People, who are long before they see a thing, when once it strikes them, see it in the strongest light. All knowledge is dangerous. It matters not that law prohibits teaching [slaves] to read. Oral instruction is as dangerous as written and the catechism is nothing but a Bible in disguise. He fell down the stairs. I am sorry I did not mean to blow up, you know how it is, you come home and you did not have a good day at work and then things are not going as expected when you get home. He just wanted to spank the baby, he is alright, isn’t he? We did not plan for the baby. He was an accident. You see, Andy caused all of the trouble, we just did not want him. I tried to keep it quiet, like before he was born, so everything would go back to normal. You know how it is when someone accuses you of hurting your baby, your skin begins to crawl and you want to cry. Sometimes you do not know you are hurting someone when you hit them. Often times, unexpected babies get in the way of adult’s junior high school fantasy. As much as we would like to believe otherwise, child abuse is wide spread and can even start before the baby is born. From 5 percent to 20 percent of children are physically abused by parents. Even if the lower figures are taken into consideration, that would mean about 17 million children abused each year, in the United States of America. And in 33 percent of all cases the child is seriously injured. Even more frightening, thousands of children are killed by their parents, 1,640 children died from abuse and neglect last year.

Child abuse is physical or emotional harm caused by violence, mistreatment or neglect. Typically, abusive parents have high levels of stress and frustration in their lives. Common problems include depression, loneliness, mental impairment, marital discord, unemployment, drug abuse, divorce, family violence, heavy drinking, and work anxieties. Some parents are aware that they are mistreating their child, but are unable to stop. Others abusive parents literally hate their children or are disgusted by them. The child’s sloppiness, diapers, crying, or needs are unbearable to the parent. An abusive mother is likely to believe that her baby is intentionally annoying her. In other cases, troubled parents expect their children to just be pink dolls, that sleep and smile and male them happy. When a child under the age of three cannot meet these high expectations and unrealistic expectations, the parent reacts with lethal anger. It is estimated that between 50-60 percent of child fatalities, due to maltreatment, are not recorded as such on death certificates. After further investigation by medical and forensic experts, approximately 50 percent of deaths reported as unintentional injury deaths are reclassified as deaths due to maltreatment.

Environmental effects reach the developing child, even before the child is born. Did you know that fetal heart rate and fetal movements change in response to stimuli such as sounds or vibrations? If a mother’s health is poor or she does not have good nutrition, does drugs, has a disease or virus, or exposed to X-rays or atomic radiation, the fetus may be harmed. The result will be a congenital problem (a defect that originated during prenatal development). Congenital problems (or birth defects) are different from genetic problems, which are inherited from parents. The core of much child hood abuse is a cycle of violence that flows from one generation to the next. Nearly 30 percent of abused and neglected children will later mishandle their own children, continuing the destructive and tragic cycle of cruelty. However, they are likely to do so when they are stressed because such parents never learned to love, communicate with, or how to properly discipline a child. Therefore, that is why many abused children grow up to become abusive adults. Those who break the chain of command, which has been instilled in their mind program, usually do so because they have received emotional support, for a non-abusive adult, during their childhood, have received therapy, as an adult, or has an emotionally supportive relationship with their mate, so they are not jealous of the pretty and shiny newborn baby getting all of the attention.

In a tragic case of events, a beautiful and bright 8 year old boy, called Gabriel Fernandez, was terribly abuse, in an ongoing saga of maltreatment. Prosecutors claim that for eight straight months, young Gabriel Fernandez was beaten and tortured so harshly, that the 8 year old wrote his own suicide note. Allegedly, 8 year old Gabriel Fernandez’s mother, Pearl (age 30), and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre (age 34), abused every inch of their child before his gruesome murder in May 2013; they allegedly covered him covered in pepper spray, forced to eat his own vomit, gagged and locked in a cabinet, to silence his chilling cries for help, just days before his mother and her boyfriend purportedly beat him to death. Approximately 70 percent of children that die from abuse are under the age of 4. Many public agencies now have teams to pin point abused children. The courts can take custody of the children, or the parents can place the children in foster care, but even then there is a chance for a child to get hurt. Because child abuse often starts before a child is born, it is recommended that if you are considering having a child to take child development and communication classes, so you can know what to expect and how to respond.

However, when it comes to disciplining your children, all I can say is try to talk to them and make sure you treat them well before they are born to reduce psychological or behavioral problems. Widespread acceptance of physical punishment creates an atmosphere in which angry parents can easily lose control and abuse their children. Even parents who would never strike a child may fall prey to the shaken baby syndrome. In such cases, an angry parent violently shakes an infant (often one who will not stop crying). The result can be brain injuries that cause mental retardation, blindness, or even death. Experts recommend that a parent, who is tempted to shake or strike a crying child, should try the following: hug the child, and remember how you felt at that age, and in that situation. Leave the room, but make sure the child is safe and call a friend to comfort you and the crying baby. Put some soothing music on like Celine Dion “A New Day has Come,” or Aaliyah “I Care for You” or maybe Diana Ross “Missing You.” These soft voices should help to relax you and baby. Take 10 deep breathes and clam yourself. Then take 10 more deep breaths and think of all the things you are thankful for. Move to another room and meditate or do yoga. Take a shower or relaxing bath. Sit down, close your eyes, and vividly imagine yourself in a pleasant place. Put some cartoons on for baby, they love bright colors and happy sounds, the Smurfs, Beverly Hill’s Teens, Gummy Bears, Mickey Mouse or Ducktales may get the babies attention and make him or her stop crying. Check to see if the baby needs a diaper change, maybe the climate or air needs to be adjusted, the baby may be thirsty or hungry, or might just want to be held.

