Bronson Battersby is on my mind tonight.

[ThirtyFlirtynThriving]

Utterly utterly heartbreaking story. I have a 2 year old and I just can’t fathom.

I have terrible general anxiety’s no health anxiety and one of my worst fears is to die at home while in sole car of my children, they’re so young they wouldn’t know what to do, or what was happening.. they wouldn’t be able to get out of the house alone and the thought of them scared, unable to wake me, crying alone makes me feel sick and awful. Reading about poor Bronson Battersby has really made me think.

The rest of the family must be devastated and given the circumstances and just the small details known from the media that’s something you can never-not think about. How does one get over that kind of grief?!

I hope Bronson is at rest now 🩵

Is that helpful? Is it kind? Is it relevant?
This child died due to an accident. His family situation may have been chaotic but his death wasn't caused by neglect. There is purportedly a family member on this thread and many more could be reading. What does your comment add to the discussion?

@RowanMayfair..

Well looking at the picture it's fact.. However I didn't read the thread and will ask for it to be removed.

Same 😢 I also have a 2 year old. My heart is broken for that poor baby 💔

It unfair to blame the SS, the SW tried to get access twice but the police wouldn't go and do a welfare check, short of breaking into the home there wasn't much else she could do. Poor woman must feel awful enough without the DM trying to make her to blame

Surely we should all just be saying the same
rip little man sleep tight 💙👼🙏 regardless of who’s fault it is or isn’t there are always going to what if’s but none of us can change anything

How dare the useless, sack of shite mother blame the poor social worker 😡

New to this site so I’m hoping this reply goes to the right person, I’m trying to respond to HayleyBethB.

I am also a mom to a 2 year old (and a 3 year old) which likely has caused me to identify too closely to this story and feel it very deeply, which is not typical for me when reading the news. I have cried a lot thinking of this sweet boy and how his life ended. I’m fully aware that children all over the world are suffering, and their suffering matters equally, but there is something about this story that has brought my emotions sharply to the surface.

I’d like to share some thoughts that are starting to help me process this strange, vicarious, yet potent grief.

It helps me to remember that while he was confused and scared as well as thirsty and hungry, he would have slowly lost consciousness over the 2 to 3 days between his father’s death and his own passing. His brain was shutting down gradually along with his body. Even more than that, I have been reminding myself that his suffering has ended. While it feels very vivid and present in my mind, I know that it is no more. He is now fully at peace and beyond any suffering. His sadness is over.

It also helps to remind myself that his last few days were not the whole of his life. From what his family and sister have stated, he was a child who had many moments of joy and was loved by many, including by his dad. I will let that love be defining of his life, not the tragic accident of his death. It is telling that he was reportedly found curled up next to the body of his dad. Bronson knew he was loved and valued during his life, even at the end of it.

Even a short life is worthy to be celebrated. As we grieve from a distance, we can celebrate the little person that he was.

And we can be glad that our own little ones are loved and valued, too.

Hope you can start to process this grief, and share with others as you do. Feel free to share with me as well.

RIP little Bronson.

I know every family is different, but if I left my home due to a row with my partner, I would either take my 2 year old with me or I would check in every day. I’ve never gone a day not speaking to or at least texting partner about my children. Work trips, I call every morning and night. So I find it very rich that the mum is blaming SS. How did she not realise she couldn’t get through to him?! Did she not have a key?

Think she had 10 kids in all.

Her and the father of Bronson had an argument and she decided to stay away.

Thank you @Eek2 for sharing your thoughts, they are helpful and I hope others feeling the same can find the comfort in your words.

I since I found this article, I cannot stop thinking about. What the child went through, all alone. He must not have yet been equipped to deal with. What happened, too small to get food or water. Probably still in his diapers, no one to help him. For days the boy was alone, well now I must have awakened a long ago event in my mind. I am 67 grandpa in California, I in my mind see him probably crying and crying and to sleep. I have not wanted to eat now, or drink. Because I feel bad that, as an adult, I can do, what the little boy could not. My wife says to let it go, he is in a better place. I reply he should have had that alive. I remember his ordeal, and I began crying again for him. As if he were someone I know. It is that he was just a baby boy, his face was one. Of a child who looked forward to a new day. I wish his dad accepted help all the time. That those caring on the outside handled this situation better. He had a heart condition. Also, the mom should never ever separate from her baby boy at only two. I see his baby face and the tears fall down again on my face. This is something for me new, I am usually a strong man. Now bad thoughts enter my head. Because I don't want to remember mainly his ordeal. I know come Monday, I will need to talk to a therapist. I have never spoken ever to one in my 67 years. But I know this new sadness is overwhelming me. If's I understand, why could he of not, but he is only two. Went to a window, or the neighbors hearing his cries. Listened good and went to where the boy was right away. Depressed and even mad at God!

