Here were my first two thoughts when I heard about the 1-year-old left by his parent for eight hours in a cold car with Thursday, with temperatures in the teens.

1.    Thank goodness the baby is all right.

2.    That could have been me.

Really.

It never happened during the years I toted my now-grown boys to day care my way to work. But when I do something out of the usual routine, I’ve discovered it’s frighteningly easy to forget something — even your own child.

From time to time we hear about a child who dies when forgotten in a car. My heart goes out to people who have to live with that horrible loss.

This time, I am so glad for the “happy ending,” yet do feel sorry for the man who made the news for forgetting his son was bundled up in his car seat, where he saw all day while the father was at work.

I can only imagine his relief. And how he intends to spoil this kid for the rest of his life.

On a related note, whether the father’s identity is relevant was the subject of a brief discussion in the newsroom today. His name hasn’t been published (yet), though the media have reported the exact address of his workplace. He hasn’t been charged with a crime and so his name hasn’t being published, as of this posting.