essay about abandoned child

The Long-Term Effects of Abandonment

by Shirley Davis | Feb 25, 2021 | Abandonment and CPTSD | 14 comments

One of the most egregious behaviors a parent or other caregiver can do to a child is to abandon them, allowing them to suffer alone. The damages done to the child when grown are significant and should not be ignored.

In this article, we shall examine together what childhood abandonment is, how it affects adults, and ways to mitigate the power it has over our lives.

What is Abandonment?

All children are entirely dependent upon parents or caregivers for their safety in their environment. When these caretakers fail to offer support and meet the child’s needs, emotionally and physically, they are said to have abandoned their child.

When parents abandon their children, their kids grow up feeling unsafe in the world and feeling people cannot be trusted. These unsafe feelings lead to the child experiencing emotions where they feel they do not deserve positive attention or adequate care.

For many children, abandonment is physical and may include:

• Lack of supervision
• Physical or sexual abuse
• Narcissistic abuse
• The inappropriate offering of nutrition
• Inadequate clothes, heat, shelter, or housing

For other children, abandonment takes the form of emotional neglect and abuse when parents do not give to their children emotional conditions and environments that are necessary for their healthy development.

The child is left feeling inadequate, rejected, and damaged, needing to hide themselves away from others knowing who they are on the inside. Abandoned children are left believing it is not okay to make mistakes, that it is not okay to show their genuine emotions, that they should not have needs, and that it is not okay to be successful.

Fear of Abandonment in Adulthood

Because they were neglected and abused as children, many adults grow up having internalized all the messages they received from their parents when they were young.  Also, because they craved attention from their abusive parents, many adults grow up fearing losing the love of those they have in their lives.

Fear of abandonment is not a mental illness by itself but rather a form of anxiety that can negatively affect those who experience it. Adults experiencing abandonment issues often experience problems in their relationships because they fear the other person will leave them.

It is vital to recognize the signs of abandonment issues so that these issues may be tackled head-on. They include:

• They fear giving too much in a relationship.
• They push people away to avoid rejection.
• They are often people pleasers.
• They experience codependency.
• They feel insecure in intimate relationships and friendships.
• They require repeated reassurances that they are loved.
• They feel the need to control others.
• They jump from one relationship to another.
• They often will sabotage their relationships.

Other symptoms that may challenge a survivor of abandonment’s life include the following:

• Constant worry
• Panic or anxiety
• Fear of being alone
• Frequent physical illnesses
• Low self-esteem
• Disordered eating

Knowing the signs and symptoms can help you fight abandonment issues.

The Long-Term Effects of Abandonment and Neglect

People who have experienced abandonment might be more likely to have long-term mental health disorders, often based on the fear the abandonment will happen again in their adult relationships. Mood swings and anger issues later in life can often be traced to abandonment in infancy due to the lack of emotional and other support from parents.

Some of the mental health conditions thought to be heavily influenced by abandonment include:

• Codependency
• Attachment anxiety
• Borderline personality disorder

For someone who lacks self-esteem due to childhood abandonment, the fear of being abandoned again becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as their clinginess, and other negative behaviors tend to push away potential life partners and friends.

Other long-term consequences affect future generations of those who experienced abandonment as a child. A recent study , published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging found that the offspring of the abandoned and neglected inherit brain abnormalities from their mothers show up as functional dysconnectivity between the amygdala and medial prefrontal regions of their children’s brains shortly after birth.

  The Treatments for Childhood Abandonment in Adults

The treatment of abandonment issues focuses mainly on establishing healthy emotional boundaries and building a plethora of new responses when old thought patterns of fear begin to emerge or reemerge.

There are two primary treatments for abandonment that work tightly together to treat abandonment and neglect issues, including the following.

Psychotherapy . While psychotherapy is not for everyone, seeking out a mental health professional’s help can help those who were the victims of childhood abandonment and neglect. They can learn to overcome their fears of being abandoned again. Therapists work with their clients to understand where the fear originates and how it affects their relationships.

Self-Care. Self-care includes making sure the survivor healthily meets their emotional needs by forming friendships and relationships and allowing themselves to trust.

Should you love someone who has abandonment issues, there are ways you can support them while they heal.

Validate their fears. This means that you should acknowledge their feelings of abandonment without judgment. This move is vital to maintaining open communication. Validating a loved one’s fears doesn’t mean agreeing with them, but instead, supporting their feelings to further build on trust and compassion.

You can do this by following the six-level approach mentioned in Psychology Today. 

• Be present and actively listen to their concerns.
• Reflect and summarize your loved one’s feelings verbally and without judgment.
• Become a mind-reader, and by listening to what they say help them identify their emotions.
• Understand their history so you can openly state that you understand when circumstances trigger their past history of abandonment.
• “Normalize” their fears by acknowledging the fact that others with their history have fears of abandonment and that their feelings are understandable.
• Use radical genuineness to deeply validate your loved one and share your loved one’s fears as your own.

The treatment of abandonment anxiety can be very successful, but it requires commitment and self-care. Many people with abandonment issues do not see how destructive their behaviors have been to their relationships until it is pointed out to them and they begin to heal.

However, treatment can teach new ways of thinking and coping to end the overarching and debilitating power of abandonment in childhood.

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” ~Elbert Hubbard

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ~ Lao Tzu

20 signs someone has abandonment issues. (2017, September 8). Retrieved from https://www.aconsciousrethink.com/6064/signs-abandonment-issues

Abandonment & attachment-related trauma treatment & rehab center. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.therefuge-ahealingplace.com/ptsd-treatment/abandonment

Hendrix, C. L., Dilks, D. D., McKenna, B. G., Dunlop, A. L., Corwin, E. J., & Brennan, P. A. (2020). Maternal childhood adversity associates with frontalamygdala connectivity in neonates. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging .

Megase, K. (2016, March 3). How fear of abandonment affects relationships. Retrieved from https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellor-articles/how-fear-of-abandonment-affects-relationships

Schoenfelder, E. N., Sandler, I. N., Wolchik, S., & MacKinnon, D. (2011). Quality of social relationships and the development of depression in parentally-bereaved youth.  Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40 (1), 85-96. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/821697890?accountid=1229

Wade, B. (1995, 04). Fear of abandonment.  Essence, 25 (79). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223174140?accountid=1229

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My name is Shirley Davis and I am a freelance writer with over 40-years- experience writing short stories and poetry. Living as I do among the corn and bean fields of Illinois (USA), working from home using the Internet has become the best way to communicate with the world. My interests are wide and varied. I love any kind of science and read several research papers per week to satisfy my curiosity. I have earned an Associate Degree in Psychology and enjoy writing books on the subjects that most interest me.

14 Comments

Excellent article, Shirley Davis, and very interesting. Tugs at my heartstrings, and I can identify with some of that. I think about alot of kids myself; still, after all these years, and it continues to be ongoing.

Thank you Shirley. As someone that is currently working through this in therapy I appreciate reading this, it makes me feel less alone. What a fight it is to work through this type of trauma. Thank you for sharing as you do!

