What the HELL is wrong with these people? Parents dumping teens

[dc dalton]

I really just can not believe anyone would do this to their kid. A 'problem' in the new Nebraska 'safe haven' law (no age limit) has people 'dumping' their teenage kids off at hospitals ... some even driving across state lines to do it! Seriously, can you even imagine what is going through these kids heads?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/08/neb...ven/index.html

What kind of 'parent' (key word there) would do that? Just sickening!

[Exbiker]

Damn, I have 3 boys all in their 30`s now. Where was that law when mine were teens. You haven`t raised teenagers have you?

[pacodelahoya]

Exbiker, you beat me to it!!!!

[DCChris]

Kind of a twisted take on Father Flanigan's Boystown. Much easier to just give up and make your kids someone else's problem. The end result being a human cesspool of uneducated, dysfunctional thugs that will only perpetuate this irresponsible behavior.

[IV_Warrior]

Well, to be honest, the article only mentioned 17 children being "dropped off" under the law, and 9 of those were by a man who did so after the death of his wife, having no idea how he was going to properly raise 9 children (between ages 1 and 17) on his own. I'd imagine that he, and the others probably figured that it was in the best interest of the children.

Personally, I think it's tough to sit and judge, we don't know the situations these families are in. In the case mentioned, was the wife the main bread-winner in the family? What about the others, did one or both parents lose their jobs and no longer have the financial means to properly provide for their children? Were there other cases involving the death one of the parents? Did the families know of somewhere else to get help for whatever their circumstance may have been? I highly doubt these were cases where the parents simply didn't want their children, although I suppose that's a possibility but probably not in many of the cases.

[Karl/PA]

Leaving children on street corners started during the depression and occurred clear into the 50s. Usually it was people that were down on their luck and couldn't support them.

Bill Monroe even had a song about it:

I Was Left On The Street - Bill Monroe

A policeman's whistle gayly, a smile upon his face
As he walked along the old familiar beat
He saw a little boy crying and thought his heart would break
Standing bare foot in the middle of the street

I was left on the street with no shoes upon my feet
When I saw my mom and daddy drive away
Now I'm not old enough to know every much myself
But I saw my dad and mommy drive away

The policeman stopped the traffic, then went up to the boy
And he asked him gently, where do you belong
The little boy stopped criying and with trembling lips he said
I'm not big enough to know just what went wrong

* Refrain

The little boy is happy now with a new mom and dad
His new daddy is the policeman on the beat
Tho' he can't forget that awful day it doesn't seem to hurt so bad
He has a brand new pair of shoes upon his feet

* Refrain

[dc dalton]

Originally Posted by Exbiker

Damn, I have 3 boys all in their 30`s now. Where was that law when mine were teens. You haven`t raised teenagers have you?

Actually yes I have, our son is now 23

[stinkymcdoober]

I think that no amount of education, awareness, or public aide will get rid of those parents that "don't want" their children. It will always happen, and has been happening for decades. The best we can hope for is to create an atmosphere and/or system that will be the best catch-all for the majority, people like that manin the article who didn't know what to do after the death of his wife. Personally, i can't begin to imagine what Nebraska legislators were thinking by not putting an age limit on this policy, it seems their blanket solution just covered too much, obviously.

I dunno, i think they had the right idea but just implemented it wrong, if that makes sense. Something like this needs to be coupled with other outreach programs for children/families that don't fit the program, more than just public welfare. Hotlines, free or low cost family management education, something. I really didn't evenknow this policy existed in most states.

[D-FENS]

Some kids are assholes.

I don't think I was but I got tossed too. It builds character.




/making up for lost time

[Robert Kayland]

Originally Posted by Exbiker

Damn, I have 3 boys all in their 30`s now. Where was that law when mine were teens. You haven`t raised teenagers have you?

I think it was Bill Cosby that had a great line:

"I don't agree with abortion, but I think you should be allowed to kill your teenagers."