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Subscribe to RSSA new look at child abuse reports suggests there may have been a small but worrying rise in injuries to babies over the past decade or so. While most research suggests child abuse is down overall, the report published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics shows infants are far from safe.
The study contradicts government data collected over the same time, and it shows that health officials need to take a better look at whether child abuse is getting better, worse or staying the same, experts said.
“I think it’s premature to make any conclusions about whether it is going up or down,” says Dr. James Anderst, chief of the section on child abuse and neglect at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo., who was not involved in the study. “Medical providers may be getting better at identifying abuse over time.”
Either way, it’s still happening and that’s a concern, says Dr. John Leventhal of Yale University, who led the study. “Maybe parents are doing better and hurting their children less in general, but there is a small group where there continue to be substantial injuries that end in hospitalization,” Leventhal said.
Leventhal and colleague Julie Gaither looked at statistics on children admitted to hospitals for serious injuries. Writing in the journal Pediatrics, they said they found a nearly 11 percent increase over 12 years in serious injuries to babies a year old and younger.
This is at the same time that two major national surveys of child abuse found decreases of between 55 percent and 23 percent in child abuse injuries overall, for all ages, between 1997 and 2009. It's important to point out that each study goes to different sources for data -- this week's study looks at hospital admissions, while the government studies examined reports of abuse filed to Child Protective Services and other agencies by doctors and other sources.
Child abuse is a serious problem in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 740,000 children and youth are treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries resulting from violence every year.
“Child abuse, neglect or violence can actually affect the development of a child’s brain – impacting the child now and for years to come. Our Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) studyshows a connection between child maltreatment and some of the nation’s worst health problems, including depression and heart disease,” CDC child abuse expert Linda Degutis says in a blog on the agency’s website.
CDC declined comment on Monday’s study in Pediatrics.
“I would say that the experts in this area are still trying to make sense of the various trends in physical abuse and explain why there are divergences,” said David Finkelhor of the University of New Hampshire, who led one of the studies showing a decrease in child abuse injuries between 1997 and 2009. “This new report is helpful but does not resolve any of the outstanding questions.”
Leventhal said it’s important to get better data, but says it’s difficult. “It is probably harder to substantiate a physical abuse case now than it was 15-20 years ago,” he says -- mostly because agencies have tightened the rules for classifying cases as child abuse. “My colleagues in child protective services say it is much harder.” Many, he says, classify abuse cases as neglect instead. But it would be important to get data to back this up.
Anderst and Leventhal both said education is an important way to help prevent child abuse. “Over 50 percent of the kids on my study were infants. Thirty to 40 percent of those infants had abusive head trauma, often known as shaken baby syndrome,” Leventhal said. That suggests parents are caretakers who are frustrated and don’t know how to cope with a wailing baby, he said.
“I think, regardless of the cause, the message is too many children, particularly very young children are getting hurt,” he said. “And pediatricians and others who look after children need to craft clear messages so that children are not hurt by abuse.
Yale’s hospital has an approach called “Take Five.” “If you feel like you are going to lose it, put the baby in a safe place, namely a crib, step back and take five,” Leventhal says. Some states are also giving new parents information about not shaking their babies – even seemingly gentle shakes can cause traumatic brain injury. “There are now systematic efforts funded in part by the CDC to see whether education about crying infants, about stepping away, about not shaking a baby, change the likelihood that children end up in the hospital with those injuries,” Leventhal added.
Sometimes people were themselves beaten as children, and pass this behavior along, Anderst said. “Some people are just ill-prepared to be parents and don’t know how to handle children. Some people come from violent backgrounds and that is how they handle their problems.”
So how to change this behavior? “It’s the same way we get people to quit smoking. It is the same way we get people to wear seat belts. It is a combination of laws and enforcement of those laws and also supporting people so they can be better parents,” Anderst said.
He said government officials should think about those consequences when they cut programs to save money in state budgets.
Sometimes it's not the parents who are doing the harm but someone outside the family.
Dr. Suzanne Starling, a pediatrician at Eastern Virginia Medical School, has made intensive studies of who’s hurting kids, and found a consistent pattern: men are far more likely to hit, shake or batter young children. One study she published in the Southern Medical Journal found fathers committed 45 percent of attacks, and boyfriends of the mothers another 25 percent.
