The Parent that Kills

The name “Casey Anthony” has become a name that evokes feelings of disgust. Innocent until proven guilty, she still holds the title of “Worst Mother Ever.” Could a mother do that to her own child?

As it turns out, severe child abuse and even murder by the mother is not as uncommon as we expect it to be. This particular case has notoriety due to all the unanswered questions at the beginning and the continued disorganization of all the facts.

Whether cases appear in the news or not, we have become a society that believes motherhood and nurturing to be natural qualities that all women possess. However, not all women naturally have these qualities and know exactly how to be a parent the day they bring their child home from the hospital.

After all, the hospital does not issue a manual when they hand you your baby.

While all of us agree there are basic rules- to provide them with basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, not to hurt them, and definitely not to kill them; the way each parent goes about following the basics differ from home to home and most parents might argue that their way is the best.

It still doesn’t answer the question of “Could a mother do that to her own child?”

Could it be that we, as society, have grossly unprepared and under supported our daughters upon their transition into motherhood? Is there more pressure on mothers today having to work and, often times, be a single mother? Is there an unspoken stigma that makes it worse to give the child up for adoption rather than take his/her life and try to cover it up?

The cause of this problem needs to be discovered so more men and women can be educated about how to deal with the stress and commitment of parenting.

We also need to accept the fact that choosing not to have children is a perfectly acceptable decision.