Will The Real Parent Please Stand Up?

When I heard the story, I couldn't believe what this so-called father had done. Even now I'm reeling from the heinousness of the incident. A little boy, eight years of age, set on fire by his father. The reason (as if there is any reason behind such an act): he lost a shoe at school.

Now how do you compare a shoe to the life of a child? Is a piece of leather of more value than a human being? And to think that initially the man (I use the term loosely; I think beast seems more appropriate) created a ring of fire around the child - that twice the boy escaped - before he doused him with gasoline. Now the child is suffering from third degree burns on almost 50 percent of his body. Was this some sort of game for the man? This is borderline insanity, if not full-blown. No child - no matter the offense - is deserving of torture.

And then the madness spread. Another story emerged in the news about a girl - age four - who was being abused by her step-mother. It was reported that she had lacerations all over her body, her lip was bruised (apparently from being boxed in the face), and that she walked with a limp.

I don't think many persons truly understand what it means to be a parent (in this case maybe I should add human being). You don't have to be one to know that it's not just about bearing or fathering a child. Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines a parent as not only one "who begets or brings forth offspring" but also one "who brings up and cares for another." Cares. I can't stress this word enough. A child is not a thing or property; therefore the way you treat this innocent being cannot be like how you would treat a pair of old shoes.

Being a parent is a privilege; but it is also a responsibility. For those who don't know how to balance both, leave the parenting to someone else.