OMG...A mother chose to save one son and let the other one go

[cally]

I'm watching CNN and I just saw the teaser. She was holding two sons, both young, and couldn't keep hold of both of them. She let one go.

It looks like all survived. How would you ever explain that to a child. :cry: Why would you ever tell the world you had done this????

[underpants]

1. Lots of split second decision had to be made

NO time to ponder things or weigh options.

[GCP]

4. Similar thing happened to a mother of two daughters during the Russian

hostage crisis. She chose the younger of the two, the elder was killed.

[Branjor]

26. Nope....

the elder survived. They were reunited in a hospital.

[pmbryant]

10. Yes

Perhaps telling someone is her way of dealing with whatever guilt she may feel about this understandable action.

:shrug:

Very glad to hear they all survived.

--Peter

[Droopy]

2. I can understand why she did that

But I sure as hell wouldn't tell anyone. I'm glad they all made it.

[TheDebbieDee]

20. But not telling anyone about it would only make the guilt...

fester and grow and it would eventually oerwhelm her.

[Sannum]

3. Oh my god.

I cannot even imagine.

[shraby]

5. She may have had a better grip on

the one than on the other.

[trotsky]

13. That's what came to my mind, too.

Which one do you have a better chance of holding on to.

[tjdee]

6. Sophie's choice for real!

So many horrible stories coming out of this thing.

Looking forward to all the tv movies, the feature films....all with white people playing the brown people....

/crappy mood

[ronnykmarshall]

31. Lifetime presents:

Clinging For Life: The Tsunami Supermodel

[LisaM]

7. One was five and one was two...

what would you do? I agree, it's horrible.

[tjdee]

9. Which did she choose?

[cally]

12. I have no idea...I think we all act differently in

a crisis. I would not have told the media about it, though. I would try to make sure my son never found out what I had done.

[LisaM]

15. She let the older one go

and he was able to cling to something and survive. I don't think the two year old would have been able to do that.

[Lex]

21. Makes sense to me.

In a split second, you figure which child would have a better chance of surviving--the stronger, bigger one.

Anguishing, no doubt.

[Karenina]

34. Why do you think folks be

second-guessing the mother on her decision in an emergency and her openly recounting her experience? :shrug:

[Midlodemocrat]

23. I agree. I think she thought that the older one

...had a better chance of fending for himself. But, I agree with the OP. Why would you tell this to the world? The child she let go of will find out and I think have serious issues with her decision.

[Schema Thing]

8. Well, at least that is one sibling that can say with certainty:

"mother always did like you best"

[fluffernutter]

11. how horrible that would be to be put in the position to HAVE to choose

i would think it would be just a split second choice that i would make soley depending on which one i had a better grip of at that second. i know i would be devastated in that moment.

i'm SO glad they all made it.

[hickman1937]

14. Did you say they all survived?

[GCP]

16. "It looks like they all survived"

Interpret as you will

[cally]

17. The teaser showed a picture of the mother and

the two children. It looked like after the catastrophe. When I see the full report, I'll post more details.

[redqueen]

22. That's what they reported this a.m.

[redqueen]

18. I saw that story this morning on HN

So tragic... I'm glad the 5 y.o. survivied as well.

[Cuban_Liberal]

19. SPOILER:

Both kids survived unharmed, thank God.

:D

[Shakespeare]

25. Now, that's the kind of spoiler I LOVE!

Thank God, indeed. :thumbsup:

[Left Is Write]

27. Thank you.

I almost vomited when I read the original post just now. I still have tears stinging my eyes thinking of how horrific it would be to have to make that choice.

It will still haunt that mother, but I am so thankful both of her children are okay.

[Coventina]

24. Ever read "The Poisonwood Bible"?

Fiction, yeah, I know.

But there's a similar situation where a mother chooses one daughter over another in an emergency situation, she explains it later by saying that a mother always chooses the youngest, in reverse order of birth.

I'm not a mother, so I can't comment.

[Flaxbee]

35. ...just finished the book about a month ago and thought of that

as soon as I heard the story. So terrifying. But in the book, it was compounded by the elder daugher's disability.

[cally]

28. I just saw the full report

The mother knew she couldn't keep both alive so she let the oldest go. He couldn't swim. He was swept into a door and held on. All survived.

I still have no idea why she made this public. That child will face a lifetime of pain knowing his brother was chosen over him.

[Lex]

29. Maybe he will realize he was the bigger & stronger child

and the most likely to be able to hold onto something by himself.

His sibling was still a baby and less likely to be able to do so.

A mother had to make a choice. I don't think she loves him any less.

[Karenina]

30. She had taught him, AND he had learned

more survival skills than the "baby." It was the ultimate "pop quiz." His survival is the "Medal of Freedom" she can pin on him. He's competent and qualified. He MADE IT.

[SammyWinstonJack]

33. Can you imagine how he felt when his mom let him go?

:cry: Will he ever again trust her to keep him safe? I know it wasn't her fault, but does he realize that?

[seaglass]

32. That is awful. While she might regret that she told the world

her 5 yo still knew that she let him go, right?

What a horrible decision to have to make.

[cally]

36. Who knows? I think most of us would

be able to block it and remember it as being torn out of her arms. Humans tend to spin things to protect ourselves.