I understand that some women do not get that warm, special, motherly feeling while carrying a child. I do pity them that lack of connection. It is bad enough when someone opts for abortion, but how does a parent who has actually taken that baby home from the hospital, separate themselves from the loving emotion that bonds? How can they not consider that tiny being their family?

A baby tossed into a trash container, a child drowned in a toilet, another beaten and shaken to death, it is hard to conceive of such an idea. Still others locked in cars and drowned and all of those whose parents neglected, abused, and destroyed them in many other ways without killing them. What is wrong with a society that creates such parents?

My heart bleeds for people who have tough problems of their own, and have never had their own needs met. The circle is large and goes backward as well as forward to parents who did not care enough to pass on love. I sympathize with those whose abuse issues, addictions, and circumstances make parenting a job they cannot handle. But I cannot, feel any way but rage toward parents who dispose of their children like it is just so much garbage.

These parents who cannot stand children, could give them up. There are so many good people who have a need to have children, but nature has not cooperated. God has given them the ability to open their hearts and love children others cannot keep. They are only awaiting a chance to adopt these unwanted kids.

Foster parents open their homes and hearts constantly to victims of abuse and those children parents should never have had. Not all foster kids are there because of their parents' lack of love, but most because those parents could not put their own needs away while raising their kids. We must become more caring, selfless parents. We must put the needs of those children first. Why is that so hard? Have we become so self-centered that we cannot even do what parents have done throughout time sacrifice for our children?

I will not apologize for my feelings about parents who do not at least try to take care of their children. If they need help, they must receive it. It is out there. We cannot treat our youth like some commodity that is not valued enough to care for by all of us. Children are a gift from God. I'm so sorry that some people cannot see this fact.

We already have seen the results of the kinds of children this lack of loving and caring produces. These are the children who are killing other children since their parents have never convinced them of their own self-worth and never trained them to respect life.

A lack of morals and ethics are at the heart of this problem. We need to use every means at our disposal to bring our nation back to God and back to living with decency. Our parents must love and respect their children as well as the kids their parents. We must use a common sense approach to solving these problems that are overcoming our nation.

When we live with filth, and a lack of love, our lives become filthy and hateful. When we fill up our lives with good things such as love, and joy of living, it becomes a way of life. Pass decency, love, joy, and respect for life on to your children. But first, obtain it yourself so you can understand the truly great gift of being a parent.

© Jo Ann Wentzel