DEAR ABBY: I'm the proud grandmother of an 18-month-old girl. My daughter is an attentive mother in every way except one. My concern is that she lets the baby play alone in the bathtub.
My husband and I recently celebrated my birthday at her house. When I asked where the baby was, another guest said, "She's playing in the bathtub." Sure enough, the baby was in the bathroom, in the bathtub, playing and swimming around in the water by herself. I was horrified! I can't imagine that times have changed this much or that it could ever be OK to leave a baby unattended in the bath, no matter their dexterity or ability to walk.
I spent the next day in a panic, sending my daughter stories, news articles and other information, trying to get across to her how dangerous this is, but she didn't want to hear it. Do you have some magic words for me? -- GRANDMOTHER IN NORTH CAROLINA
DEAR GRANDMOTHER: Babies have been known to drown in as little as 2 inches of water. Your clueless daughter may not want to hear it, but what you have described is child endangerment. The magic words you are asking for are: "parenting classes." And if she still won't listen, some other good ones are: "Child Protective Services."