![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
Warning - this is a horrific story of child neglect. Read at your own risk, and respect the bold lettering
A follow-up is here
What gets me, beside the fact that the abusive mother clearly feels that she wasn't doing anything wrong and is the injured party (yeah, right), is her claim that her child, even as an infant, was "spoiled".
"Danielle, she says, was born in a hospital in Las Vegas, a healthy baby who weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Her Apgar score measuring her health was a 9, nearly perfect.
"'She screamed a lot,' Michelle says. 'I just thought she was spoiled.'"
You know, I see the comment on LJ a lot - "is my baby spoiled? I want to do such-and-fuch (usually involving cuddling or feeding an infant more often/on demand), but won't that spoil her? If my newborn isn't sleeping on a schedule, will that spoil him for life?" and I keep saying the mantra - you can't spoil a baby. Children act out because they don't get *enough* attention. Babies under a certain age can't be manipulative - and what you're describing is communication - and thankfully, I never in my life have had reason to believe anybody I'm talking to is seriously going to go to this horrifying level. I still don't. The worst parents I know aren't anywhere near this bad.
But I don't know. Comments about babies - infants, newborns even - and their potential for spoilage are so common, so normal even, that now that I see the amazing terrifying conclusion - I can't help but think that it had to start *somewhere* normal.
So, you know, in the morning I'm going to wake up, and I'm going to go upstairs, and I'll boil the oatmeal, and I'll poke my sister until she wakes up, and I'll hug Ana, and I'll hug Evangeline, and I don't know what we're doing but I know two little girls who spend their days being hugged and tickled and cuddled and kissed and (mostly) spoken to nicely by their family. I'm even still upset about Tuesday, but we've been spending their grounding with a lot of attention. (And, you know, you limit their toys to one at a time and take some away - and I do believe they've had the most fun, creative play they've had in *months*. Which just goes to show that there is such a thing as toy overload. Of course, I'm always going "Wow, cool thing,I so want to play with that the nieces must have that! BUY!" and not being sensible. I tell you, it's a good thing Haba is so expensive or their kitchen would be stocked and then some...!)
A follow-up is here
What gets me, beside the fact that the abusive mother clearly feels that she wasn't doing anything wrong and is the injured party (yeah, right), is her claim that her child, even as an infant, was "spoiled".
"Danielle, she says, was born in a hospital in Las Vegas, a healthy baby who weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Her Apgar score measuring her health was a 9, nearly perfect.
"'She screamed a lot,' Michelle says. 'I just thought she was spoiled.'"
You know, I see the comment on LJ a lot - "is my baby spoiled? I want to do such-and-fuch (usually involving cuddling or feeding an infant more often/on demand), but won't that spoil her? If my newborn isn't sleeping on a schedule, will that spoil him for life?" and I keep saying the mantra - you can't spoil a baby. Children act out because they don't get *enough* attention. Babies under a certain age can't be manipulative - and what you're describing is communication - and thankfully, I never in my life have had reason to believe anybody I'm talking to is seriously going to go to this horrifying level. I still don't. The worst parents I know aren't anywhere near this bad.
But I don't know. Comments about babies - infants, newborns even - and their potential for spoilage are so common, so normal even, that now that I see the amazing terrifying conclusion - I can't help but think that it had to start *somewhere* normal.
So, you know, in the morning I'm going to wake up, and I'm going to go upstairs, and I'll boil the oatmeal, and I'll poke my sister until she wakes up, and I'll hug Ana, and I'll hug Evangeline, and I don't know what we're doing but I know two little girls who spend their days being hugged and tickled and cuddled and kissed and (mostly) spoken to nicely by their family. I'm even still upset about Tuesday, but we've been spending their grounding with a lot of attention. (And, you know, you limit their toys to one at a time and take some away - and I do believe they've had the most fun, creative play they've had in *months*. Which just goes to show that there is such a thing as toy overload. Of course, I'm always going "Wow, cool thing,
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-08-15 04:51 am (UTC)Such terrible neglect.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-15 05:08 am (UTC)(Connie, sorry for hijacking your LJ.)
I read the story on Rimrunner's LJ, and my heart just about broke. I had to stop so I could cuddle my baby.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-15 05:36 am (UTC)One and the same. I am doing fine here. :)