“Parents need to believe that the people close to them might have the potential to lose it with a frustrating circumstance such as a crying baby,” Leventhal advised. “They need to say each of the people who looks after their child, ‘my baby cries sometimes and it gets frustrating. If you feel that way, call me. I will come home from work. But don’t hurt my baby’.”
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People are working longer hours for less money and probably lose their tempers more easily. I would bet going back to the 40 hour work week would fix some of this problem. The stresses on parents are much greater now.
Not to mention all the new ways people are addicted. We have greater variety of drugs and now we are addicted to video games and our electronics. It accumlates and someone gets hurt; mostly those who cannot defend themselves.
Even if we could have a 40 hour workweek for everyone, that doesn't mean families or single moms won't be living in poverty.
A big thing to me is that a lot more people nowadays are born as only children. When you are never exposed to a infant growing up, you will likely not know what you are getting into. When my Aunt adopted her first child, my mother expected I would know how to watch her and like being around her. I was a teen then, and quite frankly I did not want to be around a baby. She was mad for a few years, until she understood that she dumped a baby on someone who has never been around the wails, bad smells and constant attention needing.
The urge to procreate (not even sex- to reproduce) is strong and often will overcome rational thinking.
I can only imagine what will happen when we finally pull welfare queens off of welfare and if the Pro-birthers succeed in ending access to abortion. They have those kids for money, what good will they be once the well dries?
Why would abusing small babies concern anyone? We kill them off by the MILLIONS every year & no one cares.....................
This mesasge is for those of you who beat on your children, and you KNOW who YOU are. Next time you feel the need to take your anger, depression, or whatever over compuslive desire you wish to choose, give me a call instead! I'll let you hit me all you want, but just so you know, I do HIT BACK!~!
Oh, so now, it's the economy's fault!
The stresses on parents today are due more to the fact that today's parents have no idea how to live within their means. Instant gratification. They have totally forgotten how to save their money for what they want. I want it NOW! What? Wait until I can afford it? Absurd!!
There is NO excuse for harming a baby.
You want to know what real pressure is? Try raising and feeding a large family during a real depression like our grandparents did!!
America's parents are spoiled, self-centered children and have zero to little real parenting skills -- teens having babies just to get a reality show -- it's a wonder any of the infants being born today's parents make it to maturity at all!!
Mental illness, stupidity and drugs. Many children hit the trifecta.
hey kat.. you have NO idea how high the rate of child abuse was during the great depression lol. my grandparents told stories that would horrify anyone. Not just their own families but their friends and coworkers and especially neighbors. it just wasnt reported or talked about. mental illness, especially for women that had children, was often overlooke and hardly ever medicated correctly. i venture to say that things are just more reported now because of media and govt programs drawing more accurate stats.
very true.....there was a ton of abuse unreported,we just hear about it now. I remember stories my mom would tell me (she grew up during the depression) about different people her family knew the stories were terrible. The worst stories were about families with children that had disibilities...sick sick....they lived in the cellar,some were killed at birth many kids were sexually abused repeatedly and it seemed it was just swept under the carpet...hmmmmm sounds like now just read the news....babies left in dumpsters,children tied up to toliets and starved,sexual abuse etc both times are disgusting !!!! This has always been a huge issue from the beginning of time. Today is no better or worse then before......just people talk about it now unlikw bwfore and there is more media telling the world about these horrible stories.
Sadly, too many people are mean bullies.
And vastly sadder and tragic is this type of proof.
Well this is what happens when in young ages bullies went unchecked and unpunished, and the people who where bullied withdrew into there own worlds. I should know I was on the bullied side. Though it dose seem it is starting to stop there is still a full genration that went unchecked.
Most new parents of today were yesterday's spoiled, self-centered brats who got their way and had mommy and/or daddy to provide every little thing without having to lift a finger. Now these new parents actually have to "share" and make "personal sacrifices" to provide for their children, which pisses them off because it's no longer about "me, me, me." When they get pissed, they don't know how to control themselves like mature adults (no surprise since we lack good role models these days!), except to lash out and whomever/whatever is in their way.
