Parents neglect their babies to play Videos Games

[Titan76]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19766590/

RENO, Nev. - A couple authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.

The children of Michael and Iana Straw, a boy age 22 months and a girl age 11 months, were severely malnourished and near death last month when doctors saw them after social workers took them to a hospital, authorities said. Both children are doing well and gaining weight in foster care, prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration.

Her brother had to be treated for starvation and a genital infection. His lack of muscle development caused him difficulty in walking, investigators said.

The Straws have been given public defenders. Jeremy Bosler, head of the county public defender’s office, declined to comment to The Associated Press on Saturday.

Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said.
Both of them plead guilty and are facing 12 years. I hope they get more.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Someone should take the video game handles and beat the shit outta him and his wife personally. They should never get any children .

[Mike Pothier]

*checks watch* Jack Thompson should be barreling in right about... now.

[Ivan Isaacs]

At least the kids lived.

Here in Germany a couple of months ago a 1-year old drowned in the bathtub 'cause daddy went playing videogames and forgot his child over that! :mad:

[Solaris]

Dear. Gods.

THIS is why we need better family classes in schools, and better sex education. Not to say that it still might not have happened... but then again, there's the chance that these two supreme idiots might have used birth control, and never produced children to be neglected.

Those poor, poor babies. The 11 month old was TEN POUNDS. People, that's what some infants way AT BIRTH, and this is 11 months LATER. The little boy couldn't even WALK. And the little girl's hair matted by CAT URINE???

People like this make me sick sick sick. I hope to hell the state takes away all rights to those children from these two imbeciles right away, and further, hopefully gets them adopted into a nice home.

And yes, it's cases like this that make me wish we had mandatory sterilyzation for such people. I wouldn't truly ask for it, because of the rights violations involved... but I'm so angry and sickened, I still wish for it.

Those poor children, babies, are in my prayers.:(

[Solaris]

At least the kids lived.

Here in Germany a couple of months ago a 1-year old drowned in the bathtub 'cause daddy went playing videogames and forgot his child over that! :mad:


Okay, I need to leave this thread---the frustrating anger I feel over this kind of thing doesn't do any good, and does me some harm.

[Joe Grendel]

The key here is parental neglect, not videogames. These folks would have ignored their kids for a good Gilligan's Island marathon.

[Copper]

The key here is parental neglect, not videogames. These folks would have ignored their kids for a good Gilligan's Island marathon.

Yeah, blaming video games is looking really sexy now. What really riles me is that if it was something like oh, excessive drinking and drug use the story wouldn't have been reported because it's too passe. Parental neglect is parental neglect. The stupid thing is now they're going to focus on video games and not because the parents were imbeciles.

[mattx110]

children that young can't afford to be neglected. it'll take months before you can call a malnourished 11 month old healthy.
say the kid was born 5 pounds. he should be 10 pounds at 1 month? if it took 2-3 months to gain 5 pounds any doctor would be ready to call a social worker or admit the child into an emergency room. it's incredible that the children survived.

forget eureka surviving to season 2, this is a miracle.

[Pinnacle]

Before my mother retired, she came across so many people who were bad parents, some guilty of neglect. It gets you to think of enforcing sterillization of certain repeat offenders. I understand why we don't but sometimes you question it.

When my mother told some of her male students that while she prefered if they abstained she wished they would use protection, they responded that they thought that was only when you were with a girl that might have some STD and that the girl should be on the pill. Idiots.

I'm conservative about sex due to religious belief, but I am still a strong supporter of sex education in our schools. Abstinence, while in my opinion a noble campaign, has proven to not work. I think we should still promote abstinence but we should also promote protection and birth control. It is extremely naive to believe that kids aren't aware and participating in this stuff.

At the same time, from my personal experience in dealing with young people, cases like this would still probably not be avoided due to sheer laziness. Personal hygeine has become such an issue. That I'm pretty sure they're certainly not going to put out the effort to use protection.

This is just sad, sad. I hope and pray that these children get good homes and that these people are put away for a long time.

[Gilda Dent]

THIS is why we need better family classes in schools, and better sex education. Not to say that it still might not have happened... but then again, there's the chance that these two supreme idiots might have used birth control, and never produced children to be neglected.

The school district where I worked in California had free parenting classes for the parents of children enrolled in the schools. We had 600 students enrolled in our elementary school and twice that in the middle school, which had four elementary schools feeding into it. Just under 2000 students.

The adult education and parenting classes sometimes had to be canceled for lack of enough parents willing to attend.

The middle school had a mandatory family planning and life skills class as part of the curriculum, but parents could opt their children out. About half did.

Many parents don't like the idea that they need to learn how to be a good parent, that it isn't something that you know by instinct. Some see the idea that they would be attending parenting classes, or that their children would be getting basic life skills instruction, as insulting. I'm not exactly sure why, though. Emily has an M.D., and we still signed up for and attended classes in basic childcare once we knew for sure that we were going to be able to adopt an infant.

I can't understand why having more information about how to do something, especially something as important and complex as caring for a small child, why that would be seen as a bad thing.

[Pinnacle]

The school district where I worked in California had free parenting classes for the parents of children enrolled in the schools. We had 600 students enrolled in our elementary school and twice that in the middle school, which had four elementary schools feeding into it. Just under 2000 students.

The adult education and parenting classes sometimes had to be canceled for lack of enough parents willing to attend.

The middle school had a mandatory family planning and life skills class as part of the curriculum, but parents could opt their children out. About half did.

Many parents don't like the idea that they need to learn how to be a good parent, that it isn't something that you know by instinct. Some see the idea that they would be attending parenting classes, or that their children would be getting basic life skills instruction, as insulting. I'm not exactly sure why, though. Emily has an M.D., and we still signed up for and attended classes in basic childcare once we knew for sure that we were going to be able to adopt an infant.

I can't understand why having more information about how to do something, especially something as important and complex as caring for a small child, why that would be seen as a bad thing.

Ignorance can easily be insulted especially when it's not really being insulted. I agree if you want to be a good parent you should be eager to take a parenting class. I'm sure some classes and programs might be a waste of time but if you're wanting to learn you could choose what program fits your needs or push for the program to improve its information in certain areas. I'm not a parent but I hope to be one one day. I also consider myself an intelligent and educated person but the thought of raising an infant scares the hell out of me.

[Kevin M.]

This is beyond sad, it borders on absurdity. I guess there is something to the saying of not letting stupid people breed.

[Joe Grendel]

What really riles me is that if it was something like oh, excessive drinking and drug use the story wouldn't have been reported because it's too passe.

My paper would have reported it. Heck, I think we have reported stuff like that.

[1WEBHEAD]

Dumbasses.

Those two deserve every day in that jail cell.

Those two were parents of two babies.

They had a responsibility.

How can you play videogames while you babies are starving?

I do hope those kids pull thruogh. They are in my prayers. . . :(

[Forefinger]

Shit like this is why I'm all for abortion and condoms. Hell, pulling out works well. Why the fuck do some people have kids!!!???