Please listen...

This story has been in the news for a few days now. It has been particularly poignant for me. Children left in the care of a selfish, brutal, heartless, monster…while the only hope they had (their father) looked the other way. Dear Lord.

I don’t know the particulars in this case…but I can guess. My guess would be that the kids told their father…more than once…what was happening. My guess is that he didn’t believe them…or didn’t want to be bothered, so he ‘turned a blind eye’. I shudder to think of the things that the children endured…my heart breaks for them.

Children don’t ask to be born…they are precious gifts entrusted to us for a very short time. If a child tells you that someone is mistreating him/her…please listen…please take action. Adults like this woman, count on the fact that other adults won’t believe the things that a child says….particularly when they are as heinous as this. They count on the gullibility of their peers, and on their own prowess at concealing the things that they do.

These children will most likely survive…we did. But how damaged will they be? Their lives have been forever altered. Hopefully, they will never, ever live under the same roof as their step-mother or their father again. Nonetheless…there will be nightmares, seemingly irrational fears and things that they absolutely despise, without knowing why. They will cringe when they see a child spanked, and feel the need to overfeed every living, breathing thing they see. They will feel absolute rage when they read about things like this…and to some degree…they will never be able to completely shake the feeling of apprehension and vulnerability.

Pray for these kids…and for this world…which somehow continues to foster this kind of behavior…on an increasing and alarming basis.

Be Well!

Father Arrested In Possible Child Neglect Case
KAKE News
Father Arrested In Possible Child Neglect CaseJuly 25
A local father joins his wife, both facing charges of child endangerment.
"He knew, or should have known, the condition of his daughters," said Captain Randy Landen with Wichita police.
It was obvious to the social worker who got a tip to check on the six and seven year old girls last Friday. The mere sight of the children enraged some officers at the scene.
For police, there is no explanation a father could give as to why his children had been deprived of food and water for at least several days. The children were dehydrated and in dire straits.
The children were admitted to the hospital. Their father, Alex Wood, was arrested on two counts of aggravated child endangerment.
Just hours before his arrest, the children's stepmother, Jennifer Wood, was released from jail. Police claim her two biological children were in great shape, but her two stepchildren were a different story.
In addition to being deprived food, Wood is also accused of aggravated battery. Ligature marks were found on one of the girls' throats.
While all of this was unfolding, the family of the father of Jennifer Wood's children, were in a panic. They didn't want to be identified, but say Wood brought all four children to their home for a picnic about a year ago. They say she wouldn't let the step children have anything but water, claiming they had food allergies.
Authorities say they are still investigating exactly what happened inside the home, and how long it had been going on. One question they might never understand the answer to is, why.