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Child abuse in the United States has become a growing problem in recent years. Generation after generation, child abuse continues to occur down the family tree. The problem has not shown much sign of positive progression lately. As population has grown, there have been more reported cases of child abuse. It has been observed that families with history of violent child abuse have continued down the family line. Many people feel that these problems will eventually work out for the better, but the fact of the matter is that it will only get worse.
Generation after generation, child abuse occurs down the family tree. It will become a never-ending process of abuse down the family line, unless something is done to prevent this from happening. Throughout time, there has always been a history of child abuse down a family tree. American children have had a bad history of abusive families, although it is much worse in other countries around the world. Generation after generation, parents have believed that physical discipline is in the best interest of the kids, so they continue to do what they feel is right, even if it means hurting their children (Jones 87). Although most people abused as children grow up to be abusive parents, there are those who can overcome the obstacle and not be abusive grownups (Fox 30).
Most child abusers are survivors of abuse from their parents when they were younger children (Gates 107). Most parents believe abusing children comes back to when they were abused as a child. The idea, "He got to beat me, so now I get to beat you-it's my turn, " basically tells the whole reason behind family child abuse. Most parents feel that when they were children, they got resented and were treated horribly. They usually feel like they have to take their own pain and suffering out on their children. Parents abused as children grow up feeling helpless because the people they depended on most treated them badly (Gates 110).
They come to the conclusion that they need to take their anger and frustration out on their children. Many parents are involved with abusing their own children believing that their parents were right when they abused them. By hitting their own children, they feel their point is proven. Abused children usually learn from their parents to take the side of the abuser and see things differently from their point of view (Gates 110). This type of foolishness is the primary reason why there has not been any improvement in the number of child abuse cases reported in the United States.
If children are abusive to other people, they will grow up to be abusive to their children. They will begin to realize that it is fine to hit your children just because you hurt other people your own age. As children, these parents usually looked up to their abusive parents as their idols. When they grew up, they want to turn out like their parents, even if it means hitting their kids (Jones 87).
As kids begin to grow up, they learn from their parents to become abusive, usually with people that are considered their enemies. Research in the past has shown that if parents are taught kids aren't the enemy, child abuse will begin to decrease. Most parents as children believed that their abusive parents knew what was "best, " so they would grow up to turn out like their parents and do what is "best" for their kids (Fox 31). Child abuse basically means the mistreatment of adolescents through either physical or sexual means. The trend of generations being abusive to each other has tremendously grown withing the last 30 years (Fox 31). Most abusive parents don't really have a good reason why they hit their children, other than that's all they know from their own parents.
They usually hit their children simply because they don't know any other way to act for punishment of their children (Jones 87). Most children believe that their parents were abusing them out of love, so in turn, when they become parents, they do the same thing to their children. They feel that physical abuse is the right thing to do. Most scientists once believed that people with severe mental problems and emotional problems would abuse their children. In recent studies, it has been discovered that parents often hit their children through disappointment from their own adolescence, when in fact, the children can't make up for their parents problems. All they do is take the abuse from their parents who are frustrated or disappointed with their childhood.
When parents believe that the child getting abused is their own fault, they are wrong. However, the children don't say anything to hurt their parents. They would rather not bother them about the subject. They feel that if they talk to their parents about it, they will only be putting themselves at risk of being abuse even further. Children will usually only reveal secrets to their parents of them being abused by other people their age.
The parents' usual response is to stand up for their own rights (Gates 113). When most parents say why they abuse their children, the two most frequent answers: "out of love" and "for discipline reasons. " The fact of the matter is that children are the primary targets for troubled parents to abuse (Fox 30). Parents feel that no matter what, physical abuse is the best form of punishment, only knowing what they were taught from their parents. One common view is that abused children usually grow up to become abusive adults, known as the "cycle of abuse. " Most parents usually develop a sense of pride knowing they have followed their past generations with physical abuse towards their children. Parents like this are what has caused child abuse to take a great leap for the worse (Jones 86). Most women who were abused as children have no problems with abusing their own children.
They feel that if they were abused as kids, they can do the same to their own. However, most women leave the physical abuse to the male of the house. As children, the mothers usually sat back and watched their own mom not interfere with the men's abusive power. They then grew up to do the same thing as a mother.
They usually watch their husband hurt the children without any means of prevention. If more women got involved by preventing their husbands from hurting their children, then the number of cases would drop dramatically. Most women feel that if they interfere, their spouse will usually retaliate with physical abuse to them. As these women were abused as children, they grow up to accept the fact they are beaten by their spouse. They believe there is nothing they can do about it, when in fact, they can either do one of two things: call for help or leave immediately (Jones 86).
Child abuse can cause children to have many physical and emotional problems. These problems can occur any time from when they were abused to when they become adults. Parents who abuse children can cause them to have many psychological problems. Many criminals these days are people that were abused as children, going through many problems in their childhood (Gates 109). One terrible effect of abuse is that children will feel neglected and that their parents aren't doing their job. Parents are supposed to protect their young ones, but they don't feel protected when their own parents are physically hurting them (Jones 86).
Most parents abused as children will likely abuse their own children when they grow up, according to statistics over the past decade. One of the major causes of child abuse is through stress of adults, and as children become adults, that stress will increase and they will begin to hurt their children. All this does is continue the abusive trend down the line from generation to generation (Fox 31). Another cause of child abuse is that when parents were children, they received no emotional love or support by their parents.
Because of this lack of love, they don't know how to show their own love and affection to their children. Since most parents felt unloved as children, they take their frustration and anger out on their children with verbal and physical abuse (Gates 113). Children are told by their parents that abuse to them is only done out of great emotional love, when in fact, it is not true. Most children usually feel sorry for their abusive parents, believing the parents are only hurting them out of love. In reality, they should be angry and aggravated with them. No child should get abused by their parents, not matter what the circumstances are.
When children are beaten, they usually blame themselves. They think they did something wrong to cause their parents to hit them and it is all their fault. However, when children are abused, it is entirely the parents' fault. Most abused children are afraid to report to other adults that they are abused.
They think that something bad can happen to them or to their parents. Although it is hard, if a child is abused, he must notify another adult immediately so he can be protected. If parents were educationally taught that child abuse is inhumane, it could be prevented. They need to know there are different means of punishment other than abuse (Jones 87). Sexual abuse has become a major problem for generations of a family, and this problem continues to persist as time goes by. Most parents don't realize when their children are sexually abused, and in most cases, they don't really care.
All they care about is their own personal happiness, and not about their kids (Gates 108). Most children who were sexually, emotionally, or physically abused grow up to repeat as abusive parents themselves. It is the same case when you grow up with people who go through this. Most sexual abusers often were adults sexually abused as minors, and by continuing this horrific abuse, they are showing their belief that their Gates 112).
Most parents know that what they are doing is wrong, but they haven't been taught any better to stop from abusing their children. Child abuse in America has tremendously grown within the past few years. The main reason for this increase is because of the teaching of child abuse generation after generation. If people were taught that it is wrong to hurt children, then maybe child abuse would decrease.
No child should ever be beaten by their parents. It is completely wrong and immoral to hit your kids, even if you think it is good discipline for your kids. There are more effective ways to punish your children, and physical abuse should not even be an option. I hope that more people will come to realize that hitting your child is wrong, and they will someday stop this disaster from continuing. Generation after generation, down the family line, abused children become abusive parents. The only way to stop this from continuing is for somebody to stop and say, "hey, child abuse is wrong!
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Research essay sample on Abuse Their Children Child Abuse
