[notfarnow]

My wife is a social worker. Although it's not her department, she works closely with people in child protection, and many of her friends are in that team.

We had a few of them over at a party last week.

Some of the stories are just terrible. Recently, they had a baby who had been bit, shaken and then swung by her leg into a wall... injuries than had taken place over days & weeks.

Even then, they say the hardest cases are neglect. With physical abuse, it's pretty cut & dry... doctors notes, witnesses. Proving neglect or emotional abuse is nearly impossible. As long as kids have the "essentials", food, water, heat and a "secure" living environment, it's hard to intervene. I can't imagine how hard it would be... seeing some of these parents and environments, and having to leave the kids there.

One of them said something that really struck me, when I asked WHY peopel like this have children:

"For a lot of people, getting pregnant is something that just happens to you, like falling down stairs or forgetting to pay a parking ticket."

It's not about the joy of being a parent, or seeing a kid enjoy life. It's an inconvenience and a disruption of your daily routine. Something you have to deal with, instead of something you're blessed with.

How sad is that?