We Have a Responsibility As Adults to Protect

Our children are, or should be, our most precious gift. With all the hoopla over Casey Anthony and the murder (sorry I don't agree with the jury of her peers) of her daughter this epidemic needs to be brought to light, discussed and acted upon.

• Almost five children die every day as a result of child abuse. More than three out of four are under the age of 4.

If you paid any attention to the trial of Casey Anthony you heard how dysfunctional the entire family is. True or not? As the mother of a daughter in her early 20's I know that it is often not smooth sailing, we both have strong personalities and I don't currently approve of her choice in boyfriend. So we have our share of discord but thank goodness there is not a child involved because if there was this too would be a dysfunctional home.

• It is estimated that between 60-85% of child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates.

There were problems in the Anthony home, concerning Caylee, that were detected by friends and family but went totally unreported. I feel pretty certain that Mrs. Anthony did not approve of Casey's lifestyle and was the primary caregiver for Caylee. There was a falling out between mom and daughter, Casey took off with Caylee and we all know the end result.

Now let's play the 'what if' game. What if Mrs. Anthony had reported Casey to the authorities for neglect, they authorities would have investigated and maybe this whole thing could have been prevented. Best case scenario, Mrs. & Mr. Anthony could have obtained temporary guardianship over Caylee so that Casey was free to party, gallivant and do whatever she wanted to do without concern for her child. But that is not what happened.


If you know for a fact or even suspect that a child is being neglected (being left home alone, parent's do drugs, etc.) you have a moral obligation to report it. You can do so anonymously but you need to report what you know or suspect and get the authorities involved. If you do not and something horrible happens to that child you will have to bear that burden. 


It takes a village to raise a child, even more so in these trying times than ever before. 


The jury in the Anthony case failed Caylee. They wanted to put the entire ordeal behind them and made a decision based on that instead of the evidence presented in the case. I watched most of the trial and found evidence of Casey's guilt for neglect that resulted in the death of Caylee. 


All the death threats against the family are simply insane. You need to take that anger and direct it in a positive direction such as preventing the same thing from happening to another child. Casey will screw up again and will get caught and convicted just like O.J. Simpson did. What goes around comes around.


My hypothesis on the death of Caylee is that Casey wanted to go out and did not have a sitter (she was not living at home where grandma could watch the baby) she took Caylee with her and left her in the car. It is hot and humid in Florida, no telling how long the baby was locked in the car and hopefully she was asleep. When Casey finally returned to the car and found her child dead she put a plan in motion. She knew that if she went to the police with the truth she would be put in jail but if she could cover up the problem she really thought the little body would never be found. She hatched a bunch of lies about the 'missing' child and it worked for 31 days. Lying about her daughter's whereabouts for 31 days qualifies as neglect and grounds for a guilty verdict.


We will never know the truth behind little Caylee's passing but we can learn from this and hopefully prevent this from happening to other innocent children. As adults we have to be the voice for the children in our communities.