Shared Responsibility

Mood: Apalled Playing: January by Glenn

Okay, so there was this 2 yr old girl who died of abuse 2 weeks ago. The cause of death is liver puncture due to being hit by a blunt object (a shoe, with feet still in it). Doctors also found other tell-tale abuse signs: scalding marks, bruises, her ear was almost torn off, there were brusies and marks on her private parts and her anus is torn.
Initially everyone thought it was the maid, or the daycare. The parents claimed that they were not aware of the other injuries. Good God!, how can you not be aware of a torn anus? Change her diaper and you would notice it. I mean, I notice even one mosquito bite. It was so obvious her parents neglected her.
As the week went on, it became more and more obvious as to who had been doing the abuse. The nursery had reported signs of abuse THREE times prior to the child's death, but nobody did anything to stop it.
Last week, the parents were brought in for questioning and remanded (held in jail) for a period of time. Yesterday, the mother was officially charged with murder. The father was released.
There are alot of issues here. But I won't touch on the beaurucracy and stuff like that.

I am just apalled that the father was let go. I mean, when you're a parent, aren't u responsible for the safety and well-being of your child? Even if your wife was doing the abuse, i think not stopping her makes you an accessory. That guy should be charged for being an accessory to murder. Or for negligence at the very least (i don't know if there is such a law in Malaysia, but there should).
He might be innocent of murder, but he is definitely not innocent of neglecting to take care of a child, neglecting to save a person's life.

I am not a perfect mother.
I do scream at my kids. And I have caned them, only once before, when they did something totally out of line and had endangered the well being of their siblings.
Raising kids are not hunky dory all the time. You've got to accept that. Kids are loud, and whiny and demanding and gosh sometimes they get on your nerves.
But you just have to remember that these are children. they were born fresh and innocent. They dont cry and whine out of malice. It's always for some reason, and it's up to us adults, who are more capable and more knowing, to find out what that need is. And find out in a calm and non threathening way. (at least, that's what i tell myself ..)
and sometimes, when the kids are at their worst, I try to think of when they were at their best.. to remind myself that even though at that moment they drive me up the wall, there were and will be moments when they just lift me up to the clouds and make me feel special.

Love love love your kids.. and other people's kids as well, if you can..