Tag Archives: neglect

A Case of Neglect

When I was in my 20s and 30s I baby-sat professionally through agencies. It was fun work and I met a lot of good families. I also met a number of eccentric families. I’m sure that’s to be expected. One family in particular has always stood out in my memory. It was the only time I sat for this family with three boys. After the dad opened the door to me and I introduced myself he insisted that the boys hug me. We had just met and I hadn’t even walked inside. The dad proceeded to tell me that if … Continue reading →

Don’t Leave Kids in the Car

The toddler, new baby, and I had a busy day today running around to between the pediatrician and Children’s Hospital. Baby E got to nap, but Jessie and I didn’t. It really was a long day. We got home with enough time to catch the last few minutes of Judge Judy before the news came on. The lead story on the 5:00 afternoon news was a toddler left in a car in a Texas Workforce Commission parking lot. A security guard found the child before tragedy struck. The mother left the windows cracked about three inches and took an infant … Continue reading →

Another Side to the Story

In a book I’ve been reading, the couple ends up divorced after the husband has an affair. While we may consider that wrong, there is another side to the story. It is that his wife has neglected him. From the time their son was born she replaced her husband in her time and affections with her son. Everything revolved around the son. No child should ever be put in that position where they are the centre of a parent’s world. Part of the problem in this case was the way she gave into the child and either allowed the child … Continue reading →

When Okay Is Not Good Enough

I worked in TV news for more than a decade and during that time I encountered (and often had to interview) more than my fair share of despicable human beings, including parents who paid more attention to their cigarettes than their own children. There was the dad who told a courtroom full of people that he loved beer more than his son (which is why he threw the kid down a flight of concrete stairs while intoxicated) and the mom who let her drugged up boyfriend silence her toddler daughter with a sawed-off shotgun when the child wouldn’t stop crying. … Continue reading →

Toddlers and Beer Don’t Mix

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I’m the mother of a toddler. When Jessie first started on table food, she would eat everything. Thanksgiving at my parents’ house just after she turned one was an exciting exploration in tastes. Jessie’s first cousin once removed, who is about six-and-a-half months older, said “no” to a lot and ate little. Meanwhile Jessie shoveled food off of my plate into her mouth. I’m now blessed with the dining habits of a two-year-old. I swear that toddlers live on air. She wants a lot of different foods throughout the day, but doesn’t eat very much. However, she’s a good drinker. … Continue reading →

Nurture, Yes, but Three No Nos for Marriage

After a brief sojourn onto other topics I’m back with the alphabetical marriage blogs. This time is Ns turn – 1 great one on the positive side and 3 you definitely don’t want in your marriage. Nurturing Each person in a marriage needs to be nurturing and supportive of their spouse. To nurture means the care of promoting the development of another person. Nurturing means nourishing, feeding or supporting. This means more than just meeting their physical need with food but nurturing them by encouraging and helping, praising and building them up. It is supporting them in whatever they undertake. … Continue reading →

Is There Such a Thing As a No-Fault Divorce?

Is there such a thing as a no-fault divorce? The law says there is. But is there really? Let me share with you an example. Some time ago I knew a couple, let’s call them Alice and John. (not their real names)John had an affair with another woman that resulted in him moving out of the family home and setting up home with the other woman. After a time he insisted he wanted a divorce, despite the fact Alice did not. In time he got his way. Now the conclusion that many people who knew this couple was that John … Continue reading →

Breastfed Infants Are Less Likely to Be Neglected

Now here is an interesting study that was just published in the “February” issue of Pediatrics. An Australian study found that mothers who breastfed were less likely to neglect (abuse) their children. Does this mean that nursing mothers love their babies more? Now, before we discuss this issue, I want to make it clear that no one is assuming that if you formula feed then you are automatically neglecting your baby. I am very pro breastfeeding and nursed all three of my children into toddlerhood, but I understand that there are many factors that influence a mother’s decision on how … Continue reading →

A Special Needs Parenting Energy Crisis?

What is the greatest gift that you can personally give your child? Take a moment and think about your answer. It it LOVE? Love is a wonderful thing, but nope. I don’t think so. Love is not enough. We’ve all heard of parents who probably loved their kids very much, but lost them due to neglect or abuse. I don’t think we can always say that abusive parents don’t love their children. Even neglectful parents may love their kids. But they don’t have the tools, knowledge, or mental health to be good parents. So I ask again, what is the … Continue reading →

Another Example Of Bad Parenting

It’s always disturbing to read about parents who don’t take their responsibilities as a parent seriously. I wanted my first blog of the year to be about something happy, but this is far more important an issue to me. This past Sunday yet another parent was negligent in her responsibilities as a mother when she allowed her 3-year-old to escape from their second floor apartment and wander off, ultimately finding his way to a busy interstate. According to police reports, the 3-year-old Indianapolis toddler was found playing on the busy highway, wearing nothing but a diaper and t-shirt, while his … Continue reading →