I don’t know mean any personal offense to the folks of Wisconsin, but WTH is going there? I just finished reading an article about some senator from your great state named Glenn Grothman who is apparently trying to push a bill that “emphasize(s) nonmarital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect.“
Umm, excuse me? As a single mother, I take personal offense that you think my marital status has anything to do with how I’m raising my daughter. I’m also appalled that you think the fact that I am not married implies I either (a) abuse or (b) neglect my child. Is this serious? Like seriously, Wisconsin-ers? Why the heck hasn’t someone slapped this guy silly?
Okay, violence is never the answer and I know that. But this is absolutely ridiculous. As if single parents don’t have it hard enough trying to raise a child on our own, we now have to worry about being further stigmatized as unloving, neglectful parents. This is unreal. If it’s single and unmarried parents this time, who’s next? Working mothers? Moms who don’t breastfeed for exactly 6 months?
Because I am a single mother, I would like this Glenn Grothman guy to know that being the only parent in the household not only makes me more cognizant as a parent, it also makes me hyper-aware of issues of neglect and abuse. My daughter’s father is notoriously unreliable and has a horrible temper, which means I take extra caution to ensure she feels loved, cared for and protected both when I am with her and when she is with her caregiver. And I’m positive that I’m not the only single parent making sure his/her child is not a victim of neglect or abuse.
Now, of course, there are bad single parents. But is it because they’re not married? I highly doubt it. I know plenty of married parents who could learn a thing or two about TLC when it comes to child-rearing. I’m just not buying this crock that marital status and bad parenting are related. I know too many amazing single parents to believe it to be true.
So if you ask me, the real children in danger here are kids with parents as dumb and close-minded as this Glenn Grothman guy.
What do you think? Do you think Grothman’s bill to have single parents flagged for potentially abusing or neglecting their children has merit? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive even more great finds.
Click here to email Jeanine, the author of this post.
via Addicting Info
Are The Wrong People Being Punished at Penn State?
Best Baby Bottles
Best Baby Shower Dresses
Suzy
March 2, 2012
This guy’s a complete idiot!
SDale
March 2, 2012
Do you have a link to the bill? I’d like to read it. Did it pass the Wisconsin State House and is on to the Senate for approval?
Dolly Budich
March 2, 2012
Hmmm, is it really necessary to bad mouth the people of an entire state, just to make your point. You make a very good point. Too bad you’re turning so many people off because of the way you choose to articulate it. And I’m not even from Wisconsin.
Katie
March 2, 2012
Being a Wisconsinite myself, I’m ashamed to see this. It is sad to see people in positions of power use their platform to shove their ideals down people’s throats and inflict offensive policies.
But don’t judge a whole state on the idiocy of one!!
Betty
March 2, 2012
Wisconsin has a history of being a progressive state until recently when the Tea Party managed to elect a group of republican radicals including a real creep of a governor.
But the efforts to recall these people (not just the governor) are going relatively well.
I was a single parent in Wisconsin who raised three, two of whom are now college graduates and all three of them have great jobs and are outstanding adults. A credit to their SINGLE Mother!
Also, roughly 1/3 of the parents in Wisconsin are single parents!
It’s a real shame the goombas and crazy people have taken over and instead of focusing on job creation and many other relevant issues, they are choosing a course leading to disaster. Footnote: I no longer live in Wisconsin.
Marisol
March 2, 2012
Tell me again who is being closed minded? Did you look at any statistics or research this in any way before flying off the handle? What was the context of the bill? Why are they trying to pass it? And then to sweep the whole state with the same brush just shows us who really is the bigot here.
PS No offense. (Irony)
Betty
March 2, 2012
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/proposals/sb507 link to the bill.
I didn’t take offense to this article and I lived in WI for 48 years. Perhaps re-read the opening line “I don’t mean any personal offense to the people of Wisconsin”
Pamela S
March 2, 2012
Where is the link to the article or the bill? I don’t want to go off on someone or a state without reading the FACTS, not just your opinion. If he does in fact say that they way that you state, then it’s wrong. But I imagine there’s more to the story than you told so I’d like to read it for myself.
Crystal
March 2, 2012
No, being a single parent does not in and of itself mean that you are abusive or neglectful. I’m sure that given the chance the people of Wisconsin will agree. Before you write them all off as dummies, wait and see what they do with this new law before condemning them…
Crystal
March 2, 2012
Here is a link to the bill (in pdf on this page)
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/proposals/sb507
Betty
March 2, 2012
Section 3. 48.982 (2) (gm) of the statutes is amended to read:
13 48.982 (2) (gm) Provide, for use by the board in its statewide projects under sub.
14(5) and for use by organizations that receive grants under subs. (4) and (6),
15educational and public awareness materials and programming that emphasize
16nonmarital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect and the
17role of fathers in the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect.
Last line of the bill the role of fathers in the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect.
What a joke. This guy is completely off the hook!
Michele
March 2, 2012
First of all, I’ll believe that you are a careful, loving, attentive mother. Props! I’m sure single parenthood is a difficult role.
However, the sad truth is that children of single parents are more likely to suffer poverty, neglect, and abuse than children of married couples. Children whose biological parents are married to each other statistically fare better. You may not like this data, but that doesn’t make it untrue. This Wisconsin senator didn’t say, “Ms. Edwards abuses and neglects her child.” He wants to start a program that would encourage people to stay married to the father or mother of their children. Such a program he proposes should also talk about the importance of fathers to children. That has also been well established by numerous studies.
Is getting or staying married the best choice in every situation? Of course not. Nor did he claim such. In general, children fare better in two-parent households. See the following:
http://www.census.gov/prod/3/97pubs/cb-9701.pdf
http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications_states/files/0086.pdf
I’m not sure why you are taking this so personally. And then to call the entire state of Wisconsin dumb…? Your position is untenable.
March 7, 2012
Please let him know that “single mom home” is not fairly defined as a factor in abuse and this is a biased rude discriminatory sentiment that does not belong on Senate Floor in WI. Thanks. Sign and share petition. Call and email the Senator. Thanks! http://www.change.org/petitions/republican-senator-glenn-grothman-of-west-bend-wi-withdraw-senate-bill-507-and-end-the-war-on-women email: glenn.grothman@legis.wi.gov or sen.grothman@legis.wi.gov.
Voting Address: 151 University Drive 312 N
West Bend, WI 53095
Telephone
(608) 266-7513 Or
(800) 662-1227
District Telephone
(262) 338-8061
Fax
(608) 282-3560
JenniferInWI
March 7, 2012
I’ve been trying to vote Grothman out of office since he was elected in this district. The dude has no clue the different faces of a family has anymore. My son’s father and I share the same household, but because of this little chunk of legislation we now have one factor working against us. We are not married. We both love our son dearly, take responsibility for the raising of our son equally as if we were married, but there is no little piece of paper registered with the state saying so.
State Sen. Grothman needs to pull his head out of his “you know where” and look around at the real issues behind abuse. There’s a perfectly good married family living in my neighborhood that has a developmentally disabled child, and the verbal abuse this child suffers from his/her parents is enough to make people call CPS, but of course since they’re married, well, that’s good enough according to Sen. Grothman. It’s not because the family is unemployed, or are having a hard time making ends meet.
I agree with many of you. Grothman is as blind as the next politician in this country. Unfortunately for me so are many of the people in this district and those are the ones that support him. I only can hope that the rest of the State Legislature sees what BS this is and votes it down.