The Child that was Left Behind

You need some sort of license to drive a car, to drink, and to get married. Why is it that parents don't need a license to raise a human being? All across America, children are being given up for adoption, neglected, or forgotten. Many of these children, to ease their pain, turn to bullying, depression, and even suicide. Because of that, prospective parents should have to be licensed before having children to avoid unsuitable parenting, and the further creation of unfit citizens.

Isn't it strange that, everyday, people are allowed to procreate without the need for some sort of credential? Think about it. To borrow a five dollar paperback book, you need to have a library card because you aren't trusted to return it. You need to test to be a lifeguard, drive, or even to receive a university level of education. You can take classes on how to raise a child or to give birth, but once that child is out, you're on your own. This is the cause of many neglecting parents because they barely know what to do once their child is born. Unfit parenting is the reason why so many kids today are into drinking, drugs, and bullying. Look at it this way. Like marriage, a child is a lifelong commitment. If you need a license to love someone, why is it that you do not need a license to love and raise a child?

Many of these neglected children end up in foster homes or are given up for adoption. This type of upbringing can scar a child for a lifetime. Studies show that when children are scarred in that way, many of them turn to alcohol/substance abuse, bullying, depression and even suicide. Is it right for the people to bring children like this into this world? That is the start of criminals and people with no moral values because they never had a real parent to teach them the proper mechanisms of living.

According to the NY Times, about four years ago, "a 6-year-old in Wicomico, Va., who had missed his bus, climbed into his family’s 2005 Ford Taurus and tried to drive himself to school while his mother was home asleep. According to the Associated Press, he made at least two 90-degree turns, passed several cars and ran off the rural two-lane road several times before hitting an embankment and utility pole about a mile and a half from school. The boy told police he learned to drive playing Grand Theft Auto and Monster Jam video games. “He was very intent on getting to school,” said Northumberland County Sheriff Chuck Wilkins. “When he got out of the car, he started walking to school. He did not want to miss breakfast and P.E.” The child was taken to the hospital to be checked for what turned out to be only minor cuts and bruises, and officers returned him to school in time for lunch. His parents have been charged with child endangerment, and he and his 4-year-old brother have been placed in protective custody. Grand Theft Auto, for the record, is rated M, for mature players. (To