Thank you for taking the time to write on this topic. The information is very descriptive of the realities of many persons. Please continue the work of ‘enlightening’ the world about the truths of the Psychology of Humanity.

Thank you for your kind comment. Shirley

I’ve known this was my main issue in my life, so I looked it up online. I’m glad I did. The symptoms showing up in real life match perfectly.

Thank you for writing this. Looking internally, I couldn’t see clearly. Your writing helped.

(just realized I was trying to people-please in my writing. The shoe fits)

Thank you for your comment, I’m glad I could help. Shirley

I was abandoned, and now abandoned others without a thought. I don’t know how to love or find happiness, but hope your writings will help me.

Just realized I have this issue. Sucks… And its come at a point where I have already lost everything. So no money, means no therapy. I have isolated myself so much. when I look back over the years, I was the problem. Now i just hate being. Every minute I spend at my friends place is torture. So I am waiting for a little money to leave and hit the streets where I cannot hurt anyone anymore. Im 44 now. If you can go get help while you can. I am hoping to die as quickly as possible without doing it to myself. I see 2 possibilities. starvation or freezing in the UK when this coming winter. I was abandoned several times, abused as a child. And now people expect me to just shrug it off. Careful who you tell. I tried to open up to my best friend of 34 years. He told me so what. Suck it up and move on. I wish I could. I wish so much. Most of my life I have not felt love. My belief is that people do not even like me. Why do they put up with me. The friend I am staying with tries to help. He told me to see a therapist and then the next day will say suck it up. This just confuses my mind more. Which is it? And how? I have no job and no money. The little I have buys me some food. When your friends talk to you like this, its of no help and further confirms my uselessness in this world. Wish you all the best. Hopefully with 3 weeks, i get to walk out and never have to love or look for it. And yes my parents have died. And my younger brother ripped me off and my elder brother wont even return $400 to me even if he can afford holidays, lavish parties. I’m eating instant noodles 3 times a day and he has the nerve to call me his brother. why was I born?

I have a friend struggling psychologically because of abandonment, and I know how hard it is to overcome, so I always give a talk to all my friends when they are emotional. A simple word and showing them that you care for them are simple, yet essential to them. Thanks for sharing this excellent article. Great post!

This is so sad, heartbreaking. Some parents are so selfish. They only think about their needs

Yeah! That is the sad reality. Not all kids are blessed to have completely loving family.

my father abandoned me and ruined my life and till this day he has nothing to his name but living off a woman.

Thank you so much for your article, finally I managed understand myself. I was denying this for so long, finally I’m on a path of healing. Naming what happend to me helps a lot.

How about instead of giving everyone else a chance to understand and be there for you, you give yourself a chance? What you went through does not define who you are nor whom you will be. I know it is easier said than done, but if you can find a tiny glimpse of hope within you, I am sure that is all you need.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

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Understanding and Coping With Child Abandonment

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• Why Parents Abandon
• Explaining Abandonment

Loss of Parental Rights

• Reunification

Abandonment typically refers to a parent's choice to willfully withhold physical, emotional, and financial support from a minor child. In other words, abandonment occurs when the parent fails to fulfill his or her parental responsibilities and chooses not to have contact with his or her child.

Parental abandonment is not limited to ​non-custodial parents, either. Sometimes parents with sole custody —even those who have fought hard in court to win child custody—have also been accused of abandoning their children .

Why Do Parents Abandon?

The most common question is, "How could a parent do that?" Sadly, parents who abandon their children often do so because they believe they are ill-equipped to provide the emotional and financial stability the child needs.

It's common to blame this on the previous generation's ability to parent (or lack thereof), and yet it's not true that all parents who abandon were mistreated, ignored, or neglected as children. Certainly, we see examples every day of parents who were neglected or abused , and yet later become loving, committed parents. So these types of generalizations don't hold up when examined more closely.

Self-doubt can be a common denominator in cases where parents willfully abandon their children.

While it is not a legitimate excuse, it may be an important factor to consider when trying to explain to your child why the other parent chooses to be uninvolved.

Explaining Abandonment to a Child

If you're raising your children on your own, and the other parent chooses not to be involved, you may anticipate that your kids eventually will start asking some tough questions that you'll need to answer. The following tips can help:

• Respect timeliness . It's tempting to put the conversation off, but if your kids are bringing it up, then they're ready to talk about it.
• Trust yourself . You don't have to have the perfect words planned out. Acknowledge their questions and their hurt. Show empathy and let them know that you're always going to be there, no matter what.
• Find something positive to say about your ex . The can be hard, especially if you're still angry or the separation is fresh. But it's important to remember that your children carry a part of your ex inside them, so you don't want to give them the idea that he or she is "all bad."
• Continue the conversation . Chances are, you're going to have many conversations with your kids about this issue. For them, recognizing and naming the abandonment is just one part of the grieving process.

They will likely experience many complex emotions, including sadness and anger, before coming to a point of acceptance. They're also going to need to know all along the way that you're willing to hear them out and be a shoulder to lean on.

In most states, a parent is said to have "abandoned" a child after a two-year period of withholding his or her contact and financial support. Abandonment can also lead to the loss of one's parental rights .

However, a parent cannot simply choose or elect on his or her own to forfeit those rights. In fact, even in cases of clear and willful abandonment, most states will not legally terminate a parent's rights unless there is another parent-figure, such as a step-parent, who is waiting to formally adopt the child .

Post-Abandonment Reunification

Some parents who have withdrawn from their children's lives later recognize their mistake and wish to seek forgiveness and restore the relationship.

In situations where the previously uninvolved parent is able to participate more regularly in the children's lives and has expressed a commitment to do so, the experience can offer some much-needed healing and restoration.

If the opportunity arises and you're not sure what to do, consider speaking with a therapist or counselor about your concerns before making a decision.   

Child Welfare Information Gateway. Children's Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS. Definitions of child abuse and neglect .

Child Welfare Information Gateway. Children's Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS. Grounds for involuntary termination of parental rights .

Darnall D. The psychosocial treatment of parental alienation . Child Adolesc Psychiatric Clin N Am . 2011;20(3):479-494. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2011.03.006

By Jennifer Wolf Jennifer Wolf is a PCI Certified Parent Coach and a strong advocate for single moms and dads. 

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• Journal of Interdisciplinary History

Abandoned Children (review)

• David L. Ransel
• The MIT Press
• Volume 32, Number 3, Winter 2002
• pp. 449-450
• View Citation

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Child Abandonment and Interventions

Introduction, literature review, participants, procedure and measures, data analysis, ethical issues.

Child abandonment is a voluntary action done by parents, where a child is deserted and left behind. Some parents abandon their children by ensuring that they will be taken care of, but others leave children without any assurance. The primary concern is to identify what are the reasons for such behavior and how these actions can be prevented with minimum effort and investment.

The modern literature on the given issue shows that the major factors reinforcing child abandonment behavior among parents are financial and sociocultural components (Manful & Abdullah, 2018). Poverty and the inability to provide a child with food, shelter, and adequate education force parents to decide to leave a child behind.

