Having toddlers is an amazing experience, but it also requires a lot of work.
Many people – inexperienced, I might add – still believe that parental leave is basically like an extended vacation.
I can guarantee, however, that virtually any parent who’s been at home for a long time with their young child(ren) knows that it is anything but. Sure, you get to bond with them and spend time uninterrupted, but let me put it this way: You will begin to appreciate having a shower, because it’s the only time you’re afforded semblance of peace and quiet.
It doesn’t matter how much you love your child, even the best mom or dad in the world needs a couple of hours downtime here and there.
Which is why it’s perfectly acceptable that the mother in this story took hers.
However, when she returned home to her six-month-old baby, she wasn’t met by the smiling, happy child she had left. On the contrary…
The mom returned to her house after a couple of hours away to find that 36-year-old babysitter Ismelda Ramos Mendoza, of Bladensburg, USA, had been negligent with her daughter.
The moment she got through the door, she knew something was wrong. Upon inspecting her baby’s feet, she found that her soles were covered in huge blisters.
When she asked Mendoza what had happened, the babysitter said she had no idea.
Mom makes police call
However, the mom suspected foul play, and so called the police to lodge a claim of child abuse.
She then took her daughter directly to hospital, where the true extent of her injuries were made clear. She had severe burns on both feet, as though they had been cooked.
After 36-year-old Mendoza was arrested, it was discovered that she had become angry when the baby had failed to stop crying while she was cooking.
Mendoza had then forced the baby’s feet into the frying pan as punishment, according to US source The Washington Post.
In a horrific attempt at keeping her quiet, she had held the baby’s feet to a red hot stove. According to Detective Cpl. Charles Earle, the babysitter burned the baby’s feet on a frying pan when she wouldn’t stop crying.
“Out of frustration, she placed the baby’s feet on the grill or pan she was cooking tortillas on,” he told The Washington Post.
Such an act of depravity means that it will be a long time before Islmelda is confident of leaving her baby with a stranger again.
Parents, always be 100% sure of the person who is acting as guardian to your little loved ones!
It boils my blood just to read about the atrocities some adults are capable of committing against children. It’s hard to imagine that someone would do something like this. But stories like this are a good reminder to stay alert and remain cautious.
Please share this to remind people to be careful about who they let look after their children and make sure to spread this article if you also hope that Ismelda will never be able to babysit again.
