This is another story of a mother beating and killing her child. It is so saddening how people have difficulties with her children. This mother was 19 when she killed her 2 year old son. After reading this article and thinking about some stories I have heard in the past I have begun wondering if there is any research or statistics regarding the age of a parent who kills and/or abuses his/her child. I think that would be very fascinating to see and if so, can there be a creation of some sort of program to help young parents? I had never considered this before but have more recently thought about the fact it is many times young parents below the age of 25 that kill their children.
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A 19-year-old Brooklyn woman was charged Tuesday in connection with the death of her 2-year-old son, the latest in a string of suspicious child deaths in New York City investigated by the police.
Emergency responders were called to the woman’s apartment in Sheepshead Bay early last Thursday and found the boy, Jayden Smith, vomiting and having difficulty breathing. He was pronounced dead at Maimonides Medical Center.
On Tuesday, the New York City medical examiner’s office found that the boy died of blunt force trauma to his abdomen and ruled the death a homicide. His mother, Geraldine Smith, was charged on Tuesday evening with assault, child endangerment and assaulting a person under 7 years of age, police officials said.
The boy’s twin was put in the care of the city’sAdministration for Children’s Services Tuesday.
The agency, which is investigating the boy’s death, declined to say whether it had prior contact with the family, citing confidentiality laws.
Pam Holloman, a neighbor of Ms. Smith’s, said on Tuesday night that the twins had seemed like normal, happy toddlers.
“I wish she would have knocked on my door if she was having problems,” Ms. Holloman said. “Maybe we could have took the baby a little while for her.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed changes to child protection policies in response to the death of another child, Myls Dobson, 4, in Manhattan on Jan. 8; a caregiver has been charged in connection with his death. This month Kevasia Edwards, 2, was foundunconscious in her home in Queens with broken ribs and bruising around her mouth, and later died. Her mother, Ashley Diaz, was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault.
Young women who are pregnant do not always have natural support systems within their families, neighborhoods to support them during pregnancy in anticipation of the arrival of the infant; nor do they necessarily have support after the birth of the child. They might not have had positive examples of how to care for infants, toddlers, children. They might lack experience that others gained through babysitting within the context of their own family or their neighborhood as they were growing up. The challenges of single parenting can be overwhelming if there is no support base. One community outreach program with which I have become familiar is Moms2Be in Columbus, Ohio. Staff includes OSU SW interns who connect with young mothers who are pregnant as well as parenting to offer them the support base that they need and to link them with community resources. This program includes one on one direct support with staff as well as group sessions or "sister circles" which includes educational topics including parenting. To me, Moms2Be represents hope.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bonnie, many of these young mothers have not had positive role models to teach them how to properly care for a child, as they were more than likely not properly cared for as children themselves. I think it's encouraging to see programs out there such as Moms2Be, and I think there is definitely a need for more of them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bonnie about the barriers that young mothers without positive support systems face. Even if a young woman does live around family members and friends, these individuals may not always serve as a positive influence. When reports of child abuse and neglect are called into Children Services, an intake caseworker examines the history of the parent to see if they, themselves, had been victims of abuse or neglect. This proves to be the case in an alarmingly high number of parents who have been named as perpetrators of abuse and neglect. A parent's own history of abuse or neglect is also examined in cases like these, which result in the death of the child.
ReplyDeleteWhile a healthy, stable environment plays a key role in parenting practices, it is also important to take into consideration a mother's mental health. Too often, there are stories in the news of mothers who developed postpartum depression which went unresolved. Although only a small percentage of women who suffer from postpartum depression develop postpartum "psychosis," it is a very serious issue that may result in a death that could have been prevented.
I do find it odd that there were no charges related directly to his death. She was charged with endangerment and 2 types of assault. In the story I posted, both parents were charged with murder. I guess I am just surprised by the inconsistencies there are with the 2 stories considering the fact that both children died due to inflicted injuries. I like to think that there are more pending charges but I couldn't stop myself from saying "wow...really, that's it?" when I got to the list of her charges.
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