Childhood in America

I am writing in response to the May 15 article. This story touched my family and me very deeply. And as I read of young Thomas Elliott’s daily hardships, I found myself overwhelmed by a now too-common rush of fear.

I am the foster mother to a 9 1/2-month-old baby boy, whom I will call Ben. He was removed from his mother at birth due to her drug addiction and unfit character. He was only 5 days old when he came into our home, a premature infant with crack cocaine and heroin in his system, causing his tiny hands to tremble and his body to go through periodic drug withdrawal seizures. The love my family and I feel for this baby is indescribable and very special. To adopt Ben is our greatest hope and prayer, yet the chances of this happening are slight. Ben’s mother has contacted Social Services. She is in jail for prostitution and drug-related charges; she would like Ben back once she is released from jail. It is a sad state of affairs.

It is a crime of injustice to the children of tomorrow. No child should grow up as Thomas Elliott has, in a world of flop houses, dirty motels and improper care. I do not pretend to know the answers to the problems that face our society, but I do know that I have a baby whose life does not have to end up like Thomas Elliott’s or worse. And yet as much as I may try to prevent such a tragedy, the laws written to protect children may place Ben back into the world in which he was born. A world of hardship, a world of drugs, a world of ignorance.

Thomas and Ben are part of a growing tragedy in this country--a tragedy that allows beautiful children to grow up in a joyless childhood.

M. O’BRIEN, Irvine