SEATTLE —
“King County sheriff’s deputies have accused the parents of a 14-year-old Carnation girl of withholding food and water such that the 4-foot-7 girl weighed only 48 pounds”.I was shocked when I read this article. Some individuals do not realize that children are their responsibility until they are able to be independent. That means taking care of all their needs, starting from the basic ones. Clearly, if the basic needs were not met, I can only imagine how unmet the girl’s other needs were. Limiting water as a form of discipline is barbaric and inhuman to say the least. Parents who do such horrible things to children should face the worst sentences. Children cannot defend themselves and often think that what they go though is normal, it is the only way they know. So it’s incredibly unfair to take advantage of children this way, just because they cannot speak up or take care of themselves. In order to be able to abuse and neglect their own children to this extent, I believe these parents are mentally ill and should have sought help. There are resources out there for parents who cannot handle the responsibility of raising children. I am glad that a neighbor finally called Social services and that these children, although probably scarred for life, will be given another chance.
