The pain afflicted from abandonment

Alyssa Garcia
Mr. Joshua Rear
English IV, Period 2
4 November 2011
The Pain Afflicted from Abandonment
Walking away from a bad situation may be easy, but it is rarely the right thing to do. Although in modern society, everyday people hear about children being abandoned or neglected, there are many alternatives rather than abandoning a child. It is a human quality when people try to fixthings on their own, but in these cases it is selfish. In some cases mothers cannot afford or take care of the child. Many times, a mother has to quit their job or stop their education short because it is a lot to handle school, work, and a child all at the same time. Sadly, there are some situations where the mother does drugs and is just senseless and irrational and they are obviously not suited tocare for a child, and therefore abandon their child. Types of abandonment and neglect vary, but the most common types include psychological, emotional, and physical abandonment. These all affect the child negatively and in their own different ways and may cause them to have trust issues, self-esteem problems, and many other difficulties. Sadly, these are only a few of the many effects ofabandonment or neglect on a child. The effects may be temporary but can become permanent without the right counseling if any. Children who are abandoned go through countless struggles, but with help from others and counseling they can still live fulfilled and productive lives.
“Abandonment occurs when a mother physically, emotionally or psychologically removes herself from her children. The mother doesthis by ending or ignoring her responsibility to parent her children, or ending her relationship with her children” (Wyden). Abandoned children have trouble with self-esteem and trust issues and building other relationships with other people like friends, mentors, or teachers. The reason for this is because they feel if their mother did not love them, no one else will. That is why it is verydifficult for a child to get close to a new care giver; they do not want to create any bonds because they feel as though anyone will leave them too. When the abandoned child gets older, he or she can only hope of having any successful reunion with their mother in the future. Children that are abandoned feel confused and are left with unanswered questions. This is hard for the child psychologically and itis hard for them to understand that it is not their fault. “The child who has lost his mother to abandonment, experiences sadness and confusion when the child hears their friends talk about their mothers, it is difficult for them to see other children experiencing a normal life with an intact family” (Wyden). Unfortunately many times, a child might also feel embarrassed or find it hard to talkabout their mother because of all the unanswered questions, and the sadness and confusion of how a mother is capable of doing that.
Child abandonment is a rising issue all over the world but fortunately there are many programs and organizations to help prevent this issue from rising any more. Programs such as orphanages and foster homes are common places to send a child in need. “Children inorphanages do not have to face the extremely difficult life of being homeless. They also get the opportunity to grow in a stable and structured environment where they can find friends, recreation, mental health assistance, and discipline” (Wyden).Unfortunately, there are no longer orphanages in the United States, the reason being because of the lack of support for the children, and individual attention.But those sent to orphanages usually were raised by religious groups such as a catholic church, which was the most common orphanage raising. “As early as the 14th century, religious orders and municipalities established orphanages to care for children abandoned as a result of poverty or parents affected by plagues” (Whitney). Most of these orphanages are non-profit organizations, so the reasons...