Ridgefield Mother Starts Blog in Memory of Son Who Died in Hot Car

In the wake of the tragic death of her 15-month-old son Benjamin, Ridgefield mother Lindsey Rogers-Seitz has started blogging about her baby boy, the inspiration he brought to her life and a challenge to society to help stem the tide of a growing problem.

Young Benjamin Seitz passed away on July 7 after being forgotten in the backseat of the car for the better part of a day while his father, Kyle Seitz, was at work. The state medical examiner ruled the death a homicide and Ridgefield police have yet to make a final decision on whether charges will be filed.

The incident appears to have been a tragic accident, according to both mother and father, prompting Rogers-Seitz to start the blog — The Gift Of Ben — as a means of raising awareness and starting a conversation.

“I suggest it is because we are approaching this issue in the same way we approach politics and other issues of national importance generally, from a standpoint of left versus right, right versus wrong, conservative versus liberal, avoidance versus action, win versus lose — which always leads to a standstill,” Rogers-Seitz wrote in her most recent post. “I also suggest that this issue will remain unresolved until the conversation changes. I cannot personally change the minds of a majority of Americans, nor do I want or need to. We only need a few strong individuals, creative, open-minded individuals, to take a stand.”

This ability to look at the world with an open mind was Benjamin’s gift to his family and all those who knew the vibrant young boy.

On one of the blog’s tabs (Ben’s Voice), Rogers-Seitz recalls an afternoon by the water, watching her curious son discovering the world.

“I marveled in the simply ability of children to explore, laugh and think — to play in the sandbox of life in a way that adults rarely attempt,” she wrote. “It is the Gift of Ben that challenges us all to explore and think — outside of our own personal sandboxes — to create our own tomorrow.”

Read more at TheGiftOfBen.com.

Photo Credit: thegiftofben.com