This is it exactly. Maybe the next "reality" show should be about raising babys to be decent people :/
Norm: While it's entirely possible that some of what you say is on the mark, I have no way of knowing. I'll stop short of any catagorical declarations, but if I had to guess about this phenomenon, I'd wager that the abuse of young children spreads across a much wider demographic than you're suggesting. We humans hate to admit that we got where we are ( as a species ) by targeted application of violence. For some of us, that's the 1st place we go, almost ( or exactly ) like an instinct. I realized long ago that I was far too irresponsible to go fathering children, so I made damn sure it didn't happen.
Another reason to keep the Death Penalty!
Cagey-B, I only wish there were more people as responsible as yourself. Kudos to you!
another reason for birth control
Abuse of large babies is down however...
This goes hand in hand with this great economy. If things don't improve it will only get worse in all aspects of our lives!
You can say that again.
Don't think so. Do you think child abuse was up during the Great Depression? Poor or rich, it's human instinct to love and care for their young. If people cannot do that, they need to take themselves out of the gene pool. This study was done before the Great Recession, so your statement is full of crap.
Actually Lonesome abuse to children DID rise in the Great Depression. During economic hardship abuse of children rises. However, you are otherwise totally correct: the study was done before the economic recession.
This goes hand in hand with this great economy. If things don't improve it will only get worse in all aspects of our lives!
Again, this study was done prior to 2009.
Sorry Steve
This research is from 1997 through 2009. So trying to blame this on our present economy is kind of lame. If you are trying to blame this on President Obama, our President didn't take office until Jan 2009, so how is this his fault?
Denying sex education and health care to young people and poor communities is a big cause of unwanted pregnancies. The shredding of our national safety net makes these new families unable to make ends meet, even with multiple jobs; hence the stress, and the need to leave young children with boyfriends, extended family, older children, neighbors or even strangers.
I don't think that anyone really longs to see abortion taken lightly, but some of the mothers of these kids might have opted to not bring a child into very dangerous and untenable situations.
You might tug the heartstrings of some other schlump, but "making ends meet" should not include many of the luxuries that previous generations (also under the constantly shifting poverty threshold) didn't dare demand as a basic necessity.
I've been in plenty of homes of those receiving food stamps. Most had a vehicle, all had color televisions and liquor was accessible. The church I worked with handed out free bread, milk and eggs but Big Macs and KFC seem to be the order of the day these days.
Teens don't learn responsibility at home because they see their single mothers profit from being irresponsible, becoming dependent on the welfare state instead of deferring gratification and getting their GED's, college hours, learning English.
Sorry, but the Asians that came from VietNam in the 70's were worse off yet they prospered because they studied in school amid the same bullies and environmental toxins, did their homework, didn't go gangbangin' because daddy wasn't home and many ended up with college scholarships.
There are numerous exceptions in the Black, Hispanic, Anglo communities to the learned helplessness syndrome. Look at Star Parker, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, and a host of others: these are those to whom the schoolkids could draw their inspiration because not every kid can handle a ball like Michael Jordan. Every youth can, however, learn to read, commit to education and outdo his peers in the long run based simply on dedication, his/her ganas (as we saw in the film Stand and Deliver).
It's high time we started dealing truthfully with the kids and cut the crap about all of 'em being special. If everyone is, then no one is.
Micheal Martin, there are plenty of Hmong gangs in Wisconsin.
You mean luxuries such as a roof over their head, food on the table, and health insurance?
Michael, They also got very low to no interest loans from our US taxpayers to start business etc. as soon as they stepped foot on our shores. Most of those 'immigrants' didn't earn, BY THEMSELVES, the lifestyle they've become accustom to, it was handed to them. It's the next generation that's doing one of two things, staying in school or becoming gang-bangers.
Edited: After reading your next "God" antiabortion post, I know you're a clueless sheeple. And, if outlawing abortion ever were to come to fruition, there will be a lot more 'babies' that will suffer abuse because they are unwanted, but that doesn't matter to you, does it...
