The novel A Child Called It, by Dave Pelzer is an inspiring heart wrenching story about a young boy, Dave, who is abused both physically and mentally by his mother. Dave endures and more importantly survives an ideal that no human being should ever have to live through. From the age of 4 to 10 Dave was continually abused and dehumanized, gradually getting worse over time. Everything was taken away from him, his mother made him feel like he was truly nothing. The abuse he endured included beatings, forcing him to vomit, burning him, suffocating and forcing ammonia down his throat, being forced to lay in a bathtub with freezing water, poopy diapers rubbed on his face and being forced to eat them, and much more horrendous abuse. Dave stayed
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He was disciplined extremely different compared to others. Disciplining is not the correct term to use when describing what he endured, he was horrendously abused both physically and mentally. There is a great difference of discipline and what the author experienced. The words to describe this parental relationship is barbaric, crime, injustice, abusive, punishment, and authoritative. I feel that relationship is not the right term to use when describing the interaction between the author and his mother. A relationship is a connection between two things, the mother showed no affection or connection to the author. All that can be seen is hate and resentment. There are countless examples throughout the novel that represent this parental relationship. A great example of this is the condition in which the author lived. He was forced to sleep like a dog, in the text Dave states “After I finished the bowl of regurgitated hot dog, Mother returned in her robe and threw a wad of newspapers at me. She informed me the papers were my blankets, and the floor under the table was now my bed” (Pelzer, 1995, pg.67). In my opinion, the reason why Dave’s mother acts differently when the father is home was because it would negatively affect their relationship. Dave’s mother struggles with alcoholism and depression and one factor that helps her deal with these issues is her marriage. Dave’s …show more content…
There has been much growth and change in the world of child advocacy since then. One aspect that has changed is new reporting laws on sexual abuse. This occurred nationwide and took place in the late 70’s. Myers (2011) states “By 1976, all states had reporting laws requiring professionals to report sexual abuse” (pg. 13). The government also implemented a nationwide system of government sponsored child protection (Myers, 2011, pg.12). This was a great advantage for child advocacy. Billions of dollars are devoted to child welfare for the benefit of children in need. We also saw CPS become available across the country, including the most rural parts of the country. The growth continued and in 1997 congress passed the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which made child safety the top priority above family preservation (Myers, 2011, pg. 12). These are some of the many changes that have been made in the world of child advocacy. Change continues to happen today, both positive and negative, but more importantly it continues to
He was disciplined extremely different compared to others. Disciplining is not the correct term to use when describing what he endured, he was horrendously abused both physically and mentally. There is a great difference of discipline and what the author experienced. The words to describe this parental relationship is barbaric, crime, injustice, abusive, punishment, and authoritative. I feel that relationship is not the right term to use when describing the interaction between the author and his mother. A relationship is a connection between two things, the mother showed no affection or connection to the author. All that can be seen is hate and resentment. There are countless examples throughout the novel that represent this parental relationship. A great example of this is the condition in which the author lived. He was forced to sleep like a dog, in the text Dave states “After I finished the bowl of regurgitated hot dog, Mother returned in her robe and threw a wad of newspapers at me. She informed me the papers were my blankets, and the floor under the table was now my bed” (Pelzer, 1995, pg.67). In my opinion, the reason why Dave’s mother acts differently when the father is home was because it would negatively affect their relationship. Dave’s mother struggles with alcoholism and depression and one factor that helps her deal with these issues is her marriage. Dave’s …show more content…
There has been much growth and change in the world of child advocacy since then. One aspect that has changed is new reporting laws on sexual abuse. This occurred nationwide and took place in the late 70’s. Myers (2011) states “By 1976, all states had reporting laws requiring professionals to report sexual abuse” (pg. 13). The government also implemented a nationwide system of government sponsored child protection (Myers, 2011, pg.12). This was a great advantage for child advocacy. Billions of dollars are devoted to child welfare for the benefit of children in need. We also saw CPS become available across the country, including the most rural parts of the country. The growth continued and in 1997 congress passed the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which made child safety the top priority above family preservation (Myers, 2011, pg. 12). These are some of the many changes that have been made in the world of child advocacy. Change continues to happen today, both positive and negative, but more importantly it continues to