I am thirty-eight years old. I have a daughter now — she was born eleven months after the parking lot. I was not thinking about my own future daughter when I made the call. But I have thought about her, and about the boy in the 4Runner, every single day since she was born. I think about what I would want a stranger to do if I were ever, in the worst moment of my life, in a parking lot hitting my child, and someone was standing by their trunk watching me. I would want that stranger to call. Not because I am a bad person. But because in that moment, I would not be the parent my child needed, and my child would
need a stranger who was willing to do the uncomfortable thing. I do not think Chelsea is a bad person. I think she was drowning. I am sorry for every piece of what happened to her life after that Tuesday. I am not sorry I made the call. Because that kid was three years old. And the look on his face when her hand came back — I cannot unsee that look. I will call every single time, for every kid I ever see, for the rest of my life. So tell me honestly — was the call the right thing to do, or did I blow up a family over one bad moment in a parking lot?
Was I right to make that call, or did I go too far?
* Story inspired by real-life situations. Names and details have been changed for privacy.