Michael there are lots of Asian gangs in the US. Your post about today's teens and their role-models (ie single mothers who couldn't delay gratification - you omitted the part about having gratification with birth control - and so forth) really begs the question: from whom did these women learn their lesson? Its not like this is a new problem. Seriously, the idea that past generations were more moral is lunacy for no other reason than they created the current 'problem' despite being 'better'.
my mom abused me and my sister...and we of course didn't report it
it depends on who reports it
the biggest obstacle is that the kids being abused need help
but so do the parents who abuse
Nothing ever changes because people never get involved with other people's problems
calling the police is different than 'getting involved'
If everytime a person called the police, the person who called in was required to be on call to foster parent that child
i'm pretty sure people would stop even calling in
If it meant 'they' had to help the abused child
it's reality, it never changes
I hate to say this, but it was your mother's responsibility to raise you without abusing you. She is the one who decided to have kids, meaning she CHOSE a lifelong responsibility to you. People who called the police did you a favor. Reporting a neighbor to the cops because you suspect child abuse is no small order. It puts you on the hit list of an adult with a violently aggressive temper, who lives in your neighborhood! The cops may roll their eyes and give your neighbor grief if they can't find bruises, and people will then assume your neighbor has a vendetta against your parent, when the neighbor who reported it knew full well it was not his problem, and could truly care less. Many neighbors ignore the child's screams until he is dead. Is that what your neighbors were supposed to do, because they didn't want to adopt you? The major favor they did for you, of calling the police, shouldn't have to extend to pretending that they, now, are the ones who gave birth to you. Perhaps there is a reason why they didn't have more kids, like they couldn't afford them? Raising you in a safe home was still your mother's responsibility. Calling the police was how your neighbors prevented you from being murdered by an immature, selfish mother. Abused children don't report their own mothers for the same reason - they fear the cops will do nothing except tell the mother which kid reported the abuse, and then the mother will kill that kid. This has happened many times. I was abused by my spoiled, baby girl princess brat of a mother, as well, and your eagerness to forgive your mother and pretend that she was actually just another child who couldn't help her choice to beat you, consistently, for 18 years on end without stopping, no matter how much grief it so obviously caused you, has me truly doubting your claims that you were abused.
It's funny, but most parents think that they have to listen to their babies scream for hours on end. No wonder their frustration erupts into abuse! People snap, especially people who are operating on little sleep. All parents should be given IPods, Walkmans or even foam earplugs at baby showers. Just because your child is screaming, you don't have to listen to it at length. I found this to be true when my own son had colic. You first try to comfort your child. When that doesn't work, you hold and rock him and listen to "Books on Tape", a favorite CD or a radio talk show. If you have sliding glass doors, you can put the baby in his playpen, close the glass doors and plop down in a lawn chair and take in some rays. You can still see the baby, but you don't have to listen to him scream for hours because of colic. Let's face it - there's nothing you really can do but wait for the baby's digestive system to mature. A calm and relaxed parent can cope with a screaming baby if they use coping tips to reduce the noise.
Crying is the fundamental stress release mechanism for us all; babies are still in touch with it! And there is no substitute. Stress chemicals come out in those tears! In addition to lowering cortisol levels, at the end of a good cry, blood pressure has generally gone down and brain waves become more in synch. Babies and children do need, however, relaxed, aware attention while they cry or they will conclude it is "not OK," will get less out of it, and will gradually learn to suppress the whole mechanism. Parents and caretakers who learn that the average baby needs to cry about 1 1/2 hours a day purely to relieve different stresses inherent in the life of a modern household in this trying world (or perhaps for having had a trying birth) can relax and know that their baby is healing, according to attachment-style parenting expert Aletha Solter. Processing feelings to the finish is nature's way of helping us relax, assess, and then "come round right." (Of course, there is the Language of Cries that parents may learn to identify, different sounding cries that signal unmet "housekeeping needs" like for more food or warmth (or coolth), although it's important to realize that, if the baby has had to get noisy about these things, they will probably also need to have some stress-release crying mixed in for at least a little while even after the problem has been fixed. All that children -- and adults -- need for this basic emotional-recovery system to work is permission and acceptance around us, mainly in the form of understanding looks and some physical connection. Then, we cry till we are done, and become ready for more living, learning and growing...or sleep...relaxed and aware and bright of eye.
Gee, this is so unexpected, that we in the US would defend the murder of unborn babies, then embrace the horror via the Supreme Court's sanctioning, later electing a president who was the most liberal pro-death senator.
What a puzzle!!!
The Black pastors and Christians who refuse to endorse what God calls an abomination have more integrity than any Christian - White, Black, Hispanic, Asian - or institution that attempts to rationalize their voting to continue this practice by electing Obama again.