In order to identify the primary reasons for child abandonment, it is critical to consider the fact that appropriate measurement tactics must be set in place. These are surveys and publicly available statistical data evaluations. In addition, parents who abandoned their children can be interviewed.

The key participants are parents who already abandoned their children or who are planning to do so. In addition, it is essential to consider the observational data from orphanage workers and administrators, who monitor the overall occurrence rate.

The procedure will include a general survey, which will be designed to identify the main influencing factors. The given process will assist the researchers in navigating the direction of the study.

The data analysis process will primarily focus on weighing out the raw statistical data into plausible causal and correlational graphs and diagrams. ANOVA test will also be used in order to make correct estimations of possible hypotheses.

The major concern regarding the ethical side of the study is the fact that the most important participants will be the parents who abandoned their child. The given occurrence is clearly traumatic and emotional for them, and interviewing and surveying the parents on the given subject might not be fully ethical. However, it can be avoided by properly constructing the questions and the overall flow of the process.

In conclusion, it is crucial to note that child abandonment is a highly controversial issue that needs to be addressed. By identifying the primary reasons for such behavior, effective measures can be taken in order to fully eliminate the overall occurrence rate.

Manful, E., & Abdullah, A. (2018). Conceptualisation of child neglect: A Ghanaian practice narrative. International Social Work, 3 (1), 2-9.

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The Painful, Long-Term Effects of Parental Abandonment

A trauma with lifelong impact few others understand..

Posted October 2, 2022 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

• Caregiver abandonment affects us long into adulthood, often manifesting as dysfunctional traits in and outside of relationships.
• Caregiver neglect or abandonment can be a significant source of trauma but is often overlooked in older teens.
• Those who experience parental abandonment may struggle with self-image and self-esteem as adults.

Cassie was 14 when her father left her mother, moving into an apartment across town. She dealt with the trauma of their separation by skipping school, experimenting with drugs, and staying out late with boys, and she was even caught shoplifting.

But she was 18 when he left her . Reporting to mutual family members that he "couldn't handle" Cassie's behavior anymore, he stopped answering the phone and moved in with a new woman. As he began a completely new family, it was clear that Cassie was no longer welcome.

He still sent Christmas and birthday cards for the next couple of years (which were clearly written in his new wife's handwriting), but then stopped contact altogether. He refused to come to her college graduation, brushing off her attempts to reach out. "You're an adult now," he told her, "let me live my life and be happy for me."

She felt that the rug had been ripped out from under her. She blamed herself for him leaving. Not knowing where to turn to self-soothe the pain and confusion, she plunged into 10 years of drug addiction , compulsive eating, and other self-destructive behavior before landing on my couch in a desperate attempt to change her life. She was about to be 33, divorced , and had just had her first child. She felt like it was time to process the abandonment she had experienced so she did not pass the pain onto her child.

When we discuss parental abandonment, we often think of vulnerability. Images of small children or babies in foster care come to mind.

However, the effects of caregiver abandonment can be detrimental at any age. While it can be argued that smaller children are more at risk for lasting impact due to their stage of development, many people struggle with parental abandonment that happened during their adolescent or teen years—or even well into young adulthood.

Cassie's father wrongly assumed that because she had reached her teenage years, she was responsible for her own behavior and therefore did not need him anymore. He wanted to live his life without the responsibility of having to be a parent, and simply cut her off.

To most of us, this act seems abusive and wrong. How can a parent turn off their love like a light switch? While it can be assumed that her father was undoubtedly struggling with his own mental health concerns, the impact on the young woman Cassie was becoming was lasting.

Her pain was real, but it was ignored by many due to her age. "You're an adult now, it doesn't matter," her mother said to her, dismissing her feelings. "Well, you two never did get along," her uncle said, excusing the inexcusable behavior of an adult caregiver and projecting the blame onto the child.

Cassie's father blamed her behavior as his reason for leaving, and others in her life reinforced this cruel message, setting her up for a life of self-blame and loathing. When a caregiver abandons a toddler, few would think to blame the child. But for some reason, when a teenager or young adult is abandoned, society often assigns them the blame. "Their behavior was so bad, who could blame them?" Or, "There must have been something they did." This is the common whisper among unknowing onlookers who wrongly assume their behavior had to contribute to the caregiver throwing their hands up and leaving. In reality, there is no excuse: It is abandonment.

In our culture, we assume that older children need us less than they did when they were babies, when they were helpless and dependent on their caregivers for every need. And of course, this is true in a physical sense.

However, teenagers and young adults often need their parents a lot more than they are able to articulate. Just because they can feed and clothe themselves somewhat appropriately does not mean that they cease to benefit from parental guidance. Yes, that angry teenager or college student who tells you he hates you, and acts annoyed by your very presence, actually needs you.

Children in dysfunctional families are often put in age-inappropriate emotional and physical situations. And they are often treated as either older or younger than they are, developing personality characteristics that reflect that mistreatment, such as ultra-independence, learned helplessness , or codependency.

However, these personality traits are then held against them in the family unit. For example, Cassie was used as the emotional caregiver of her parents, often expected to handle the psychological stress of the family—but she was then punished for staying out late, talking back, and having many sexual relationships as a teenager. She was allowed to act like an adult, but only when it benefitted the family.

Her father " couldn't handle it anymore," and resigned from his job as a parent. This places an unfair and age-inappropriate burden on a young child who is then punished for acting in other adult ways. It's hypocritical and sends mixed messages to a developing brain. Children of all ages already blame themselves for traumas in their life. They do not need society pushing that self-blame further. Nothing tells a young person that they are less worthy of love than their own parent leaving them. Cassie felt scarred for life. Who wouldn't?

In therapy , Cassie worked on her feelings of abandonment that manifested as depression , anxiety , poor self-esteem , and chronic unhappiness. She reported an inability to leave unsafe or toxic relationships until the other person eventually just left her. She drank heavily, stuffed her feelings with food, and was scared to raise her child alone—even considering going back to her abusive ex-husband. She was so scared of repeating the abandonment she had suffered as a teen that she was willing to stay in an unsafe relationship. It took years of diving into the pain that she had experienced before she started to feel like she was worthy of love and healthy relationships.

Most parents will agree that their love for their children is unconditional and never-ending, but what happens when some caregivers do not feel the same? When someone is able to turn away from a child, no matter the age, this seems foreign and cruel—as it should. To another adult, the behavior often speaks to the pathology and mental health of the offending parent. But to the emerging adult, who does not yet have the tools to compartmentalize the situation, it has lasting effects on their very sense of self, with the trauma often manifesting for many years after.

Facebook /LinkedIn image: Lopolo/Shutterstock

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking. Read in entirety in 2021.

Shirley, D. (2021).The Long-Term Effects of Abandonment. https://cptsdfoundation.org/2021/02/25/the-long-term-effects-of-abandon… Accessed 10/1/2022.

Wang ZY, Hu M, Yu TL, Yang J. The Relationship between Childhood Maltreatment and Risky Sexual Behaviors: A Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Sep 29;16(19):3666. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16193666. PMID: 31569567; PMCID: PMC6801672. Accessed 10/1/2022.

