Patrol trooper stops distressed single mom driving frantically with her newborn — his 7-word advice changed her life forever
Being a single mother is a challenge and requires every ounce of strength. To fend for oneself and their child is not easy. It comes with a lot of struggles, such as depression, pain and diminishing will to lead an active life. Then-new mom Heather Tuttle recalled how being a single mother was wreaking havoc in her life and there were new struggles each day, per ABC5 News. When the mom was knee-deep in pain and confusion, she got impulsive and began distressed driving. When Sgt. Charles Hoskin of the Ohio State Patrol encountered the woman, he rendered a simple conversation. The officer gave powerful advice that became a profound treasure in Tuttle’s life.
The woman recalled an incident from 2018 when her then-newborn was unbearably wailing and she was exhausted and overstimulated. The mom recalled, “July 12, 2018, it was the first night since I brought my daughter home and nothing I was doing was making her stop screaming. I decided I was going to drive around with her.” The woman made several rounds around the same route to get her baby to stop. However, nothing worked and the mom kept driving. Hoskin noticed the mom several times and ultimately stopped her for violation of lanes. One would think this would be the cherry on the cake to the problems but for Tuttle, it wasn’t.
The mom was glad to have someone stop her. “Just so someone would ask what was wrong, someone would see if I was okay and someone would care enough to see if I was okay,” she explained. On interacting with her, Hoskin came to the realization that the mom was battling postpartum depression. As Hoskin walked over to the car and saw the mother and newborn wailing, he knew what this could be. The officer offered a bit of advice to the mom that she held on to. “I will just never forget him looking at me and telling me, 'Sometimes it is okay to walk away,'” she recalled. That one statement was more than enough for the woman at the time. The assurance, acknowledgment and support were all she needed and Hoskin delivered it all with one phrase.
Tuttle has been beyond grateful for the officer’s time and advice. 6 years later, the mom can’t help but think how differently things would have turned out had the officer not stopped her. She even mentioned that her daughter and she could have been in deep danger because of her reckless driving. When the mom returned to the Patrol post, the officer couldn’t recall the incident that took place 6 years ago. He had been doing his duty as a human and expected nothing in return. But for the mom, it meant everything. Interacting with the now 6-year-old for the first time, Hoskin was glad.
A post was shared on Facebook by the Ohio State Highway Patrol of the officer with the mom and her grown-up kid. “We’re not always bad people, I was true with her that night, honest with her. I have a couple of kids of my own, I probably told my wife the exact same thing a couple of times,” the officer explained. He added, “I never expected that by having a simple conversation, giving a little bit of fatherly advice on the side of the road, I would have saved two people’s lives.”