I really can't describe my mood right now. Angry? Dumbfounded? Sad? Helpless? As you may have read yesterday, I am very disturbed by the parents that abused their daughter to death. Yes, she happened to be adopted, but they used this same "discipline" technique on their other 8 children as well so perhaps they are just lucky none of the others died.
You read about a story like this, and you get upset, wonder how anyone could hit their child with something like rubber tubing? Repeatedly. For something like mispronouncing a word. It is of course important to mention that this little girl was adopted from Liberia. The main language in Liberia is English. But Liberian English is very difficult to understand by Americans. Now, imagine this little girl getting beaten for mispronouncing a word.
So, you can't imagine this family doing this, but so what? This is an isolated incident, it doesn't happen very often. The other children in the home are now "safe" in foster care. Well, I'll tell you what happens when an adopted child is killed. Liberia, a country on the brink of reopening their adoptions, is now NOT going to open them. Dozens of children, already matched with parents to be adopted will be languishing for the rest of their childhood, if they survive, in orphanages. My niece, Blessing, is one of those children. She is currently not in an orphanage, but rather a foster child in my brother's home. You may remember her from her pictures before and after her surgery. Well, I'm here to tell you that the "isolated incident" may prevent her from ever having a family. From ever having the surgeries she needs to repair her palate. From ever feeling the love of a mother, father and siblings. This baby was abandoned, left to die by her birth family because of her cleft palate. My brother and sister-in-law nursed her back to health, saved her from death, and now they can't adopt her.
So what is left to do? Pray. Pray that something will change the heart of the LIberian President. Pray that by some miracle they will be able to adopt her and all of the other orphaned and abandoned children will find loving, safe homes.
And you know what else you can do? You can be the eyes and ears for abused children near you. How is it that the friends and family of these child killers believed the family was a good one and there was no signs the children were abused and yet ALL of the children say they were beaten with this plumbing tubing? I'll tell you why. People didn't see anything wrong with it. Plain and simple. Sure, they may have seemed a bit strict, but the kids were good and the parents "had good hearts." So, the next time you think of your friend who "has a good heart and good intentions" but you know she hits her kids, think twice about condoning her behavior. Sure, all parents mess up. All parents have different discipline techniques, and it is rare for a child to die, but it happens. Perhaps you can be the voice of reason in someone's life when all the other voices are telling them to control their child completely. Perhaps you can save more than just the life of their child, but the lives of others. Speak out against these cruel methods of child "training".
Now is NOT the time to be politically correct and ride the fence, hoping to not offend anyone. Now is the time to speak out against these practices. Speak out against these theories of parenting that require parents to "break" their children and get "total control". Will you speak out? Risk yourself for the lives and well being of these children in homes like this? Or will you sit back and allow your neighbor, your friend, your fellow church members, to abuse their children? Raise your voice for the children who have no voice.