Kaytee Gillis, LCSW-BACS, is a psychotherapist and the author of three books, including Breaking the Cycle and It's Not High Conflict, It's Post-Separation Abuse.

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Foundlings and Abandoned Children by Rachel Fuchs , Stephanie McBride-Schreiner LAST REVIEWED: 13 January 2014 LAST MODIFIED: 13 January 2014 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199791231-0075

The study of foundlings and abandoned children is a subfield of the history of children and the family but also relates to studies of charity, philanthropy, and public welfare. The terms “foundlings” and “abandoned children” are interchangeable and, until the early 21st century, pertained primarily to Western Europe and Russia. Scholarly work highlights the diversity of cultures and experiences, demonstrating that both terms denote children with unstable or nonexistent families, including orphans with one or both parents deceased, newborns abandoned at birth, children whose families (usually a single mother) could not or would not keep them, and homeless street children. Giving up an infant for legal adoption by another family was not an option in many Western cultures until the 20th century, and such infants whom a parent could not or would not keep often became abandoned children or foundlings when another family or kin member could not provide for them. “Abandoned children” is the general term, whereas “foundling” is more specific, denoting infants left at institutions or “found” on the streets or in doorways or churches. A person, usually a mother or midwife, would abandon an infant at a foundling home, and the authorities would send those infants to wet nurses, with whom a large percentage died. Foundling homes existed in Europe starting in the Middle Ages, and the period between the 15th and 18th centuries saw a rise in those institutions, predominantly run by the Catholic Church. During the 18th and 19th centuries a great increase in child abandonment occurred throughout Catholic Europe, but children were not confined to institutions; those who survived were raised by wet nurses and foster parents. Scholars discuss differences between Catholic and Protestant cultures; in Protestant states, unlike the Catholic, abandoning infants to an institution was rare, but orphanages existed for parentless children. During the 19th century, state and municipal interests altered provisions for abandoned children, with governments taking a greater role in providing for abandoned children within and outside institutions. While variations persisted in the different countries of Europe, including Russia, institutions for abandoned children were established in colonial settings and in the United States. In the 20th century, institutions for abandoned children declined with the increase in public welfare for mothers and children, foster care, and formal child adoption. This article presents scholarship that addresses abandoned children in the social, cultural, political, and demographic contexts, including those children outside institutions. The article pays special attention to abandoned children in Europe because that is where the problem developed and was the greatest, but it also considers abandoned children in the United States, where issues and policies were different, and the global dimensions of child abandonment in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Forms of child abandonment have occurred in varying degrees in nearly every culture and society, but how and why children were abandoned and what happened to them depend on the specific time, place, and culture. No overview of foundlings and abandoned children exists in monograph form, only as edited volumes, because the geographic, chronological, and thematic depth and breadth is enormous, varying by time, place, politics, and culture. The most comprehensive and significant broad survey of the topic is the edited volume Panter-Brick and Smith 2000 , in which historians and anthropologists present a far-reaching view of abandoned children in various non-Western and Western contexts. Collectively, the essays show both similarities and differences over time and geographic region. The Collection de l’Ecole française de Rome 1991 , a largely demographic approach by fifty scholars to the study of abandoned children in Continental Europe over five centuries provides another survey. Several introductions to the topic in a European context may be found in sections of historical surveys of childhood and of poverty and charity. Heywood 2001 and Cunningham 2005 focus on the main benchmarks of change in abandonment practices and the treatment of abandoned children over time. Pullan 1994 offers a clear orientation to the dominant European systems for institutional care for abandoned children: the Catholic system (France, Italy, Spain), characterized by religious or publicly funded foundling homes and wet-nursing networks, and the Protestant system, with its diverse range of local initiatives, such as aid to poor mothers and highly selective, specialized institutions for children. Hunecke 1985 gives a historiography of early works on the topic. An excellent overview of theoretical and methodological issues concerning the study of foundlings and foundling homes can be found in Tilly, et al. 1992 . Depositing infants in a foundling home or abandoning them was often a legal alternative to infanticide. In China, parents without these options resorted to the latter; Mungello 2008 is an overview of infanticide in China over several centuries.

Collection de l’Ecole française de Rome, ed. Enfance abandonnée et société en Europe, XIVe–XXe siècle; Actes du colloque international de Rome, 30 et 31 janvier 1987 . Collection de l’École française de Rome 140. Rome: l’École française de Rome, 1991.

This largely demographic study by several authors covers the fluctuation in the rates and causes of child abandonment, the institutions receiving foundlings, child abandonment as a social vice to eradicate or an inescapable social ill, the abandoning mothers, the high infant mortality, the causes of death, wet nursing, and the role of society. Most contributions are in French, Spanish, or Italian.

Cunningham, Hugh. Children and Childhood in Western Society Since 1500 . 2d ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.

An overview of western Europeans’ changing ideas about childhood, this text contains sections covering institutional care of orphaned and abandoned children as well as the widespread philanthropic and governmental interest in “saving” the child in the second half of the 19th century.

Heywood, Colin. A History of Childhood: Children and Childhood in the West from Medieval to Modern Times . Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2001.

In this comprehensive history of childhood from the Middle Ages to the early 21st century, Part II, chapters 5 and 6 (pp. 62–102), on caring for infants and parent-child relations, discuss abandoned children as a social problem and the establishment of foundling hospitals as a solution.

Hunecke, Volker. “ Les enfants trouvés: Contexte européen et cas milanais, XVIIIe–XIXe siècles .” Revue d’histoire moderne et contemporaine 32 (1985): 3–29.

This article situates the author’s work on abandoned children in Milan, within a thoughtful review of historical and demographic studies of child abandonment, foundlings, and foundling hospitals published during the 1970s and early 1980s. Hunecke also offers insight into methodological issues and limitations.

Mungello, D. E. Drowning Girls in China: Female Infanticide since 1650 . Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2008.

This groundbreaking analysis of Chinese female infanticide puts forward a balanced view of this little understood, controversial, and very private practice. The author considers the cultural, economic, and social causes of gender-specific infanticide in China and its persistence into the early 21st century, despite efforts over the last several hundred years by Confucian moralists, Buddhist teachers, Christian missionary workers, and government officials to end it.

Panter-Brick, Catherine, and Malcolm T. Smith, eds. Abandoned Children . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

This multidisciplinary volume presents a global view of child abandonment from the Renaissance to the end of the 20th century. The essays collectively examine a broad spectrum of abandoned children—foundlings, orphans, refugees, street children—through anthropological and historical perspectives. Panter-Brick’s introductory essay is a reanalysis of the concept of abandonment. The volume lends itself equally well to historians, anthropologists, demographers, and social welfare and policy workers.

Pullan, Brian. Poverty and Charity: Europe, Italy, Venice, 1400–1700 . Aldershot, UK: Variorum, 1994.

One chapter, “Orphans and Foundlings in Early Modern Europe” (pp. 5–28) of Pullan’s important book, explores the major themes pertaining to child abandonment practices in early modern Europe, with a clear explanation of differential treatment of foundlings according to a north–south axis, a divide rooted in distinctly Catholic and Protestant values and attitudes concerning family, legitimacy, poverty, and charity.

