Young mom speaks out

Kearstain Sleeth age 20 works night shift and attending nursing school, was charged with six counts of misdemeanor child endangerment, according to the www.news-leader.com. Three small children were playing unsupervised outside of their home wearing only diapers when police where called When theauthorities arrived they found food on the front porch, the children and the home was filthy. The report stated that there was dog feces, food and trash everywhere. According to Sleeth, the incident happened when she was very sick and she had left the children under the care of their father while she rested and denied the allegations of how her house looked.

Anytime one reads that a mother is charged with child endangerment the usual reaction is to blame and have anger towards the mother. As I dove deeper into the article, I redirected that hostility towards other area’s.

 I couldn’t believe that a mother would leave 3 children all under the ages of three unattended as though they meant nothing to her. As I read on, my opinion changed. I found it rather unfortunate and disappointing that the father of these children did not feel any sense of responsibility towards his own children. I wondered were he was and why the article didn’t state his defense. Authorities commented about how the children were very dirty. I think this is ridiculous. Anyone with children knows how fast they can get dirty and especially if they are making mud pies or playing race-cars in the dirt. They are kids and kids get dirty. The article also stated that authorities, “referred to food left on the porch of the home, like the children were “domestic animals.” Thinking back to when my children were three and below, I remember how they loved to pretend that they were “doggies.” Many times would I find a bowl of cereal outside on the ground with a bowl of water. I believe that it is feasible that the children may have been playing and put their snacks on the porch. In regards to them being in diapers, what mother hasn’t let their children run around at home in their diapers? Furthermore, some children rather wear only their diapers and when they are home, strip their clothes off the minute they get there. It’s pathetic that the neighbors were so upset about Sleeths children playing outside unattended that they called the police on her. If they were so busy watching the children be unsupervised were they really unsupervised? Knowing that she is a single parent, why didn’t they offer to watch the kids for her? People don’t want to get involved but yet they want to hurry and call the police. I never understood that. To me that’s still getting involved.

Being a mother is hard job. Having three small children is even harder and then add nosey cop calling neighbors to the mix would make it insanely difficult. I wish the best of luck to Kearstain Sleeth and I hope she is able to move away from those horrible neighbors.