God will not hold him/her guiltless who causes one of these little ones to suffer.
dude, there's something wrong with you.
So when did your God tell you that abortion was an abomination? I meen face to face, mano ah mano, up close and in person, when did this God you spek of tell you that? I know you can not answer at all because it never happened, and if it did and you can answer then your more messed up than I thought. My point is how do you evean know 100% proof positive that there is or was a god at all. Most evedince points to the fact that God was invented by man to explain the unexplainable.
I had been involved in Pet Therapy visits for about 12 years and enjoyed sharing the company of my sweet, gentle , friendly huskies with elderly and hospitalized people. I went on a visit to a facility where handicapped children and teenagers suffering mostly from Cerebral Palsy. These kids were typically mentally and physically impaired and had significant physical malformations. It was a pretty sad mission because only a few could communicate or respond to the dogs. Then I was drawn to the center of the room where I saw a beautiful baby in one of those reclining, table top baby seats. He looked like a little cherub and reminded me of both my nephews when the were about 9 months old. There was a nurse there and I asked her how old he was, I was shocked when she told me that he was 18 months old. Clearly his developmental age was only half that. I couldn't help but ask what was his illness. She said Shaken Baby Syndrome. At that point, I was overwhelmed with emotion and excused myself to go over to the banquette and sit there and sob uncontrollably. One of the nurses came over to me. I apologized to her for breaking down when my purpose was to cheer up the patience. She said to me that if I didn't react to that child as I did, I wouldn't be human. All I could think of was how close that little baby had come to being a normal, happy and wonderful child with every chance at a successful life. All that was wasted by some parent who couldn't hold it together under the stress of having a child in their life. Parenting is not for amateurs. Kids in school need to study parenting as they would any other required subject but a passing grade should be imperative. What more important skill could we cultivate in young people?
t
Does this surprise anyone not me not at all because the small babies as they are called are defenseless and the easiest to abuse.
Many of these babies were never wanted in the very first place and now that they are here and in the way they are the first ones to be abused or out right killed.
I was very proud of myself to make sure I never had a baby because I never ever wanted to be a mother because I knew I never wanted to be a mother by protecting myself and my unborn baby from such horrible things from happening to an innocent child.
You know there are ways to protect yourself from being with child other than the pill that NOBODY has even mentioned foam it is cheaper and very effective. Even if you take the pill to make absoulutely sure use foam and it will never happen.
I am so tired of these women complaining that they wouldn't be able to get their pills free I can vomit I never got anything free for any purpose to me they are like a bunch of babies demanding things that they don't deserve.
Maybe I'll hang myself here, but I know that, without a doubt, I'd be very abusive and neglectful if I had children. I become very easily aggravated if I'm subjected to hours upon end of ear-piercing shrieks (I have hyperacusis, which means that high-pitched shrieking is physically painful to me), and I can't deal with having to spend every minute of every day caring for someone who can't do a single thing on their own (I have lovingly cared for friends and family after they had surgery, but they can still do things on their own and don't take several years to mature). So you know what? I've chosen not to have children. Nor will I look after anyone else's kids. I have numerous reasons for being childfree, but that's the big one.
But you would be absolutely amazed by the number of people (including physicians) who say that I should have them anyway. "It's different when it's your own!" If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that BS line, I would have been a multi-millionaire years ago. But if I killed a child, the very same people would wonder why I had kids. You can't win.
Not that this in any way excuses the actions of child abusers, but if it was more socially acceptable for women to not reproduce, I bet that we would see a drastic decline in these terrible cases.
Carol448944 is promoting unsound advice regarding birth control. Please discuss effective birth control methods with your doctor, gynecologist, or Planned Parenthood counselor. Her comments that (spermicidal) foam is "very effective" is VERY wrong.
Sterilization, IUD's, and perfect daily use of birth control pills (or implanted hormonal contraception) are the methods which best protect against unwanted pregnancy, other than complete abstention from sexual activity. Unfortunately, ANY of these methods can fail even with the best compliance. Thankfully, first trimester abortion is legal and relatively safe in the U.S. and everyone (men & women) should support its availability - even though they themselves might not have one.
