Child Neglect

We have heard the stories; one could be a child is found starved from neglected parents, another is left in their car, a third child is left at a mall, and mother buys drugs instead of food for toddler. These are just a few examples of what are children are going through.

Healthline.net states, “Child neglect, also called psychological abuse, is a form of child abuse. It occurs when someone intentionally does not provide the child of the necessities of life, or does so with reckless disregard for the child's well being. Such necessities include food and water for healthy growth, shelter, clothing, and medical care. They child may also lack a safe environment, and adult emotional support. The abuser may ignore, insult, or threaten the child with violence.”

Of course most of us provide our children with shelter, food, and clothing. What we need to do more is to give our children time with us. Video games, television, and other activities where children spend their time away from their parents are forms of neglect if not managed from a loving parent.

There is the saying, “All I have to do is put a movie on for my kids, and I have all the time in the world to do what I want to do.” I do not see it is a problem for an hour or so, but it is when it becomes five or six hours a day. It becomes a problem when your children are spending more time with Disney. Do not get me wrong, if you are having one of those days, when you wonder why you ever become a parent, it is all right to put a movie in for your kids, and take a break like a bath or another stress reliever. (You just do not want to do it all day, every day.) I would rather have someone take a bath, and let their kids watch a movie, than beat the child.

Another form of neglect, which has been in the news more lately, is when a careless parent leaves a child in the vehicle. This may happen when they run errands, go into the grocery store, or even a party. (Yes, there recently was a mother who went into a bar, and left their infant child into the car, as she drank and partied.) These are all forms of neglect, and most states do have tickets and fines for such acts. You may have to deal with the department of children and family services.

One of the most horrific forms of neglect is addiction. You may be asking: how is addiction a form of neglect? First off, with addiction you are addicted to a substance which will take you away from time with your children. Another reason a lot of the time addiction behaviors have huge costs. The addicted will use funds from food for their children to cover their cost for addictive behavior. They get so involved with their own personal selfishness; they fail to provide their children with what they need.

We all need to spend more time with our children. Read to our children every day. When we became parents, we decided to put our children first in our lives. We will find some of our old hobbies, activities, and leisure time will not be the same.

We should feel grateful, that we are parents, and have these children trusted enough in our care to provide for.