Tilly, Louise A., Rachel G. Fuchs, David I. Kertzer, and David L. Ransel. “Child Abandonment in European History: A Symposium.” Journal of Family History 17.1 (1992): 1–23.

A useful synthesis of the state of the history of child abandonment, including similarities and differences of practices in France, Italy and Russia, with critiques of anthropological, demographic, and cultural approaches and considerations for new lines of inquiry.

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Child Abandonment

In law, the term “abandonment” may be used in a variety of legal issues, from contract law to real estate law, referring to the giving up or renunciation of an interest, privilege, possession , or right, with the intent of never reclaiming it. As the term applies to matters of Family Law , an individual may abandon a marriage, spouse, child, or property. While abandonment of a marriage or marital property is a civil matter to be dealt with in family court , abandonment of a child may also be a criminal offense for which the individual may face criminal charges. To explore this concept, consider the following child abandonment definition.

Definition of Abandonment

• The giving up or withdrawal of support from something or someone
• The act of leaving or deserting a person or property

1325-1375        Middle French abandoner

Types of Child Abandonment

Child abandonment occurs when a child’s parent or guardian willfully withholds emotional, physical, and financial support, with no regard for the child’s safety and welfare. This may include physical abandonment, such as leaving a child somewhere with no intent to return for him, or it may include failure to provide physical supervision, emotional support, and other necessities of life for a child living in the home. So-called “latchkey kids” may, in extreme cases, be considered abandoned by their working or otherwise absent parents.

Under the law, many parental behaviors lead to charges of child abandonment, including:

• Leaving an infant on a doorstep, in a trash can, or on the side of the road
• Being absent from the home for a period of time long enough to create substantial risk of harm to a child left in the home
• Leaving a child with another person without providing for the child’s support, and with no meaningful communication with the child or caregiver for a period specified by statute, usually three months
• Failing to maintain regular visitation with a child for a period of at least six months
• Making only token efforts to support and communicate with a child
• Refusing, or being unwilling, to provide supervision, care, and support for a child
• Failing to participate in a parenting plan or program designed to reunite the parent with the child
• Failing to respond to official notice of child protective or child custody proceedings

Child Abandonment Laws

Laws regarding child safety and welfare, abandonment, and abuse vary from state to state, though in most states child abuse and child abandonment laws go hand-in-hand. In many states, child abandonment is considered a felony , even if the child has not been physically harmed by the abandonment. Other states classify child abandonment as a misdemeanor , unless specifics of the crime suggest it should be raised to the level of a felony.

Criminal child abandonment is often defined as physically leaving a child somewhere, though it may also include failing to provide for the child’s basic needs, such as shelter, food, clothing, and medical care. As with child abuse, child physical abandonment is subject to mandatory reporting by professionals defined by state law. Such mandated reporters include medical personnel, counselors or psychiatric care providers, teachers, and other professionals in close contact with children

Emotional Abandonment

Although the child abandonment laws describe certain acts that constitutional non-physical abandonment of children, the truth is, emotional abandonment is subjective. Any act or failure to act that leaves a child feeling unwanted, discarded, or insecure may be considered emotional abandonment under the laws of child safety and welfare.

Experts in child psychology have found that, in a child’s eyes, abandonment is more about the parent’s absence and failure to communicate or take an active role in his life, than any financial considerations. Many children feel it is their fault, and experience feelings of low self worth and shame. Because emotional abandonment by a parent has the potential to cause a lifetime of issues for the child, it is taken very seriously by the courts.

Termination of Parental Rights

Parents have a constitutionally protected right to raise, protect, and educate their children. Such rights generally include physical custody of the child, the right to prevent adoption of a child, the right to educate and discipline the child, and the right to control and manage the minor child’s income and property. When parents fail to provide for the child’s welfare and safety, however, their rights to parent the child may be terminated by the court.

While laws vary from state to state, each recognizes specific circumstances that create an unsafe environment for a child. The most common reasons for termination of parental rights include:

• Abandonment of the child
• Severe or persistent abuse or neglect
• Abuse or neglect of other children in the home
• Physical or sexual abuse
• Long term mental illness of a parent
• Long term drug or alcohol abuse by a parent
• Failure to maintain contact with, or support of, a child
• Having rights to another child terminated involuntarily

One parent’s rights may be terminated without affecting the rights of the other parent. In the event parental rights are taken from both parents, legal custody of the child lies with the State, which then bears the responsibility for finding a suitable placement of the child.

Requirements for Termination of Parental Rights

The parent-child relationship is seen, in the eyes of the law, to be a fundamental right afforded to all parents. Because of this, the process of terminating parental rights is protracted and difficult, and the court will only grant a termination in rare cases. The burden of proof for involuntary termination of parental rights is very high, requiring clear and convincing evidence that at least one of the following applies:

• Abandonment . A parent intentionally forsakes his duties to the child, failing to accept responsibility for the child’s financial, emotional, and physical support.
• Failure to provide parental support . A parent repeatedly or continually neglects basic parental duties such as the provision of food, shelter, clothing, and education, or caring for the child’s physical and emotional needs.
• Failure to provide financial support . A parent that has been ordered to pay financial support for a child continually fails to do so, despite being financially able to do so.
• Foster care placement . A parent fails to correct conditions that resulted in a child being placed in foster care.

Child Abandonment Statistics

Each year in the United States, more than 3 million reports of child abandonment, child neglect, and child abuse are reported, these statistics touching the lives of more than 6 million children. This makes the United States one of the worst among industrialized nations for child abandonment and abuse.

Studies have shown that adults who report having 6 or more harmful or detrimental experiences in their childhood have a life expectancy shortened by 20 years. Child abuse, neglect, and abandonment are tied to increased incidence of such life-altering diseases as ischemic heart disease, liver disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”).

Related Legal Terms and Issues

• Necessities of Life – The bare essentials needed for survival, or to maintain a minimum standard of living.
• Parenting Plan – A detailed proposal for custody and care of a child, including scheduled time the child will spend with each parent.
• Child Custody Proceedings – Legal proceedings for the purpose of determining custody of a child, as well as the rights and responsibilities of the parents to the child.
• Mandated Reporter – An individual required by law to report suspected child abuse or abandonment; usually professionals that have regular contact with children.

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The film, Bulgarias_Abandoned_Children.avi (presented by the BBC, 2007) discusses the life of abandoned children in Bulgaria, a developing part of the European Union. According to the film, in Bulgaria 1:50 children fall into a non-functioning category; this is the highest ratio of all children from other countries that are also in the European Union. All across the world there are children who, because of birth defects or inherited illnesses, are simply unable to perform under the normal circumstances that are expected of most of society’s children (Save the Children, 2002; Child Serve, 2011). The children discussed in the film were unable to cope with normal children their own age. These children have emotional and functional difficulties: They were unable to display normal movements. They often had tics that are associated with various diseases, inabilities to sit quietly without constant motion, unable to control to bladder and other personal hygiene functions, and displayed various levels of deafness and blindness which left them pretty much paralyzed in a normal society. In addition to the preceding characteristics, the children in this film also displayed inabilities to comprehend the world around them; many of them could not speak intelligibly and others could not process words of any kind. Most of the children could not talk, not because they were unable to, but because nobody had taught them how.

