child abuse

I have always been fairly frank with my kids. I started the difficult conversations about things like sex, sexuality, drugs, and peer pressure when they were very young. As they grew older, the conversations evolved and I felt confident that they were comfortable talking to me. So, I patted myself on the back, thinking I'd done my job well.

Last year, though, I was blindsided when someone in my family was sentenced on charges of possession of sexually explicit material. This was a difficult conversation I never thought to have with my kids — a conversation about child pornography and sexual predators.

Keep reading.

The recession has taken its toll on families in varying ways. From lost wages and jobs, changes in spending habits, and decisions to delay expanding the family are just the tip of the iceberg in some homes. The stress can be overwhelming and, according to a new report, appears to have lead to a sharp increase in the number of babies affected by Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) since the economic bubble burst in 2007.

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh found a 55 percent increase in the number of abusive head trauma cases beginning in December 2007. The top cause of child abuse deaths in the US, shaken baby syndrome affects up to 1,300 tots each year. According to the study, dads and boyfriends were the primary perpetrators, Two-thirds of the victims were admitted to intensive care and 16 percent of the died as a result of their injuries.

The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome notes that there are various degrees of SBS and identifies the following as symptoms of the abuse:

• Lethargy / decreased muscle tone
• Extreme irritability
• Decreased appetite, poor feeding or vomiting for no apparent reason
• Grab-type bruises on arms or chest are rare
• No smiling or vocalization
• Poor sucking or swallowing
• Rigidity or posturing
• Difficulty breathing
• Seizures
• Head or forehead appears larger than usual or soft-spot on head appears to be bulging
• Inability to lift head
• Inability of eyes to focus or track movement or unequal size of pupils

If you suspect a child has been abused, contact your local authorities as soon as possible.

Can you imagine neglecting your own child in favor of a virtual one? A South Korean couple did exactly that, and their 3-month-old daughter died of malnutrition. The dad, 41, and mom, 25, both unemployed and depressed, spent long periods of time at an Internet cafe preoccupied with their online child and only fed their human preemie once a day. A report said:

The couple had become obsessed with nurturing a virtual girl called Anima in the popular role-playing game Prius Online, police said on Friday. The game enables players to interact with Anima and as they do so, help her to recover her lost memory and develop emotions.

The parents have since been arrested. While this is an extreme and devastating example, it begs a question about technology. More than ever, parents have the power to stay connected on gaming and social networking sites. And, what starts out as a few minutes online can quickly turn into hours. Do you think today's kids will be adversely affected by all the time their moms and dads spend on the computer?

Yesterday, we discussed some of the challenges children of immigrants face trying to deal with clashing cultural values, but the following case is extreme.

Police are still looking for a Peoria, AZ, man originally from Iraq who allegedly ran down his daughter and her friend with his SUV to punish her for becoming "too Westernized."

Faleh Hassan Almaleki ran down his daughter Noor and her friend Amal Edan Khalaf in a parking lot on Tuesday, resulting in his daughter's hospitalization for life-threatening injuries while Khalaf, whose injuries were less severe, is also in the hospital.

This is paternalism at its worst. I have an Iranian-American friend who is having similar culture clash issues with her father, but he's a gentle and wonderful person who is trying to understand her and keep lines of communication open. I hope the women recover and that Noor and her father can reach some sort of understanding with each other eventually.

What would you do if a stranger slapped your toddler across the face? Atlanta-area police arrested a 61-year-old man this week after he allegedly smacked a 2-year-old who wouldn't stop crying. According to witnesses, the man told the little girl's mother, "If you don’t shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you." When the little girl continued to whimper, the man – who did not know the family – grabbed her and struck her four or five times, saying "See, I told you I would shut her up." He has been charged with first-degree cruelty to children.

The victim's mother says she is doing okay, but the incident has many people shaking their heads. Plenty of children act up in public places, how would you react if a stranger struck your lil one? Watch the video clip when you, read more

The average weight for a 14-year-old boy is roughly 112 pounds. When a child packs on a score or two more than that, most people start to notice the thicker waistline. So when a South Carolina boy tipped the scales at 555 pounds, it wasn't just friends and strangers that noticed — local authorities did, too. The teen's mother, Jerri Gray, was taken into custody for child neglect and may face jail time if found guilty. The working mama blamed her work schedule for feeding her son unhealthy meals, but claims she has been trying to help him lose weight.

Do you think child obesity is a form of child abuse?