News Headlines

[ailbhe]

I was thinking, after Emer got hold of a sharp knife while standing on a stool in the kitchen, what the papers would say if she'd fallen on it. "Woman with very public history of PND and rage issues claims 'this time was an accident! I swear it was!'" or similar. Pithier, obviously, but there you go. "Mentally unstable mother claims tragic tot slaughter 'accident'"?

Ho hum. I can only hope my mental state is largely hormonal, because it's no fun at the moment.

Edit: micheinnz came up with an all-purpose one:

HORROR CHILD TRAGEDY ALL MOTHER'S FAULT

so there you go.

Comments

[sidheag.livejournal.com]

You know, I think it's probably very, very difficult for a child to cut themselves badly with a sharp knife, at least unless they're trying to cut something with it (and even then, cutting a finger off is about the worst imaginable). Even if she'd fallen on it, it would have had its blade flat on the ground before she landed on top of it.

[ETA: as doubtless the prosecution would have argued :-) Hope you feel better soon.]

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Elena's been playing a lot with our pizza cutter a lot lately. One time she fished it out of the drawer and said "here, for you Mommy!" and then touched the blade with her open hand. We were sure she'd cut herself, but she totally hadn't (and couldn't figure out why we were freaking out). I *finally* wised up and moved it elsewhere.

These things happen to all of us. Don't beat yourself up.

[ailbhe]

I've been thinking about how the mothers of hurt or lost children are portrayed in the media lately, and yesterday's big knife incident (it was a very precarious stool, and she was leaning over a long, long way to hit the cups) reminded me of it.

[sidheag.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about how the mothers of hurt or lost children are portrayed in the media lately
Yes, me too. Not nice. It's natural to wonder whether they failed or were involved in some way, I suppose, but too horrible to contemplate how they must be feeling. It's so easy to say "I would never" but maybe the thing that could land me in a similar situation is the thing I've never even questionned myself about.

[ailbhe]

Ezackly. See also: "Well, she DID go out in the park at 3 am wearing a short skirt," etc.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Of COURSE she failed, she's the mother! Haven't you heard of the saying "A mother's place is in the wrong"?

[the0lady.livejournal.com]

Hah, good spot about the media's influence there. Mothers who harm their kids are a vanishing minority, yet how many "my baby was not eaten by dingoes, it genuinely was killed in a tragic and unpreventable accident" movies have you seen in the cinemas?

Don't buy into it. The ills of this world did not all become your fault the moment you became inseminated.

[ailbhe]

A lot of them got thrown into sharp relief. Must change world before daughters venture forth unprotected!