There were also a couple of children who were merely abandoned by their parents, for no particular reasons that were discussed in the film. But it was easy to determine that these abandoned children maintained some functionality; they could have been educated and could probably distance themselves from children with lesser brain functions. Instead, all children placed into these surroundings were treated the same. Among those two children who were merely abandoned, the girl assisted with miscellaneous kitchen duties while the male child helped with laundry. Provided with some education, even if no more than learning more responsibility in the roles they were already assuming, it would be reasonable to believe that once leaving the home, these children would be able to live normal lives.

It was apparent that in Bulgaria, children displaying the features described in the preceding paragraph were simply abandoned by their own parents, left on the street to die, or at very best, they were moved into some kind of government-sponsored shelter. Unfortunately, these shelters were nothing more than human warehouses, places that provided minimal comfort: a bed, clean clothes, and miscellaneous, but unskilled personnel to take care of these 75 children. However, at night a single caretaker had to watch over all 75 children while she worked a 12 hour shift. Also noticeable in the film is that workers were not segregated according to genders. Male and female workers attended to the needs of all children regardless of gender. Certainly as children enter puberty there should be an expectation of separation of genders, both with the social needs of the children as well as in the hygiene needs of both girls and boys. The film showed male workers showering and bathing teenage girls without the help of other female caretakers.

According to the film the children were not considered as individuals to be educated, so education of any kind was not provided. Meals were the same for everybody and the rule of the survival of the fittest applied, as stronger children who were still hungry would grab food from those who were weaker and unable to defend themselves. Within the children, a pecking order was allowed to develop, so like in eating, the bigger children could pick on the younger children.

When the children attained what the government believed to be adulthood, these kids were moved into adult facilities. There were totally separate facilities for men and for women. The film was not too explicit about the care of the adults but it is reasonable to believe that if, as children, this population was considered expendable, then as adults, this population would also be expendable, with little or no hope for future development.

There are other countries in the European Union, Great Britain, for example, where the care of these children is considerably better. There are laws on the books that children cannot merely be abandoned by their parents for whatever reason they choose. Children can and will be removed from parental guidance if the courts so order such removal. However, if such removal should become necessary, most civilized countries will seek nearby relatives with whom to place the children before placing them in government foster care (Save the Children, 2002).

In working with children who have specialized needs, homes have been created in Great Britain (Save the Children, 2002), as well as in other civilized nations including the United States (Child Serve, 2011), where care is rendered only by professional staff. These staff members are skilled, educated, and licensed in working with children who have specialized diseases. Children who are blind are placed in schools for the blind where course work is tailored and presented which will help the majority of these children to become integral parts of their nation’s society. The same kinds of programs are available for deaf children. Schools have also been created for children who have cerebral palsy, a brain-related muscular disorder.

Childhood diseases create huge difficulties, for the affected children, for their families, and for society as a whole. But it has been discovered in the last several decades that merely warehousing children with these dread diseases does nothing for them and provides greater burden to society as a whole. Providing these children, and sometimes their immediate families, with specialized training, and helping these children to become responsible citizens looks after the greater good for all of society. Within every society there may be a few children who, even with training, may fall by the wayside and will need continually specialized care all of their adult lives, but these cases have proven to be few and far between. More often, these children, provided with the care they need and the prosthetics and other health devices available, can lead productive lives as adults (Save the Children, 2002; Child Serve, 2011).

Bulgarias_Abandoned_Children.avi (2007). Presented by True Vision Television Foundation . London: British Broadcasting Company.

Child Serve Corporation. (2011). An independent foundation proving services to children and their families. Ames, IA: Author.

Save the Children. (2002). A charitable support group working with children and their families, with the head office in the United Kingdom and branch offices located in the United States. London, UK: Author.

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• Abandonment Leading to Legal Termination of Parental Rights

When you have a child, you can establish parentage on the basis of a legal presumption, an acknowledgment of parentage, or by giving birth. However, there are certain circumstances in which parental rights can be taken away. One way is through abuse and neglect proceedings. Another way that parental rights can be terminated is through abandonment. “Abandonment” has a specific legal definition, and it must be proven in court for parental rights to be terminated.

Generally, no more than two people may be the legal parents of any child, so asserting abandonment may be the only way for stepparents to adopt or for birth mothers to place their children for adoption without explicit consent from the father.

When Does Abandonment Happen?

There are specific situations in which a parent or potential adoptive parent may want to prove abandonment in court. Once abandonment has been proven, the parental rights of the parent who abandoned the child can be terminated. There are a few situations in which this is likely to come up.

A common circumstance in which one biological parent may want to prove that the other biological parent has abandoned the child is when they are seeking a stepparent adoption . In order for a stepparent to adopt a child, both biological parents need to consent to the adoption. However, if one of the biological parents cannot be located, or if they can be located but refuse to consent to the stepparent adoption, the biological parent who has custody may move for termination of rights based on abandonment. The biological parent who is looking to terminate rights will need to prove the alleged abandonment in court.

Another situation in which abandonment may be relevant is when the biological mother wants to place the child for adoption, and all that is needed to complete the adoption is the consent of the biological father. Typically, these are scenarios in which the biological father is uninvolved in the child’s life, and he may even be difficult or impossible to locate. State laws governing abandonment give the court a way to allow the adoption proceeding to go forward while complying with notice and consent requirements.

What Qualifies as Abandonment?

State laws differ about what is needed for a parent to be deemed to have abandoned a child. Generally, there needs to be a period of time during which the parent does not have any contact with the child and does not pay child support. In most states, the period of time is one year, but this varies. Some states include a provision that the time period for abandonment begins once the biological father learns of the existence of the child. A skilled adoption attorney in your state can help you understand the state-specific laws that govern your case.

Proving or Defending Abandonment

When evaluating whether a child has been abandoned, a court will likely balance a parent’s right to parent their child with the child’s best interests.

The burden is on the party moving for termination to prove that abandonment has taken place. Typically, this will only come up when there is another party who is looking to take on the parental rights that the parent has allegedly given up due to their abandonment. As with all of the other elements of abandonment, specific defenses will vary by state. For example, in a state that measures the period of abandonment from when the father learns of the child, the father may defend his parental rights by showing that he did not know of the child. Parents who want to keep their rights intact may also provide evidence showing financial support of the child or mother as well as contact and attempts to form a relationship with the child. A court may also take into account other circumstances that the statute does not contemplate. A knowledgeable adoption attorney can help craft an appropriate defense or conversely help prove that abandonment has occurred so that the child can be adopted by another parent.

Last reviewed October 2023

Adoption Law Center Contents   

• Types of Adoption Available Under the Law
• Who May Adopt Under the Law
• Who May Be Adopted Under the Law
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• Willful Failure to Support a Child Leading to Legal Termination of Parental Rights
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• Contested Adoptions
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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Frankenstein — Child Abandonment in Frankenstein

Child Abandonment in Frankenstein

• Categories: Frankenstein Mary Shelley

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Published: Mar 20, 2024

Words: 484 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

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Victor frankenstein and the creature, effects of child abandonment, parallel with shelley's life.

