Nothing Ever Happens....Till one day, it Does!

Just last year a mother of two threw her children off of the Sellwood bridge. We watch the story unravel on the news in shock and horror. How could this have happened? What kind of mother would do this to her own children? These are often the questions I hear family members or others ask. The question I often wonder is what were the warning signs that were overlooked by those who were closer to the mother than myself? It's only after the incident happens you hear the interviews of those on the news stating those very signs that might have saved those children if someone had taken the time to report them. Most people go through life as though nothing like this could ever happen to someone in their family. Till one day, it does.

This brings me to a story that I need to tell. I know a mother who has a child. She is single, but lives with her parents who help support the two of them. The mother of the child has been battling depression for a long time. However, she has never sought the help of a professional to help her deal with her depression. She also develops massive anxiety when left alone for more than eight hours and has been known to make poor decisions during these episodes. Recently, she packed up her child and a child she had been watching and drove them to a relative who lives 20 minutes away. This would be considered normal except that she is not insured to drive. Also, on her last episode she phoned a registered sex offender to help comfort her at a nearby restaurant. Again, not good judgement because she had both children with her in this incident.

My question is, would you report this behavior to the proper authority? Most of us would not. To be honest, I might even down play such an incident. What if I told you that the next time this person had an episode like this, she would throw her kids off of a bridge? Would you then report it? Just remember that nothing ever happens, till one day, it does.