The news is a scary place for parents

Posted in Julie's columns, Mom Stuff
by Julie Wallace

In the news business, we get a first hand view of some pretty terrible stuff.

Back before I was a mom, many of the stories were just that to me — my job for the day. They didn’t carry the emotional weight of being a parent and seeing something terrible happen to another family that easily could have been your own.

But after my daughter was born and I returned to work — at the Akron Beacon Journal at that time — I truly thought I was going to have be medicated because I was convinced every horrific story I read might very well happen to my cherished little one, regardless of how many times it was pointed out to me that more children grow up to be fine than not.

It took a while, but I finally managed to calm down, although Lew and I both remain ridiculously overprotective of our daughter.

But that’s for a very good reason: We love her, and we want to do whatever we can to protect her from harm. So what is that makes some people — I hesitate to call them parents because truly that title shouldn’t apply –inflict some horrific abuse on their children?

The story I’m referencing right now is about Otty Sanchez, the San Antonio mother who decapitated her 3 1/2 week old son and, if the reports are accurate, ate a portion of his brain as well as some of his toes.

Mental illness? Surely.

But isn’t there someone out there saying hey, maybe this very mentally ill woman SHOULDN’T have custody of this baby? I’m sure folks are saying it now, but shouldn’t this be a warning for the future — that there needs to be some sort of safety net established?

We have safe haven spots where parents who are unable to cope with a newborn can drop of f their babies without fear of repercussions. But what about moms who simply cannot think through that process for themselves? What help is there for them?

The story really hit home to me today when I saw a picture like I’m bettting every one of us mothers out there have — a simple snapshot of mom on a blanket with her tiny baby next to her.

Looking at that picture in the paper — of the tiny little boy, so fragile and cute — I wish there was something I could have done to help this woman. It floors me that — despite the recession — we live in a country so full of riches that it is unfathomable for a good portion of the world’s residents, yet we cannot figure out how to provide care for our most vulnerable.

That’s my rant for the day.

–Julie Wallace