And Still I Rise

Last week the nation received the shocking news that an infant was suffocated by its eighteen year old mother. This following the equally shocking news that an 85 year old woman was hacked to death by her mentally ill son. Since then  anger and disgust have dominated the conversations re the perpetrator. A mother killing her child hits us in the deep recesses of our being. It goes against everything we hold dear and understand about a mother's unconditional love for  her child. So we look-often in vain for answers that explain the unimaginable.

 From listening to the too young grandmother's heart wrenching interview on the evening news a picture emerged. A picture of a young girl who desperately wanted to be somebody but  held back by socioeconomic conditions and the challenges of motherhood. I believe on that fatal day the child became the embodiment of all her frustrations causing her to do the unthinkable. Children ought not to die like this and in an ideal world they'd be born to adults who can provide them with the love and care they need..Unfortunately, far too many young girls are becoming mothers at a time when they should be furthering their education and making themselves marketable. Under these conditions  poor parenting,practices and lack of support put these children at risk for abuse.

This is such a tragedy that goes beyond the mother and her state of mind when she committed the crime. Am I to believe that no one close to her saw any signs that this child was in danger? Or did the mother do just a great job pretending that no one saw beyond her facade? Somehow, I  believe there were cries for help that went unanswered and that compounds the tragedy. People should not be afraid to use the Social Services even if it means removing the children from the household. When I think of all the teen moms out there whose dreams have been deferred I can only hope their support structures are stronger and their frustrations find a better outlet.