being Nancy Drew......case closed.
7 comments:
oh my goodness..it is kinda funny..but i know it doesnt seem funny now:)
but u did the right thing calling, it could have been a situation where the cops should of been called..these days u never no..
but i am gladded it is resolved..and no hurt babies:0
that cop is a jerk for saying such a thing..
what an insensitive cop, kind of frightening to think that he deals with people in real traumas....
however, mandi, you did the right thing origionally!
Too Funny! I agree Mandi, you never know when it could have been a true emergency. I for one wish more people would take notice of the things around them and be a good neighbor when something seems amiss. You did the right thing. It thankfully was not a big deal this time, but it could be next time...don't let it deter you from "butting in" when a child's life could be on the line.
I know the officer seems to be a total jerk, but if you think of it from his point of view, this world is so crappy that he sees the reality of babies being harmed and even dead on a daily basis. I am sure he wasn't saying he didn't care...he was saying, we probably won't find where this child lives, and the fact that it is crying means that at least he or she is still alive (which is, after all, probably better than dead).
I think police, firemen, doctors and EMT's sometimes become a little numb to the tragedy that they deal with every day. I am sure it's the only way to cope with it all. I know I couldn't handle it...I think we should cut the guy a break.
Now I am off my soap box.
"WHEW!"
actually thats true. we did a study last year with a friend who is a cop and another woman was there who was a nurse. they talked about how for them, grosser humor came standard and that it took a lot more to "freak them out" so i can see what kelli is saying completely, i just had't really thought from a perspective other then my own...
I can't believe I'm admitting this, but as the spouse of a person in one of these professions, I can get numb & jagged about it too. (Andy's on the local fire dept and ambulance service) It seems medical interruptions are more "acceptable" when they pertain to those under the age of 60 (horrible, huh?) As if a cold dinner is anything in comparison to an elderly's stroke, etc.
yikes! Glad everything is ok!
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