Detailed article in today's Times.

Piesse lived within a 12 minutes walk of the flat and suggests Piesse was contacted by the social worker on 2nd January.

Times article

When the social worker arrived the following day, [ 2nd January] there was no answer at the door. Without having any power to enter the property, she visited Piesse instead and asked if she had seen Bronson or his father

I find some of that article utterly bizarre and Im surprised its allowed to be published in full

This child was not killed and he didnt die because of the actions of either parent. So what if he has 'unsavoury views', and the issues around the mother are her personal business, they dont relate to the death

There isnt any reason why people would be banging down the door. Lots of parents separate and go for some days without contact. I hadnt realised the SW had contact with the dad on the 27th, so when she visited on the 2nd, it wouldnt have raised huge alarm about him not answering although she may have just had gut instinct and thats why she wanted police support. I understand that

But in the everyday of clients not wanting to engage, or going out and forgetting an appointment, their phones are broken half the time or the speaker doesnt work so they cant phone you back etc etc etc, its not unusual to be chasing around after someone to get to see them. It doesnt necessarily mean someone has died.

This is a terrible accident and a tragedy.

And the little snide in there about the neighbours, saying that someone heard him say daddy on News Years Eve but no neighbours went to check

So does everyone go round to their neighbours house each time they hear the children next door saying mummy or daddy?

Really? You don't think there's anything odd about Piesse not seeing her son since November? Or making no contact at Christmas?

Is that to me?

I didnt mention whether I thought that was odd or not

I work with families like this, so no, its not 'odd'. It happens a lot.

Whether I or others thinks thats 'right' or not, is another issue, but thats irrelevant.

Non resident parents dont contact their child necessarily every day or contact the resident parent every day. We dont know whether there was text or phone communication between them do we. And its none of our business

As much as I dont agree with the mother slagging off the SW, its not her fault this awful accident occured.

A single parent died with a child in his care, unfortunately no one found them until it was too late for the child.

This child was not killed and he didnt die because of the actions of either parent. So what if he has 'unsavoury views', and the issues around the mother are her personal business, they dont relate to the death

I agree. This could have happened to any single parent. How many single mothers go weeks without the father making contact? If this had been a middle class mother who had died of a heart attack would we be blaming the father or social services? This could happen to anyone. I know 3 people who have collapsed alone at home. One was found dead but the other two were found in time. Anyone if them could have been a lone parent.

My ex never replies if I try and contact the children when they are with him. He is nasty and abusive but skilled at manipulating the court system. Sadly yes I do go a week or two at a time without hearing anything from them. Doesn't mean I dont think and worry about them and love them deeply

My ex too would not allow any contact between me and our children when they were with him.

I wasn't given any contact address when they went on holiday.

I wasn't supported in any way when I raised concerns through the legal system that he frequently left him with his 88 year old mother, who had specifically said she couldn't cope with them both.

Advice I received was to make sure that both children were trained to make contact with another person should anything happen to their grand mother whilst they were staying. ( they were older than this child - 3 & 5).

It was all I could do, the position being that as a reasonable parent, my ex would make reasonable decisions regarding the care of our children.

That is a disgusting thing to say

Piesse knew where they were. There's no excuse for her behaviour.

I wasn't making excuses, just pointing out that parents are reliant on the other parent in making reasonable decisions.

I was supporting the PP’s above regarding contact.

I was supporting PP’s who mentioned having to build strategies for their own children, should an adult with care be taken ill or worse.

I didn't make any judgement on this tragic case.

What behaviour?

What do you think she would or could have done

The report apparently says that he didnt die any earlier than 29th Dec

Lets say she had contact with him on 28th. Perhaps even 29th. Perhaps cordial, perhaps not

Then he seems to have died, perhaps that day

Its no unreasonable or unfeasible that the non resident parent might not have any contact with the othe parent for a few days, thats not excessive.

The SW couldnt get a response by 2nd. She phoned the police, police didnt see the need to come out, or even consider that parent and child were missing (according to that article)

So what do you think she would or could have done. Did she have a key? I doubt it considering the SW had to get a key off the landlord.

Do you think the landord would have given mum the key? Given how she was viewed, her chaos, her issues.

It wouldnt be legal. It probably wasnt even legal for the SW to have it but given the SW might be seen as having a bit of power the landlady did go round and unlock, she wouldnt have done it for this mother I suspect.

She hadn't seen him for months before he died. She lives 12 minutes walk away from him.