Megidolaon,
I am glad you made the choice you did. To me, it WASN'T any easier hearing my own son cry than another's child - it was WORSE. Especially once I went back to work, he cried all night, and I knew I had to face the next day at work sleep-deprived once again. Followed by him crying all evening until bedtime, enjoying bathtime, then crying all night again. I love him dearly, and would never have hurt him, but I won't deny it was a very tough time of my life. Had I know beforehand how tough it would be, I may not have had children.
It's found in all demographics, yes even in households with good income. Child abuse is not restricted to the poor.
Listen to the women who wanted babies but constantly complain about the normal; the crying, the sleeping, the work etc. Having children is hard work; always has been difficult and has always required priority and delayed gratification. But today's modern women's sense of being to do what she thinks she should be free to do conflicts with raising children. They know virtually nothing about child rearing and turn to books to teach them, books that don't relay the reality of the situation. The the college educated (yes they abuse children to) self impose additional pressure in their belief they can come up with superior methods of child birth, feeding and cleaning (organic). They won't turn to women who've already raised children for advise preferring to believe the they who know nothing know better. But child birth and raising children is the norm world wide for millennial. You're not special or different.
Then you have the caretakers who, reasonably don't care about your children. They're under paid, treated as if they are not the most valuable and important person in your child's life.
Then you have the working women complaining about the problems with their children they encounter when they get home such as they won't eat from the mother but will eat from the nanny, babysitter or childcare workers. Of course, the mother isn't the primary hands on caretaker. Then you see the working mother demand absolute discipline and self control of a child incapable of it due to developmental timelines i.e.-We've seen mothers enraged at their babies in restaurants shouting at the baby to use eating utensils properly when they at still the development stage of using their hands.
Then you have the various men in a single mother's life. Women expect that men, who are not the father's of their children will care for them as if they were. Life and feelings don't work that way.
Child abuse is found in every demographic, poor, middle class, wealthy. under educated, college degrees. You'll find today in every demographic young people know virtually nothing about having and raising children much less understand what the goal is. No one turns to those who've already raised children, insignificant details are obsessed about, books take the place of those with experience, the I know better attitude supersedes actual knowledge, un valued caretakers of other children don't care, working mothers and/or parents don't have sufficient time to spend with their own children which would make it easier.
There are many reasons why child abuse exists.
This doesn't surprise me. It seems the bottom rung of society is unfortunately pooping out all the kids. In rural areas especially there seems to be an explosion of sh!t white trash moms having litters of illegitimate kids. I think it's time for publicly funded voluntary sterilization. It would be a lot cheaper than taking out the trash that the low class crap keeps producing.
Most of the cases that I hear about involve a young single mom who leaves her young child alone with her boyfriend of the month and he doesn't have the maturity level to deal with an infant.
I notice that through most of these threads the blame is put squarely on the mother. Where the h_ll is the blame on the father or was the kid a product of immaculate conception!! Women want the pill -- how about men using condoms!! "Single mothers profit ..." again I ask, where's the so-called man for this predicament. Why isn't he providing?? Oh yeah, 70% of the males are the abusers. My bad. I forgot.. sheeeeesh As for voluntary sterilization, let's start with the men -- the biggest cry babies of all -- since they can father more babies in a month than a woman can have in a lifetime!!
One only has to look at just one child porn site and see that abuse even of babies under 1 year is getting worse, not better. Just ask any cop who has to work these sites and they will tell you tales of horror.
Then we have the the other side of the coin. Many, many people who are accused of such things are innocent or 99.9% have been victims of abuse as a small child and are suffering from the horror that they can't escape.
It is a terrible social issue that has never been given enough priority by Congress to help the victims and the the perps that either have been victims or are born with this disease.
They are too busy funding AIDS that CAN be prevented, instead of calling this what it is.
A terrible disease that needs to be dealt with by the elimination of what causes they people to do these things to children. If it means altering the brain then so be it.
But for the victims even 30 years later, there is no sympathy for what they have been through and maybe even continue into the next generation.
Congress and Hollywood are too busy finding a cure for AIDS which CAN be prevented.
But then asking Hollywood to fund scientific research for something that is know as the rampant under belly of the Hollywood life style is like asking the wolf to stop eating sheep.
Not to be indelicate, but you know where to look for child porn? I've never sought it out, and never will, but I was under the impression that it's an underground kind of thing? Am I that naive?
