Even before the 19th century, Rev. Benjamin Waugh of England has indicated facts that were prevalent in the West, especially concerning children who were adopted or separated from their families. At a paper he wrote for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the year 1889, he described specifically the cases:
“[L]aying a baby close to the fire to get rid of it through thirst;… strapping a deaf and dumb boy because it was so extremely difficult to make him understand; drawing a red-hot poker before the eyes of a blind girl… in the presence of the parents, and for fun” (Waugh 4). How could parents be so brutal and numb? What could be the reasons behind this type of events?
Main Body
Child abuse done by the parents themselves can have a number of reasons and factors, which has made them harsh and unemotional toward their children. From corporal punishment (i.e., acts that promote physical pain) to threats and withdrawal, to verbal abuse and humiliation, there has to be a number of reasons why parents abuse their children either openly or secretively. The reasons can be one or more of the following: first is the character of the child or the parent; second is the past and present environment of the child or the parent; third is the abusive use of drugs or alcohol; fourth is lack of knowledge, personality, or skill; fifth and final are cultural and social environment of both the parent and the child.
The Essay on Child Abuse Children Parents Society
... rules or guide lines to take care of the child. Parents who abuse their children feel that they are simply disciplining them. They don ... victimized simply because he or she is vulnerable. The parent who indulges in child abuse is more in tune with their own feelings ... too harsh or the offense is ignored. Because of such reasons the child is mentally confused and suffers from low self-esteem. ...
To explain each, the character of both parties—especially the parent—is one of the basic factors why people in the society continue to abuse their child. The character of the parent can be ruled by a number of significant factors, such as the physical, psychological, and biological being. The character can also be influenced by mental and emotional factors, which drive a motion that is immediate, brutal, and/or aggressive.
Cultural and social factors can put the parent into social strife, which give them the tendency to pass on their grievances physically toward their children. Examples of these cases include parents who are being maltreated socially and culturally because they have children who are biologically different or deformed as compared to other children in the society.
This also circulates around the second and fifth reason stated in the recent page, which is the past and present environment, as well as the cultural and social environment of both parent and child. As for the third factor that drives child abuse, which is the abusive use of drugs or alcohol, this is most frequent in deprived and third-world societies where the economy and the government are not able to supplement the needs and rights of each citizen. This is also prevalent in overcrowded cities where social threats are more widespread. These factors also comply with the fourth factor, which is the lack of knowledge and skill that are mostly seen in these deprived areas.
As for the children, they, too, can have their own part in the event of child abuse. Their character, environment, lack of knowledge, as well their cultural and social environment can all be influences for them to be maltreated by their parents. This is mostly seen in cases when the child is ill, useless, or abnormal, and also in times when they are being separated physically or psychologically from their parents and families. However, they are still children… helpless, feeble little children; and all they can do is depend entirely on us.
Conclusion
Parents carry the responsibility of rearing their children in the right and proper way. They carry the mission of providing their children with all the things that they would need, so that they can be strong, happy, and favorable. Children should be taken as gifts given to us from the above. They are fruits of a union shared between man and wife—proofs of what were shared between the two at a time secretly known amidst a world of growing confusion.
The Essay on Child/ parent relationship in the Little Boy Crying?
The poem, Little Boy Crying, written by Mervyn Morris is mainly about father and sons relationship. Poet shows the two main themes through this relationship; fathers love towards his child and his effort to lead his child into a right world in life. Mervyn Morris explores the child and parents relationship by using second person narration and language techniques such as allusion and emotive words. ...
Works Cited
Benjamin, Waugh. Some Conditions of Child Life in England. London, England: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 1889.
Other References
Child Abuse. 2007. The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). 8 March 2008 <http://www.bartleby.com/65/ch/childabu.html>.
National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care. National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Caring For Our Children. Aurora, CO: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center at Fitzsimons, 2002.