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Essay on Child Abandonment

There are various reasons for the child abandonment. Most often it happens that the abandoned child is left by a single mother. In a nursery home or hospital, a woman writes a statement renouncing their parental rights, leaving the child to the State. Unlike the found babies, the identity of the child in such cases is known. Having received the status of “abandoned,” the child should be sent to orphan’s institution or to the foster family.

The typical justification for such a step is the illness of a child. However, biological parents also often abandon completely healthy children: due to the scarcity of material status or household problems, or a minor mother due to the fear of persecution for unwanted pregnancies.

The kids are experiencing serious deficits in attention and communication that leads to the so-called emotional hunger, most of the time they spend in their beds, are not provided with personal items, hygiene supplies, means of care.

Psychologists warn against toughening laws against such will of the mother. In the face of even greater threat of child-murder, which today happens to be due to the same reasons.

Child abandonment can be traced in many cultures since the ancient times. Although such children could survive if they were taken by others in their care, this was often seen as a form of baby murder-as for example in the apologeticum of Tertullian: “it’s a very cruel way to kill [a child] … by exposing them to cold, hunger and dogs.”

Also in the early Middle Ages, there were babies left in this way. At that time, the law prescribed that such a child, if taken care of, should treat as a slave.

Until the end of the 18th century, it happened quite often that a mother or an older couple that could maintain no children for some reason, left the child at a church or the house of settling down, in the hope that it would be found in time, and would grow up in a better environment.

Sometimes it was a foundling abandoned children accompanied by a so-called note on which then the names and possibly the faith were mentioned.

Monasteries and hospitals were sometimes equipped with a hatch in which they could accept abandoned children so it was quickly found without the parents have to make themselves known. In addition, in many European countries such hatches should be installed near the roads for this need.

In the middle ages, parents of children who were abandoned were to be scaffold publicly for twelve days and then to be banished from the city. The foundling itself had to be carried on the arm of a servant and shown around the town.

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Why men abandoning their child is a red flag for any partner

• By DIgital Hearts
• May 28, 2024

Relationships are built on trust, responsibility and mutual respect. One of the most significant indicators of a person’s character is how they handle their responsibilities, particularly when it comes to parenthood. When a man abandons his child, it not only affects the child but also sends alarming signals to any potential partner about his values and reliability. This article delves into why such behavior is a major red flag and what it implies for a potential romantic relationship.

Understanding abandonment

Abandonment in the context of parenthood refers to the act of a parent — in this case, the father — failing to provide emotional, financial or physical support to their child. This can take various forms, from outright disappearance to neglect and refusal to take on parental duties. Understanding this concept is crucial as it lays the groundwork for why this behavior is problematic in a romantic relationship.

Signs of abandonment in parenting

• Lack of involvement : A father who is not involved in their child’s life, missing important milestones and daily activities.
• Financial neglec t: Failing to provide necessary financial support for the child’s upbringing.
• Emotional detachment : Showing little to no emotional connection or support to the child.
• Absence of communication : Not maintaining regular communication with the child.

The impact on children

Children abandoned by a parent often face numerous emotional and psychological challenges. These can include feelings of unworthiness, abandonment issues, trust problems and a higher risk of developing behavioral issues. Understanding these impacts is essential as they highlight the severity of abandonment and its long-term effects.

Implications for a girlfriend

When considering a man who has abandoned his child, several red flags emerge any partner should not ignore are:

• Lack of responsibility : A man who shirks his parental duties likely lacks a sense of responsibility, which can be problematic in a romantic relationship.
• Emotional immaturity : Abandoning a child often signals emotional immaturity and an inability to handle challenging situations.
• Trust issues : If a man can abandon his own child, it raises serious questions about his ability to commit and stay loyal in a relationship.
• Potential for repeat behavior : The behavior might indicate a pattern that could potentially extend to other areas of life, including the romantic relationship.

Case studies and real-life examples

To understand the gravity of this issue, consider real-life examples where people — in these cases, women —  have encountered men who abandoned their children. These stories often reveal patterns of behavior that are detrimental to healthy relationships.

• Case study 1 : Jane met Tom, who initially seemed charming and caring. However, she soon discovered that Tom had abandoned his two children from a previous marriage. Over time, Jane noticed similar patterns of neglect and irresponsibility in their relationship, leading to their eventual breakup.
• Case study 2 : Maria was in a relationship with Mark, who had a daughter he never saw or supported. This behavior was a red flag for Maria, and she eventually realized that Mark’s lack of commitment extended to their relationship, prompting her to end things before it worsened.

Psychological perspectives

Psychologists emphasize that a man’s relationship with his children indicates his overall emotional health and maturity. Men who abandon their children often struggle with deep-seated issues such as fear of commitment, unresolved childhood traumas and a lack of empathy.

How to address the red flag

If you find yourself in a relationship with a man who has abandoned his child, it is crucial to address the issue head-on. Open communication and setting clear expectations are essential steps in understanding his perspective and deciding whether the relationship can move forward.

• Have an honest conversation : Discuss his reasons for abandoning his child and gauge his level of remorse and willingness to change.
• Set boundaries : Make it clear that such behavior is unacceptable and outline your expectations for responsibility and commitment.
• Seek professional help : Counseling or therapy can help address underlying issues and provide a path forward for both parties.

Why abandonment is a big red flag

A man’s abandonment of his child is a significant red flag that should not be ignored by any partner. It speaks volumes about his character, responsibility and emotional maturity. Understanding the implications of such behavior is crucial for anyone considering a serious relationship with him. While people can change, it requires a genuine willingness to address and rectify past mistakes. For a healthy and stable relationship, it is essential to ensure that both partners are committed to their responsibilities and to each other.

While love and attraction are important, they should not overshadow the critical evaluation of a partner’s character and actions. A man who abandons his child might bring similar instability into a romantic relationship, making it imperative for any partner to consider this red flag seriously .

This story was created using AI technology.

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Man arrested after allegedly abandoning kids on an island in Satellite Beach

Man arrested after allegedly abandoning kids.

A man was arrested after police in Satellite Beach say three children were abandoned for hours on an island in Brevard County.

SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. - A man was arrested after police in Satellite Beach say three children were abandoned for hours on an island in Brevard County.

One of the children’s fathers, Leonard Nile, was supposed to be watching the kids on the Memorial Day camping trip, but the father was arrested and charged with three counts of child neglect. 

According to a police report, three children who were left without care were 9, 10, and 11 years old. Not only were they left, but they were stranded on an island surrounded by water before a Good Samaritan heard them screaming for help from the dock late Saturday night. 

"I cried so much Sunday that I can’t cry anymore. Now, I just want answers," said Robin, who’s one of the children’s mothers. 

Robin wants justice after her 9-year-old daughter and two other kids were allegedly left alone for four hours on Samson Island in Satellite Beach.

"They got scared, so they made their way to the dock and was yelling for help," said the mother. 

