Will trained parenting skills for ages 3-18 years of age reduce the statistics of abused & neglected children?

Question

Children begin playing with dolls at a young age..as toddlers. Today the parenting classes are limited to the parents who are all ready facing crimes for abuse and/or neglect charges to their children.
Nurses, as well as educated professionals will be the teachers; the method is by playing with the dolls as toddlers on up to college students on a much more professional level.
Please let me know what you think, and thank you for you opinion and thoughts on the matter.

Answer 1

I think it could make some difference. It would be just one of many interventions that could make a difference, but no one intervention on its own is the answer. The people who abuse children do so for all kinds of reasons, and this method may eliminate the abuse of those who just don't know any better, a group that probably constitutes a small proportion of abusers. It may not eliminate the abuse of those who are angry for various reasons, who are mentally challenged themselves, who are sociopaths or psychopaths, who are pedophiles, etc. Most people understand the reasons to not abuse children.

Answer 2

Knowledge is power!

It has been proven that the more a parent knows the better they will be.

In 1990 I read about a new program in California. This program paired pregnant teens with women that were already moms. These moms were their mentors. Many of these girls were kicked out of home because they were pregnant and/or had poor role models.

The mentors helped the girls make doctors appointments, helped them keep them, and to apply for WIC or other services.

The mentors also helped explain the changes their bodies were going through,How the baby was growing.

After the babies were born if the teen needed a break they would help with that too. They taught the girls how to feed, change, clothe, and play with their babies.
They were also there when they needed someone to talk to, even if it was the middle of the night.

During the initial period of this program (I believe it was 1 to 2 years), Reports of Child abuse and neglect were at an all time low.

This is proof that being taught parenting skills makes a difference!

Answer 3

I'm a student studying children and I plan to own day cares. I think the more a parent knows, the better a parent will be. it makes sense. I think ALL parents, both mother and father should be forced to take parenting courses. I feel that children are not being treated properly, they're being left alone at a young age, fed fast food, junk, and easy to make microwave "food" and drinking nothing but pop. I'm only 19 and am not a mother. I have too much to do before having children but I've worked in day cares and I've seen what is going on and it is horrible. I don't think playing with dolls is going to change anything. I played with dolls as a child and I don't think it makes me any more nurturing than someone who hasn't. However on the topic of dolls. I want to voice my opinion on the "Baby: think it over" electronic doll that is used in High Schools. I took parenting in grade 11. My doll was on the hardest level plus colic. The doll cried maybe 3 times during the night and it only lasted at the most 20 minutes. During the day my doll was fairly quiet. Only cried for a diaper change, feeding, and the occasional cry of attention. It was not hard at all, and it was def. not colicy as I've dealt with truly colic children. It is not fun! That doll is only telling teenagers that having a child is a walk in the park. IT IS NOT. Having a child is a major responsibility and I think that doll is okay for giving a rough idea as to how you're going to have to cart around a child or find babysitters but for the rest it did nothing.

Answer 4

I think it would make a difference. It should be a regular school subject for both boys & girls, giving increasing knowledge as the child progresses through school amd covering all aspects of parenting and home making as well as budgeting.
However it's a proven fact that adults who were abused as children are most likely to abuse their children. Not all of them do. So abused children would need special help.
Also you need to take into account the variations in human nature. Some people are more aggressive and so would also need extra help.

Answer 5

I think that playing with dolls can teach nurturing behavior but even more important is that the children are nurtured. All the training in the world is irrelevant if children are not loved and parented..Children cannot learn to be decent human beings when they are planted in front of the tv and in my opinion it is really hard to learn lifeskills when you are in daycare for 9 hours a day with 25 other children when you should still be at home with mom or dad.

Answer 6

Depends on the point of view. Sometimes they (the parents) don't mean to neglect the child. There may be a logical reason behind the case (ex. the parents can't afford new clothes often.) and it's not their fault. Now abuse on the other hand there is no reason to do it. IT'S JUST PLAIN WRONG.

Answer 7

I think it would. In my experience SOME of the abuse and/or neglect that occurs is a result of unrealistic expectations of what a child should or shouldn't be doing. Like beating a 2 yr old for wetting thier pants or thinking that a 3 yr old can fix thier own breakfast.

Answer 8

parent skills may be good for those that truly seek to fine tune their skills.

I know for a fact that it won't help with those that have it in their mind to abuse, as I have lived through the hell of it with my ex husband. If anything, it might help them hide the fact that they are abusers!

I'm a single mother with 2 children.

Answer 9

I think that abuse is also an anger management problem.