Looking deeper into the issue...

The first newborn was discovered swaddled in a blanket on a park bench, an umbilical cord still hanging from his tiny body. Then, at neat 11-month intervals, two more abandoned babies were found in parked pickup trucks in the same neighborhood.

This week, DNA tests established all three babies were almost certainly born to the same mother.

This was taken from a disturbing article I read in The Examiner yesterday.

I understand that there are circumstances in which people give birth to children they cannot care for, but when is abandonment ever an option?

To me, one of the greatest forms of evil existing in this world is the mistreatment of children. I literally cringe when I see people emotionally degrading or abusing their kids in public; thinking about what they do to them behind closed doors saddens me even more. The reason why there are so many emotionally unstable adults is precisely because they were exposed to horrible things as children. It's as simple and complicated as that. It's easy to recognize the problem and much harder to fix it.

Sure, in cases like these, the government can step-in, which is what happened in California. Apparently, a law went into effect a few years ago allowing parents to "safely surrender" their children at certain locations, like hospitals. I'm glad to hear that as a result of that law, at least 182 lives have been saved. But this is just the beginning. What happens to the child after they fall into government hands? They probably form insecure attachments with their care takers, since it's likely they wander from one foster home to another, at least until they're adopted. Sometimes they're lucky and they actually get adopted. Sometimes not, then what?

And what about the other kids; the ones who were apparently "wanted", though they were born into dysfunctional families with parents so emotionally incompetent, they probably wouldn't even be qualified enough to take care of an animal, much less a child, if they had to pass a test. How do these children learn to trust when the very people they're supposed to be able to trust the most are unsafe human beings? Who teaches them how to love, can the government do that? Don't get me wrong, I applaud the government when it finally decides to step-in and implement laws that are there to give a voice to the voiceless, particularly children. The government isn't the only responsible party here, though. Even if the child's own parents are incapable of providing the emotional care they need, there are others out there who can. The "others" coming to mind right now are teachers, the child advocates.

I know there are some teachers that made me hate school like crazy, but I remember my awesome Kindergarten teacher. She made me want to come to school even though I was paranoid about knocking more teeth out as a result of one of those mean girls rudely pushing me off the monkey bars (true story, this is how I lost my first tooth!). Why was she so wonderful? Because she genuinely cared about her students. It's teachers like these that have inspired me to follow in their footsteps (ever so slowly, though, I have yet to get certified). However, I've also been inspired by the honest faces of children that are desperate for love. Even my brother is a great inspiration; he's 12 years younger than I am, and the most creative kid I know. (He was named the best artist in class! As his sister, I definitely have bragging rights. So brag I must.)

I love children, I admire their ability to be so candid and carefree. I know they can be a handful, I've had to babysit plenty, so I know. But in my 22 short years on this planet, I've never met such fascinating creatures, and I'm not expecting that to change. They have what most of us have lost, and I'm not about to start quoting one of the many I-believe-in-Santa-Claus movies that my Christmas-obsession has led me to watch, but it's easy to see. Kids can walk out the door wearing two different colored socks and they're still having a good day, maybe it's even better now, to them at least. The worst thing the kids at school will do is get a kick out of it, but you'll never see it in the tabloids, never hear anyone gossip about it (this does not apply to that mean girl I mentioned earlier! Though I am convinced her behavior was definitely a product of her upbringing!). This is why I get upset when I see parents, or anyone for that matter, mistreating kiddos. They pick-up things so fast, and even though it's easy to correct their bad behavior when they're young, it's really difficult for them to do it on their own when they're adults.

So, I guess it's ok if I criticize that mother for abandoning her three babies, as many others have? Why would I be wrong for doing it when her actions obviously failed to demonstrate love for her children? I've said it, it does hurt me to see children wronged. The truth is, though, this lady is probably operating off of the hurt she experienced as a child. My cousin once told me that hurt people, hurt people, and I agree. Even if I don't agree with what this lady did, I am left to feel sadness for her too, I can only imagine how big her need for love was and probably still is. All I have to say is that, really, there isn't much left to say regarding this issue, but there is plenty more to do, and I'm not just referring to myself. We're all responsible for each other.

There is no greater sickness in this world than the lack of love.
Mother Teresa