Angela LD,
I don't know maybe you're not a parent. But in order to set up strict internet locks most parents will do seemingly innocent searches and you'd be surprised. I had to stop though, I had to trust my daughter because it was really disturbing. Net Nanny, kind of takes that part of it out, but you still have to manually enter some terms.
Maybe this also has to do with the amount of young children having kids of their own. These young people are having babies and do not have the patience for them, and lets not even bring up the fact that they cannot afford to even support the babies they bring into this world..
How many of those kids were unwanted but women were forced to have them because they have no abortion clinics in their county or states ?? You pro nutcases are responsable for this !! You cannot force women to have children they don't want or cannot afford to have !!!
I was an abuse child believe me, I know what abuse is about and I will tell you something, these kids would be certainly better off no being born because once they're born, you pro nut cases idiots are nowhere to be found when these kids really need you !
So mind you own damn business and let abortion clinic alone !!!
Stress gives a parent a right to injure or beat their babies? There is no excuse. Most everyone, with the exception of the severely disabled, know that you need to walk away when you start losing your temper. either that, or get "fixed" so you don't have children!
I had a 20 year old cat. it would just meow for nothing, all the time day and night, my wife had lost her job it had been about three years we were just barley making it. It was old, hurting probably tired. One time I hit it across the nose with the tips of my fingers, just so it would stop. It looked at me like what did I do, then came over and sat down next to me looked up and did a little cat bark, I sat the next hour and pet it. She just wanted attention, food water and her box cleaned, she would sleep all day. She couldn't get around anymore or clean herself and really would not let us clean her it hurt. That's all the babies want is to be cared for. We had lost are middle cat 6 months before this so we had to wait until we were ready, we put her to rest a few months ago. We still have are youngest cat, now the Queen, talk about caring for a baby OH BOY! I don't understand how you can abuse you children I do understand how you can get mad and up set and angry, and you can loos control, but to abuse, now even then it was to hurt, it was done to get her attention, I had to realise this was what she was.
The smallest babies are the ones the democrats, liberals and Godless kill through abortion.
Is your wife, if you have one, pregnant 100% of the time, if not you are a baby killer by definition.
LOL,they should abort all the republican babies,because there ruining this country.Obama needs this second term to show the people that he is getting this country on track,and that we are better off with demecrats in office.
And plork,did you get a memo that i didn't,i didnt hear about God being dead.The last i heard he was expanding the universe with exploding stars,that no one knows how they happen,and along with the big bang thought.Maybe it was God and maybe not,but i will take my chances on him being around just in case.If he doesn't then ok,nothing i could do about it anyway.But if he does,i wont have to worry about getting beaten with sticks and rocks by his friends(apostles) and a bomb strapped to my balls.I rather be riding up on some unicorn and humpin my angel after a long day at the bar,and a longer night at the strip club after winning everyday at the casino.The priest even blesses the money before i go to the strip clubs and watch the girls spin on the pole with there nun see through one piece.
Well, of course, abuse rates are going to go up with the rise of unwed, single mother parenting. Some of these women bring unrelated men(boyfriends)into their home. This drastically increases the chances of abuse. I see no end in sight.
Maybe if we extended maternity leave for new mothers to, say 6 months, that might help bring this down. My sister was working as a housekeeper/van driver, about 30 hours a week, at a nursing home when she had her first son. This place was unionized and she got 3 months maternity leave, with, I think about 1/2 or 3/4 normal wage. When her second was born, she was working full time at a non-unionized medical clinic as a records clerk / switchboard operator. She got only the amount of time that was in her "paid time off" account, about a month and a half. Most day care centers don't even want to take babies under 6 months old. My sister was lucky to find women who ran day care out of their homes. If leave was extended, women could stay home with their newborns when they are need the most care and are at at the biggest risk for abuse.
Just a thought, wish hopsitals would have a little class for moms, especially first time moms before they take the baby home.
A large percentage of the time babies cry for a reason. They are wet, they need to be burped, or want a to be held. And their moods pass by pretty quick. Moms need to know this.
I wish more grandparents would not retire and move away. I see that too often being from the north.
Grandparents retire and move to warmer states. If grandparents could help when the kids are small, and both parents have to work, it would be so much better for the babies.