This has got to be one of the biggest wastes of time in the history of Newsvine. Theres no blame - the girl was returned before the next fair and I am sure both parties felt dumb about it. There is plenty of other things we could be discussing to like HEALTHCARE!!! STIMULUS!!! WASTEFULL SPENDING!!

Read the story; the parents DIDN'T blame the cabbie...they tipped him $50!!!! It's when the police got involved that the blame game started. As ususal, the cops got it wrong; it is ALWAYS the parents responsibility to keep their children safe and accountable when they are travelling with them. It's sad that this has even happened to the cabbie, being dragged before a disciplinary committe and "getting off easy" with a warning. I'm so glad that the little girl is safe and sound and I am sure this family will never forget her again!

My 12 year old son says the parents should've remembered their own child. I can't even imagine how far gone I would have to be to forget my own child but remember my luggage in a vehicle. I don't know ALL of the circumstances, but thank God it didn't turn out worse. May God bless us all.

Who is to blame? JC the kid fell asleep on the back bench of the mini van parents did a head count and realilized the kid was still in the cab but by then the cab had left. The parents got hold of the cab Co. and police, kid is home all is well. Anyone who does not see it this way is a sue happy liberal. Who's to blame, the GD liberals.

Mark: Liberals, huh? WTH you talking about? How do you get from parental stupidity to blaming an ideology? Really.... SERIOUSLY....

Wow, it only took 1 thread to bring politics into this.

Mark...excuse me!! The liberals??? This is the parents fault and only thiers. Now, if it had been luggage, ok, but a child? How do you forget your child?

But it sure as hell has nothing to do with liberals!

Read the article by the Washington Post titled "Fatal Distraction". This certainly wasn't the cabbies fault, it was somewhat the parents fault. But really it was the fault of the police for blowing it out of proportion. Thankfully it didn't turn out like the cases in that article.

really? really? state custody? why don't we put them in foster care where they may be used as virtual slaves or molested! that'll teach those parents. Also, it sounds like there were two rows of seats and that the child was in the furthest one back. bad mistake? yes. state custody to determine parental fitness? no. this is not the same thing as leaving your child ON PURPOSE in a parked car to go bar hopping. The fact that they immediately called and were so grateful to get their child back and that the father was so happy and grateful to the driver. The problem is that they had to have called the cab company (since calls don't go directly to cabs) and the cab company would have to figure out which cab it was and then legally enforce whatever rules they had in place against the driver for not checking his vehicle. So, not the driver's fault. The parents acted quickly and probably fell like idiots. Which is all the punishment deserved. Sheesh. Get a grip.

Mistakes happen and these parents made a MISTAKE. You, being a perfect human being, wouldn't understand that. With that being said, state custody? I am giving you the benefit of the doubt. You may have gone without sleep for the past 48 hours or have a loved one who is extremely ill. If you haven't figured this out, I am providing you all kinds of excuses for making such an irrational suggestion. Hey, let's cause these children some real psychological issues and take them away from their families and place them into state custody with a bunch of strangers. You may want to think before you respond.

I would have been inclined to believe it was an honest mistake by a tired family returning from a trip UNTIL I realized the family called the police trying to get the cab driver in trouble.

He drove back to their house after THEY failed in their duty to care for their child. Clearly to those parents their luggage was more important than their children.

Because of the way the GUILTY parents tried to blame the cab driver for their mistake they should have to pay for his attorney, and BE WATCHED CLOSELY BY HRS!

If they are not mature enough to accept responsibility for their OWN actions they surely can't be trusted around children.

The fact that there is a vote of blame - well, that says everything - we don't have anything better to do? As to those people saying that the "kid should be taken away" - you should be ashamed of yourself. I am a foster parent. The level at which you would throw around that kind of suggestion really shows your ignorance and insensitivity towards children. Foster care is nothing to be taken lightly...for the sake of innocent children, please rethink that before you throw it out there so callously next time.

When did it ever say the family was calling the police to get the taxi driver in trouble? They called the cab pool at the airport to get their child back... the cab company then contacted the police as protocol. Yes, the family is responsible for the negligence of their child, but you don't know under what circumstances the mistake was made. I am sure the family has apologized, but no one's going to hear about it because it doesn't make good news. I think the family has learned their lesson, so we should all drop it and move on...

I don't think the parents should lose custody or anything as drastic as that, but I certainly think that it is their responsibility to keep track of their child, not the cab driver. Cab drivers pick up and drop off many people in the course of their shifts and while he should check the back of the cab for items left behind, it should not be a big deal if he forgets. These parents, on the other hand, only have one 5-year-old child as far as I can tell so the fact that they didn't notice that she was not among those exiting the cab seems to be pretty negligent. At least they got her as far as the cab in Boston. What if they had left her in the cab at the other airport? She would be in another city without her parents. Would they have noticed she wasn't on the plane with them? The cabbie responded appropriately and did the right thing. The police over-reacted by suspending his license (livelihood) and yet the parents get off without any punishment for child endangerment (at the least child neglect)? They must have had money. Just sayin'

I agree with it being the parents fault, but state custody? I'm sure as hell glad you're not the one making those executive decisions for the courts. It was a mistake & everything turned out okay, that's what's important. That doesn't make them bad parents.

what high road? he was told there was a child in his car and he turned around. He was neither saint nor sinner.

Yes people in this country do not own up to their own mistakes. It's always someone else's fault. It' a dangerous trend that continues to grow. Thank God the child was okay. How long does a qiuck head count take?

I don't agree with child services being brought into the mix but I think the parents should be fined for sheer and blatent stupidity...I understand that they gave the Taxi driver a $50 tip, but seriously, their child is only worth $50? At a minimum the parents should be paying any expendatures for this seriously stupid act.

that word that's all weird is counted.

Hello? Do you read. The article said the parents were really happy and the father gave the cabbie an extra $50 tip. Obviously they DON'T blame the cab driver. Read before you rant, ok?