Fetal Child abuse is abused that occurs, even before the baby is born. No direct intermixing of blood takes place between a mother and her unborn child. Yet some substances—especially drugs—do reach the fetus. If the mother is addicted to morphine, heroin, or methadone, the baby may be born with a drug addiction. Some drugs that reach the fetus are known to be teratogens (teh-RAT-uh-jens): substances capable of causing birth defects. Just one hit of cocaine taken by a pregnant woman can injure her fetus. Cocaine babies often suffer from tremors, hyperactivity, and listlessness, slowed language learning, and disorganized thinking. Many will never be normal. Most common prescription drugs also reach the fetus. Damage may be done by general anesthetics, cortisone, tetracycline, excessive amounts of vitamins A, D, B6, and K, cocaine, some barbiturates, opiates, tranquilizers, liquor, tobacco, caffeine, steroids, and synthetic sex hormones, even some aspirin, a seemingly safe drugs, has been linked with lowered infant IQ, when taken during pregnancy. In short, when a pregnant mother takes drugs, the baby does, too. Repeated heavy drinking by pregnant women cause the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), and affected infants have low birth weight, bodily defects, and facial malformations, small non-symmetrical head, short nose, a flatted area between the eyes, oddly shaped eyes, and thin upper lip. Many of these features become less noticeable by adolescences. However, mental retardation and other problems commonly follow the FAS child into adulthood. During pregnancy, even small amounts of liquor can cause problems—just one drink is all it takes to ruin an unborn baby’s life. Considering that information, pregnant women or women thinking of becoming pregnant, needs to entirely avoid drinking alcohol. That child did not ask to be born, and it is up to you as parents to protect it and make sure when it is born, it is happy, healthy, safe and loved. Keep the baby warm and let it know that it is loved, even before he or she is born. The tragedy of FAS is that it is completely preventable.

Tobacco is also harmful, even second hand smoke can harm a fetus. If women smoke during pregnancy, Infant death rate is 27 percent higher. A pregnant woman, who smokes 2 packs of cigarettes a day, blocks an estimated 25 percent of the oxygen supply to the fetus. Any use of tobacco, especially heavy smokers, run a much higher risk of miscarrying or giving birth to a premature and underweight baby. Children of smoking mothers score lower in language skills and general mental ability. However, optimal caregiving is exhibited by proactive maternal involvement (warm, educational interactions between mother and child). Proactive mothers talk to their babies more and help the, explore their surroundings. The father’s health, prior to contributing to the conception of a baby is also important. If the father does heavy drugs and drugs a lot, or if he is elderly, his sperm may not be the best quality and could also cause the child to have health issues or a mental disturbance. Yes, in fact, fathers make a unique contribution that differs from mothering. Part of the answers lies in critical periods, these are times of increased sensitivity to environmental influences, and may permanently alter the course of the development of the child. Babies seem to like when their father’s act as their playmates when the baby is an infant. Some fathers do not even pay attention to a newborn baby because they do not know what to do, and mother usually handles all the care, but let the father play with the baby, so he grows to like it and becomes more comfortable, after a while, he will learn to also be a caregiver and mother can have more time to play with the baby.

As long as a father is active in the baby’s life, which is what really matters. Overall, fathers can be as affectionate, sensitive, and responsive as mothers are. There is no single profile of a perpetrator of fatal child abuse, although certain characteristics reappear in many studies. Frequently, the perpetrator is a young adult in his or her mid-20s, without a high school diploma, living at or below the poverty level, depressed, and who may have difficulty coping with stressful situations. Fathers and mothers’ boyfriends are most often the perpetrators in abuse deaths; mothers are more often at fault in neglect fatalities. Nevertheless, infants tend to get very different views of male and females. Females, who offer comfort, nurturance, and verbal stimulation, tend to be close at hand. Males come and go, and when they are present, action, exploration, and risk taking prevails. It is no wonder, then, that the caregiving styles of mothers and fathers have a major impact on children’s gender role development. As a person grows, there is a constant interplay or interaction between nature and nurture—children are a product of their genetic heritage and the environments in which they have lived. Growing up brought responsibilities, and events did not rhyme quite as one might have thought. Nature’s logic was too horrid for one to care for. That mercy towards one set of creatures was cruelty toward another sickened his sense of harmony.