Let’s Expand What Constitutes Child Abuse
by Peter Schwartzman
Well, not exactly, but close. I am an ardent defender
of children’s rights. It sickens me to hear of children being abused or
neglected, yet, when one looks at current stats, one cannot but be convinced
that our society is suffering in this regard. In addition to the standard
sources of abuse/neglect, there are other abuses that occur below the radar. I’ll
expose a few of these here.
Smoking
in proximity to children. Despite massive disinformation campaigns to
the contrary, everyone now knows that smoking is harmful and secondhand smoke
is dangerous as well. According to the American Lung Association (ALA),
children who breathe in secondhand smoke are “more likely to suffer from
pneumonia, bronchitis, other lung diseases,” as well as “ear infections.” By
the numbers, “there are an estimated 790,000 visits to health care providers
for ear infections and over 202,000 asthma attacks in children … caused by
secondhand smoke exposure,” in the United States, alone (ALA). According to the
Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization, secondhand
smoke is classified as a known human carcinogen. Given all of this, why in the
world would one choose to smoke in the presence of a child?
Using lawn chemicals. Children love to get outside and play on grassy fields and lawns,
yet so many people still spray their lawns with known toxins. This is extremely
dangerous to children. Let’s look at the scientific literature. A study
published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Lowengart
et al, 1987) concludes that pesticide use (both in and outside of
the house) increases the risk of leukemia in children as much as sevenfold (9).
Another study (Salam et al., 2004, in Environmental Health Perspectives)
finds that toddlers exposed to herbicides within their first year of life are
nearly five times more likely to get asthma by age five. These aren’t isolated
findings but ones consistent with many other analyses. And these facts aren’t
surprising when one considers that two very commonly used lawn pesticides are
associated with many health problems; 2,4-D is connected with cancer, hormone
dysfunction, reproductive problems, nerve and brain disorders & glyphosate
(aka, Roundup) is associated with cancer, reproductive problems, and
kidney/liver damage (Beyond Pesticides). So how important is it to have an immaculate,
weed-free lawn? Isn’t a smile on a healthy child worth a heck of a lot more?
Not teaching teenagers about sex
and sexual relations. Since our schools have dropped the
ball in this mission, it is imperative to give children age-appropriate
information about sex. What is the alternative? Should you be letting some
older child pressure your uninformed daughter or son to partake in some sexual
activity? This is how I’ve heard it often happens in our community. Television
shows sexualized relationships more and more in its content. Any kid with
Internet access has the ability to find graphic pornography in about two
clicks. Yes, parents can get software to block this. Yes, parents can try to
monitor a child’s whereabouts on a 24-7 basis. Experience tells me that these
things are virtually impossible to control. So, that leaves to us the task of
teaching our kids how to deal with their changing bodies and how to handle
difficult situations. Keeping quiet puts them in the “driver’s seat” with no
practice or insights from adults they trust. This can often lead to unwanted
pregnancies and the spread of STDs. Come on people, don’t be so prudish.
Recognize the seriousness of the situation and give your kids the knowledge and
tools they need so that they can make responsible decisions with useful input
from you.
Feeding children diets high in
sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Unfortunately the shelves of grocers are full of processed foods.
Pick up practically any box or bag and see for yourself. When did food become
so complicated? The shift from natural to processed foods is driven by larger
profits. These foods are not nearly as nutritious as basic foods—such as
fruits, vegetables, whole grains and unprocessed meats. Too many foods have
unnecessary sugars (in a variety of forms) added to them. These make the foods
“sweet” to the taste and therefore enticing to the palate. However, their
inclusion makes the processed foods have a high glycemic index, which means
that they digest quickly and cause blood sugars to spike. This is especially
bad for diabetics but it isn’t good for anyone. Keep diets diverse with kids, and
provide them as much unprocessed food as possible. If you do, they will
ultimately thank you when they are old enough to realize how important good nutrition
is for a growing body and mind.
Putting a TV in a child's room. According to a recent study, perhaps as many as 70% of 3rd
graders have a television in their bedroom. This may not seem like a problem
until one looks at the research that points to an association between such
children and lower test scores, sleep disorders, being overweight, and
beginning smoking. Besides all these horrible connections, simply having a TV
in bedroom apparently increases their viewing by 9 hours a week, for 4 to 7 year
olds. So time that they could otherwise be using to socialize in productive
ways, tackle a book or puzzle, or go outside is lost. Additionally, the
advertisers on TV love to attract “naggers”—to get parents to buy them
products—as recent exposés have shown. So, in short, save yourself the
aggravation and the money and keep the television out of children’s bedrooms.
This
list is abbreviated, but it should get the discussion going. In case you are
wondering, I am not advocating that that these offenses be criminalized (such
as things that the police or DCFS get involved with). Rather, my hope is that
they will become commonly understood "No-No's" when dealing with
children. While some of these suggestions may strike folk as
"over the top," I do not offer them for comic relief. I firmly
believe that these activities are detrimental to our young people and I think
it is time for an open discussion of these matters to occur. What do you think?
4/16/09