Mom Who Left Baby in a Shopping Cart Speaks Out

Mom Who Left Baby in a Shopping Cart Speaks Out

People hearing the story of mom Cherish Peterson — who left her 2-month-old son in a shopping cart outside of a grocery store last Monday — and wondering, ‘What was she thinking?!’ found out on Thursday. The 28-year-old Gilbert, Arizona mom told KPHO News, “I’m a good mom who made a horrible mistake.“

Peterson, a mother-of-4, explained that on that 104-degree day, her older children distracted her as she settled them into the car following errands. "Normally, I put my cart away, but I didn’t need to because I parked at the front of the store, and I never park there. And I drove away…As I was pulling into the garage, my 3-year-old-goes, ‘Where is baby Huxton?’ I turned around and looked and realized he was gone.” The mother insists she returned in search of the child, whom police took to the hospital for a check-up, just 40 minutes later.

STORY: Think You’d Never Forget Your Kid in a Parked Car? Don’t Be So Sure

But as soon as her story spread, so too did condemning comments online, some asking if she left the baby intentionally. “There is nothing I love more in this world than being a mom,” she insisted in the tearful interview. “And there is no one in this world that can love my kids more than me.”

STORY: How Walmart’s New Car Seat Will Save Babies’ Lives

As for the consequences, Peterson — currently waiting to find out if a prosecutor will take on the police’s recommendation of charging her with child endangerment — insists, “Nothing they can say can make me feel worse than I did in that moment I turned around and saw my car seat missing.”

And it’s that candid regret which has struck a chord with thousands on social media who have banded together to support Peterson during the week since the incident. An IStandwithCherish Facebook page was born and now counts more than 17,000 members. The hashtag #IStandWithCherish recently trended on Twitter. (Yahoo Parenting was unable to reach Peterson for comment).

A good portion of what has made her sympathetic to so many is the way that she’s taken responsibility for that fateful day, during which her son was thankfully unharmed. “Takes a lot of courage to publicly admit your mistakes,” wrote one commenter on IStandWithCherish’s Facebook page. Many reiterated the sentiment adding that they could relate to the love she swore she has for her kids. “It’s obvious you’re a good mommy and love your children,” said another writer. The “poor mom,” weighed in a member, “feels bad enough! She does not need to be punished by the law when guilt is a harsh enough punishment!”

Understanding that the pressures of multiple young children are no joke, others offered commiseration for her juggle. “Unless you are a busy mom of four you could never understand how crazy her life must be,” noted a fellow mom on Facebook. Another echoed, “With three children and a 2 month old, the hectic household plus sleepless nights, as a mom I can understand a momentary lapse.” Some even went as far as admitting their own regrets. “I used to wonder how anyone could leave their child in a car, at a store, or anywhere else… until it happened to us,” confessed a mother. Ditto this commenter, who confessed, “I almost left my 2 month old at the library once because he was quiet and happy and at the time, it just felt like the old normal when I only had one child to tote around, instead of two. I was mortified wondering how much farther I would have gone if my friend hadn’t come to get me. If Cherish is a ‘bad’ mom, I am too.”

But the biggest theme Peterson’s supporters on Facebook share is their frustration with parent shaming. “If you view this error as ‘child endangerment’ then every near downing, every time you child wanders away from you in a store or crowd, would have to be viewed that way also,” fumed one commenter on the page. Every mother and father, for that matter, are “guilty of parenting imperfectly…This is why we should all look out for each other and our children,” declared yet another sympathizer.

For many it seems, Cherish Peterson simply represents a problem that all families face. “People need to stop the mother-shaming!” rallied a fired-up Facebook commenter. “I saw a smaller display of it yesterday in a grocery store, where an older woman chastised a young mom who was clearly having a hard time calming her child down after a tantrum. We need to SUPPORT parents who are trying their best, not attack them.”

Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.