After reading this email, I have to ask - does anyone have to wonder
where the roots of violence are? Ignored need, no effort made to comfort
or feed the infant, apparently no verbal and little physical interaction
with the infant, placing the 'want' for new clothing over infant's need
for either comfort or food, replacing food with water (certainly little
nutrition here), encouraging sleep in place of comfort or food, and
being happy at finding a bottle of formula that has been out of a
refrigerator or cooler for who knows how long (I'm guessing the mother
fed that formula to the baby - not to waste it).

  Imagine the damages done to that infant - hunger which went
unanswered, a threat to his/her health if that formula was fed to
him/her (perhaps even a serious illness as a result), a need for comfort
and human interaction that went unanswered, a little piece of this
infant's self esteem and self-worth damaged (perhaps destroyed) and
perhaps a message sent to his/her brain of 'why bother calling attention
to my needs, they go unanswered.'

  What is scary to me, if this behavior went on out in public, how must
that mother treat that infant in the home?

Leslie Ward
Vine Grove, KY

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