Mother Kills 8 On NY Hwy

Being a parent is not an easy task. We actually and literally hold lives in our hands. I imagine that when this woman took on the responsibility of motherhood she took it on with love and commitment. After all her friends and family speak of her fondly and as a good mother. So what would have happened that would have made her drink, do drugs, and drive with children in the car? In the minivan with her were her two children, ages 5 and 2, and also her three nieces ages 7, 8, and 9. Four of the five children were killed. Because of her actions and decision to drive in this condition many lives are changed forever. One mother and father no longer has their three children, lost a niece, and a sister. The woman drove the wrong way on a highway for two miles. She had enough sense left to call and tell her brother she wasn't feeling well. He told her to pull over and wait. She kept going.

Diane Schuler was drunk on vodka and high on marijuana when she drove the wrong way onto a New York highway and slammed into an SUV, authorities said Tuesday. Schuler, 36, and seven other people were killed, including her 2-year-old daughter, Erin. Son Bryan, 5, was the sole survivor. Schuler's husband, Daniel, shown in this family photo, was not in the minivan.

We don't know what possessed this woman to make the actions she did. The fact of the matter is that an adult has the right to make their own decisions - good or bad, but the decisions we make when they involve minors need to be the best possible ones. Past good parenting does not excuse present bad parenting. Wrong decisions may even take away our ability to parent at all.

My heart goes out to the parents of the lost children, but especially to the little boy who lost his mother and little sister. His childhood is changed forever.