The Abuse of Children and Adults Who Struggle for Survival and the Challenge to Avoid Blaming the Victim

THE ABUSE OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS WHO STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL AND THE CHALLENGE TO AVOID BLAMING THE VICTIM Unfortunately, many children in the United States are raised under less than ideal conditions. Many children are born to unwed mothers and never even know their fathers. Still others are abandoned by one or both of their parents when they are young. They often live in households subsisting below the poverty level where drug and alcohol abuse is rampant. Some are lucky and are taken to live with grandparents or other caring relatives. Others end up in foster homes that may or may not be much better. Even so, most continue to live in an environment where they are not properly cared for and many are neglected, abused and damaged, physically and emotionally. In this series of books the authors, using vignettes of actual case histories from their own professional experiences, chronicle what happens to children and youth who are abandoned or live in situations where they are unable to flourish and develop into contributing members of society. As the authors point out, many children from such backgrounds grow up to abandon, neglect, and abuse their own offspring. The past does not need to be prologue. The authors make the case that under the guidance of skilled and caring professionals, such as teachers and counselors, the cycle can be broken. In this respect they issue a clarion call to lawmakers, policymakers, and others charged with the welfare of children to examine the conditions that have allowed far too many children to grow up in environments where they are not nourished and cannot thrive, physically or emotionally, and take corrective action. The focus of Volume 3: The Struggle When father Abandons His Child and Mother is about damaged fathers whose behaviors include abandonment, violence, alcohol and other substance abuse, along with various forms of criminal behavior that leave their children fatherless. The children left behind are left on their own to find substitute anchors and role models that don't always live up to be appropriate substitutes. This volume demonstrates the devastated role that damaged fathers play that contribute to social-emotional problems for their children that are played out at home, school and in the community. The problems become pervasive and in a number of situations intractable and driven by rage, violence, cruelty, criminal behavior by children and adults, as well as various forms of anti-social behavior in school and community. Volume 3 ends with a summary of characteristics of damaged fathers and the subsequent deprivation, anger, rage and antisocial behavior that they leave behind for their children.