Parenting Privileges

Parenting is a privilege and one of the greatest and most joyful experiences that this life has to offer. So it distresses me to read the daily headlines of Yahoo and Google that continually report unspeakable child abuse. Tonight's headline shows an American toddler of 22 months who has been duct taped to the wall by his mother and her boyfriend who were high at the time and thought they would do it for entertainment. What hope does a child in this kind of environment have?? The child has been returned to the custody of his mother (OMG). I get the biological ties - I am a mother myself - BUT, there is something very wrong with this picture. Has this woman had counselling? Has the child had sufficient counselling and are they old enough to be able to understand that this type of behaviour is not normal or acceptable. What protective measures are in place to offer this child safety if this kind of behaviour threatens again? Where were the concerned family, friends and neighbours? We need a licence to drive a car, we have to apply and be approved for entry and membership to any club, there are qualifying criteria for entering the forces and an interview process with minimum requirements for every job on the planet, and yet, any woman with a functioning uterus and access to some sperm can procreate no questions asked, no qualifications required. How is it that the most important job on the planet has no minimum qualification criteria. Something is very wrong with this picture ....