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Robin says her daughter was staying with her best friend and was supposed to be watched by her father. She tells us he's looked after her daughter before, so she wasn't worried, but that changed on Saturday night. 

"I couldn’t get there fast enough to make sure my daughter was okay," said Robin, saying her heart sank when the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office called her, letting her know what happened to her daughter. 

According to a police report, Satellite Beach police officers responded to 698 Jackson Court after the man who was arrested, Leonard Nile, called 911, saying he lost contact with the children. The responding officers say Nile was emotional, showing mood swings and even crying and yelling in reference to missing children. 

Nile told police he left the kids to get more equipment for the camping trip, but when he returned, he couldn't find them. The officer noted they could smell alcohol on him. The report also says the suspect admitted to smoking weed, consuming cocaine, and drinking beer before meeting with the officers. 

"If you’re going to be out there with the children, we need to be in the right state of mind," the mother said. 

Thankfully, all three children were safe because someone nearby heard them yelling and brought them back to land.

"Why were our kids just left out there? Why didn’t you make sure one of the cell phones were charged? I want answers," said Robin. 

Police arrested him Saturday night, and a judge set his bond at $7,500. 

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Oregon man convicted of sexually abusing 2 teen girls he met online gets 12 1/2 years in prison

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon man who met two 15-year-old girls on Snapchat, sexually abused them while traveling through three states and finally abandoned them at a park has been sentenced to more than a decade behind bars, prosecutors said Thursday.

Albert Wayne Johnson was sentenced Wednesday to 12 1/2 years in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon said Thursday in a statement.

On Aug. 8, 2022, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call reporting two minors abandoned in a park outside Portland in Boring, Oregon, according to court documents.

The girls told deputies they met Johnson on Snapchat and that he drove them from Washington through Idaho and into Oregon. Johnson sexually abused both of them at a motel in Othello, Washington, and one of them at a campground near La Grande, Oregon, according to court documents.

After arriving in Boring, Johnson left the children at a campsite in Barton Park and never returned.

Johnson, 42, was arrested at his home in La Grande on an outstanding parole violation warrant Aug. 30, 2022. Surveillance video from the motel in Othello showed him with the two girls, documents said.

That November a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging him with traveling across state lines to engage in a sexual act with a minor, transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and commission of a sex offense by a registered sex offender.

As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Johnson pleaded guilty this year to transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

In court filings Johnson’s attorney, Elizabeth Daily, said he did not use physical force or coercion against the girls and suggested that a sentence of just over 11 years would be sufficient.

Johnson was previously convicted of luring a minor and attempt to commit sexual abuse in 2018 and was under state supervision in August 2022, according to prosecutors. He had also violated his conditions of release by changing his address without approval and failing to complete sex offender and substance abuse treatment, they said.

Daily Southtown | Frankfort again closes downtown street for al…

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Daily southtown | frankfort again closes downtown street for al fresco dining, adding parking.

“It’s a fun atmosphere,” said Karen Meyers with This and That Gifts and Accessories, 11 S. White St. “We have so much going on in the summer.”

Frankfort Mayor Keith Ogle said temporarily closing Kansas Street from Ash to Oak streets, first done during the COVID-19 pandemic, is back by popular demand. The closure creates a pedestrian friendly zone where visitors can dine al fresco, shop at the downtown’s unique boutiques and enjoy the summer season.

“It’s straight out of a Hallmark movie,” Ogle said.

The village has worked on a myriad of improvements to its downtown district, Ogle said.

Two new downtown parking lots with 80 additional spaces are expected to be completed by June 1. The village secured $560,000 in grants from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for parking and lighting enhancements in the historic district, Ogle said.

The future parking lot at 2 Smith St. once contained an abandoned cabinet factory that was torn down, said Sarah Hodges, resident engineer with Robinson Engineering, which is working on the project. The lots will provide much-needed space for visitors and events, she said.

Plans are also underway for playground and path improvements at Prairie Park to create a more inviting and accessible outdoor space for families, village officials said.

Three restaurants, Senso Sushi, Rustic Knead and Nautical Bowls, as well as Growing Smiles children’s dentistry, are expected to open by late July or August on White Street, Ogle said. The businesses are generating a lot of excitement and will add to the downtown Frankfort district, he said. Senso Sushi plans for outdoor dining.

Alex Masterson, owner of the Candle Vault, 114 Kansas St., opened her business in September, transforming a vacant bank built in 1885 to a boutique shop where patrons can create a custom-scented candle from among its 130 fragrance options. She has partnered with local artists who created handmade jars for the candles.

Preserving the building’s history was important to her. Once a site of an 1899 bank heist in which thieves stole $1,900, the building contains the original floors, copper ceiling, front door and bank vault. It sat vacant for about 30 years before being revitalized, Masterson said.

“We wanted to bring that building back to life,” she said.

Because the candles take time to set, she encourages her customers to visit other downtown Frankfort businesses before picking up their products.

“I definitely think Frankfort has something special to offer,” Masterson said.

Chris Hammar, owner of Hammar’s Mercantile, 4 W. Nebraska St., a home décor and gift shop, said the downtown has numerous woman-owned businesses, which help one another. The village does a good job planning events and attracting visitors to the downtown, she said.

Shoppers on a bus tour from Naperville recently complimented the atmosphere and the shops in the historic district, Hammar said.

“You can spend a great part of your day in downtown Frankfort,” Hammar said.

Frankfort resident Emma Barnard, who was visiting the downtown district on a recent sunny afternoon, said she enjoys when the village closes the street for outdoor dining. The downtown offers something for everyone, she said.

“I love how they keep the personality of old town Frankfort,” Barnard said. “It has timeless charm.”

Layne Boyce of New Lenox said the year-round events bring people together.

“It’s a good central hub for people,” Boyce said.

One of the big draws to the downtown will be the annual Concerts on the Greens, at 6:30 p.m. Sunday evenings from June 16 to Aug. 25 on Breidert Green at Kansas and White streets. Between 500 and 1,100 people attend the concerts each week, which feature a variety of music genres, said Jesse Herder, director of events with the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce.

Car shows will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays from June 3 to Sept. 23 in the downtown.

The 12th annual Bluegrass Festival, featuring more than 20 national, regional and local bands, is planned for July 13 and 14.

The 56th annual Frankfort Fall Festival with carnival rides, entertainment and nationally-recognized arts and crafts fair will return Aug. 31 to Sept. 2.

The Kansas Street closure will remain in effect until the week leading up to the Fall Festival. After the fest, it will close again so that al fresco dining can resume through October.

John Cosgrove, owner of Trail’s Edge Brewing Co., 20 Kansas St., said it takes a small army to set up the wrought-iron fencing, Astroturf, tables and chairs and twinkling lights to create a charming outdoor atmosphere on Kansas Street.

Customers come from throughout the south and southwest suburbs as well as from Bourbonnais, Peotone and Manteno, Cosgrove said.

“It’s beautiful,” he said. “Everybody has flowers. It’s more walkable. People seem to be clamoring for it. It’s worth it.”

Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

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