A hard thought to digest
Child abuse is doing something or failing to do something that results in harm to a child or puts a child at risk of harm.
The best thing to do if you suspect a child is at risk is let the authorities know immediately.
I was at a chemist recently and I heard a parent tell the Chemist what dose of over-the-counter medicine she was giving her toddler due to cough/cold symptoms. The Chemist, repeated the dose back to the parent, hoping he heard wrong. However, he didn’t, the parent was giving the child a much higher dose than recommended on the bottle. The parent was desperately trying to find something stronger because the current remedy wasn’t working. The Chemist quickly advised the parent of the correct dose and the dangers of ignoring this advice.
From an onlooker’s point of view this Mother was not purposely abusing her child, however, according to the definition of child abuse, this would be classed as a form of child abuse.
Parents are under stress constantly and need all the support they can get. If you see a parent struggling maybe there is something little you can do. As a community there are lots of things to help those in need. And if you are stressed and struggling get in contact with people who can help.
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