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• Mom Convicted for Leaving Toddler Alone for Weekend

  Stupid parents are found guilty of the darndest things. British mom Kelly Tollerton was convicted yesterday of child neglect for leaving her two-year-old son by himself for a weekend while she went to hang out with her boyfriend.  The incident occurred in 2006, and the child was discovered after Tollerton's flat flooded while she was gone. The boy was found sitting in inches of water in the kitchen, where he was stuck behind a baby gate, forced to use dirty laundry for a bed and left to eat food off of plates on the floor. Read More... Posted Jun 06 2008, 09:33 AM by Jen Chaney with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: child neglect, the guardian, mom who left toddler alone, Kelly Tollerton

• They Say: Co-Sleeping Kills Kids

  Officials in Los Angeles County are warning parents that co-sleeping is a "potentially lethal act." So are car-riding, grape-eating and breathing the county's lead-rich air, but no mention of those in the same report, which was issued by the Los Angeles County Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.   Read More... Posted Apr 28 2008, 06:03 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 16 comment(s) Filed under: parenting advice, child abuse, co-sleeping, child neglect, government recommendations, bullshit recommendations

• Cuts Through Corrugated Cardboard and Foreskin

  Whether you call it felony child abuse, a gross misinterpretation of the Hebrew Covenant of Circumcision or a father’s foreword thinking to reduce his son’s risk of contracting the HIV virus by 50% while increasing his need for a tetanus shot by 100%, a North Carolina Man has been accused of circumcising his sons with a utility knife. Read More... Posted Feb 06 2008, 05:00 PM by makeitadouble with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: circumcision, child abuse, child neglect, mohel, foreskin, box cutter

• Colorado Mom Found Guilty of Child Neglect in Son's Death

  In a high-profile case, Molly Midyette was quickly found guilty of child neglect by a Boulder jury following the 2006 death of her 10-week-old son. Her husband, Alex Midyette, son of a rich Colorado property holder, will go to trial next month for inflicting injuries that resulted in the death of Jason Midyette. When Jason was rushed to the hospital with severe brain injuries, physicians found evidence of older injuries and even healing broken bones. However, over the course of six well-baby visits the baby's pediatrician had never documented any broken bones, injuries, or even bruises, and Molly says she had no idea her infant was hurt at all. While the well-known defense team argued that Molly had no knowledge of any injuries... Read More... Posted Dec 23 2007, 02:43 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: colorado, child abuse, legal action, child neglect, trauma, newsweek, molly midyette, conviction, infant death

• Dad Plays Poker While Kids Wait in the Car

  Sometimes people do things and you want to just shake them and yell, "What were you thinking??!" Take the case of Terrence Davis, for instance, who apparently had a need to play poker so urgent that he left his two kids, ages 3 and 7, out in his running car while he played a quick 4 or 5 hands. How long does it take to play a hand of poler, anyway? He claims he was only in there playing for 15 minutes, but I suspect it might have been a bit longer. A passerby noticed the kids alone in a running car, the police were called, and now Mr. Davis has been charged with child neglect. Which probably someone could make a case against my mom for: in elementary school my brother and I were frequently left alone in the car in a parking lot while our teacher-mom attended meetings with the other teacher-people. We'd hang in the car, crank the windows up and down, push all six buttons on the radio, and honk the horn a lot, especially if anyone was sighted. Child neglect? In today's parlance, yes. In the 70's? I guess not! Besides, we were more like ages 8 and 10, a far cry from 3 and 7. I still don't know if we're in actuality any less safe than we were as a society 30 years ago or if the sense of being less safe is due to enhanced media exposure of the few bad events that do occur, but I do know this: with my children I'm unwilling to take that chance. I don't leave my kids alone in parking lots.  Posted Jul 22 2007, 12:05 PM by Karen Murphy with | with no comments Filed under: kids, safety, child neglect, Terrence Davis, poker

• Taiwanese Agency Quantifies the Amount of Love Kids Need

  Finally, someone's done a study that produces news I can use. Taiwan's Child Welfare League Foundation has issued guidelines to provide children with the love and attention they need to thrive: kids need thirty minutes a day spent with their parents, at least three minutes of hugging and three of listening, and to be praised three times, and to be able to access a responsible adult within three minutes if necessary. I suspected I was overdoing it, and this confirms it. No, seriously though. Taiwan's had some pretty serious problems with neglect and abuse of minors, and the CWLF aims to change that. They've laid out three core pursuits: survival, health, and safety, and the above "rules of three" are meant to inspire parents and caregivers to strive to achieve those pursuits. And other Taiwanese organizations and political parties are also mobilizing to turn the tides back in favor of their children. May it bring positive and lasting change for the country. Now, set your timers for three minutes and go squeeze a kid, why don't you.   Posted Apr 06 2007, 12:12 PM by Patti with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: children, China, child abuse, child welfare, child neglect, Child Welfare League Foundation, Taiwan