You hear a lot out of the court system about keeping families together and restoring the parent/child relationship. Makes sense, right? But the story of the 2-year-old boy who cops say was killed by his own mother in New York City makes me wonder if sometimes they push a little too hard.
Afriyie Gaspard is facing charges of manslaughter and murder after cops say she strangled little Izayah Hall. This mother of six allegedly told cops she squeezed the boy's neck to get him to stop crying.
It's all sad and crazy enough, but then get this. It seems Afriyie JUST got several of her kids back in March after losing them in a child abandonment case.
And this mother didn't just get her kids handed back to her. She is said to have taken actual parenting classes in order to prove to the courts that she was a fit mother.
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I don't know about you, but something doesn't add up here. If this woman actually strangled her child to get him to shut up, then it doesn't sound like those parenting classes were worth a hill of beans. Toddlers are frustrating, especially when they're crying. But she should have been taught the kind of skills you need to keep your cool and get through it.
And if she wasn't ... well, then why did she get her kids back to begin with? Who signed off on this particular parenting class and said, "Yeah, OK, this Mom is safe to be around children?"
Right now it's all in allegation stage. Afriyie may be proven innocent in a court of law. But it doesn't sound good for anyone here -- child protective services included.
Who do you believe here?
Image via petercastleton/Flickr
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Comments 48
Just because she took the class, doesn't mean she cared enough to actually learn anything from it. And really, in what world do they need to have a segment about not strangling your child? And what kind of person capable of doing this is going to stop and think "oh wait, they said not to do that in parenting class". Yeah right, anyone thinking things through like that, wouldn't do something so awful in the first place.
When I was pregnant with my daughter I took several parenting classes (the optional, non-court mandated ones :-p ) and I was always shocked that in the middle of each class there had to be a "dont shake your baby" PSA...Who the hell needs to be TOLD not to shake and/or strangle a baby? And if this woman abandoned her kids in the first place, then maybe that should have told them something. Geez.. >.<
CPS should be about the welfare of the child, and if the child is better off without their biological parents, then so be it. Their main goal should NOT be to keep them in a bad home just so they can be with their incubator/sperm donor.
Just because someone has a child it does not make them a good parent. The courts seem to push parents to step up when they are not capable. Like our state who doesnt believe in sole custody. The courts dont have the time or desire to listen to what is n the best interest of kids.