Cherish a Child

My first topic I can’t get off my mind is the Casey Anthony trial. I know so many people have different opinions on this and I am not trying to start any wars or anything, only voicing my thoughts and opinions. I have watched this case with my family since the very first announcement that Caylee was “missing”. After watching all the lies from Casey and the wild goose chases she sent law enforcement on, and even after seeing some of the “evidence” they collected against her, I was 100% sure in my mind that she was guilty. Without a doubt, guilty. I am not saying that my opinion has changed. All I am saying is I am not as convinced as I was before that it was pre-meditated. I personally believe that something happened and that it went too far. As to what that is, I cannot speculate. I do believe without a doubt that she had something to do with it and will never be convinced otherwise. I really do not believe any allegations that George Anthony had anything to do with Caylee’s death. I was upset in the not guilty verdict and I do not believe that true justice for Caylee was ever done. HOWEVER, I do believe that there are changes in laws that need to be made in order to protect our children. In my local area there was a child named Zahra Baker who was killed a few months back “allegedly” by her step mother. These things really are a personal issue for me. Not only because I have small children, but because of everything my own children have been through in their short lives already. When my children were ages three and seven, they were taken from me by their father. We had no custody papers, and I had no money for an attorney. By the laws in North Carolina, I couldn’t do anything about it without taking him to court. There was a period of about a year that he would not allow my children to see me, spend time with me, or even talk to me on the phone on a regular basis. Little did I know the hell they were going through over there. Their step mother had other children and would frequently favor her children over mine. She would constantly talk down to my children, rip cards I sent them up in front of them, etc. One day their father came and dropped them off and left. When I saw my 3 yr old son, I broke down. He had bruises inside and outside of his ears, and when I asked him who did that to him, he replied his stepmamma. I was furious that someone could have hurt my child in that way. Anyone that knows my children know that they like everyone. They are loved and they love others. My husband and I immediately took him to the emergency room and when the doctors undressed him, I lost it. Not only did he have bruises inside and outside his ears, but he had bruises from head to toe all around, even on his face. He had a large bruise on his bottom about 3 or 4 inches in diameter and when asked what it was from, he proceeded to tell the doctor that he had an accident and peed in his bed and she came in and whipped him with a belt buckle. The scene was so bad it sent two nurses out of the room crying. I got full custody of my children back and she was arrested. She pled guilty and only received one year probation (half supervised, the other half not). This infuriated me because she admitted to it and got a slap on the wrist. Why? Because in North Carolina, child abuse is a misdemeanor. Unless of course, there are more aggravating factors such as …… death. That is the reason that cases like this bother me. I think back about how quickly my kids could have become another Caylee or Zahra at the hands of a mother figure. There are so many people in this world that want to be parents, that WOULD be great parents to a child and provide them with all the love and support they deserve. Some people are just too selfish to consider their children first. They would rather go party and try and get rid of their chldren to better their own lives. This is very sad but a very real situation. For the parents out there that are so selfish and believe their children are a “hinderance”, give them to someone who will love and care for them and go about your own business. But, to the wonderful parents out there whose children are their reason for living, thank you. Children are a blessing from God and should be cherished. My hope is that one day, all children will know love they deserve.