David L. Angier's Blog: Court of Public Opinion
June 7, 2013
Parenting tips from the courtroom
I'm thinking about writing a book called, "Parenting Tips from the Courtroom, or, Don't Sell Your Kids to a Pedophile for Rent Money."
I know, it sounds a little obvious. But you really can learn a lot from criminal trials, or at least have the obvious thrown in your face with such force that it stays with you.
The top thing I found from 20 years of covering the courts, and seeing numerous child-victim cases, is: don't try to divide your attention when you're with your kids. Put the phone away when you're at the pool or the bus stop, or driving up on a bus stop. Don't try to play video games while babysitting a toddler.
People who try to do something else, when they are in the midst of taking care of a child, are far more likely to make mistakes or, worse, get frustrated. Frustration leads to angry, possibly even violent, outbursts.
The majority of court cases, other than child sex abuse, have been child abuse/shaken baby (frustration) or manslaughter (mistakes). The subtitle about selling a child to a pedophile - that actually happened. And that's the second phase of the book, punctuating messages with examples from the courts.
Another aspect, however, is the boundless love I've seen from defendants' parents as they stand by their child. Or, even more profound, is when a mother sits through autopsy or crime scene photos of her daughter as a part of her murderer's trial. The mother feels obligated to share her daughter's final moments, however excruciating.
In court, you see parents at their extremes. In that, there is always a lesson.
I know, it sounds a little obvious. But you really can learn a lot from criminal trials, or at least have the obvious thrown in your face with such force that it stays with you.
The top thing I found from 20 years of covering the courts, and seeing numerous child-victim cases, is: don't try to divide your attention when you're with your kids. Put the phone away when you're at the pool or the bus stop, or driving up on a bus stop. Don't try to play video games while babysitting a toddler.
People who try to do something else, when they are in the midst of taking care of a child, are far more likely to make mistakes or, worse, get frustrated. Frustration leads to angry, possibly even violent, outbursts.
The majority of court cases, other than child sex abuse, have been child abuse/shaken baby (frustration) or manslaughter (mistakes). The subtitle about selling a child to a pedophile - that actually happened. And that's the second phase of the book, punctuating messages with examples from the courts.
Another aspect, however, is the boundless love I've seen from defendants' parents as they stand by their child. Or, even more profound, is when a mother sits through autopsy or crime scene photos of her daughter as a part of her murderer's trial. The mother feels obligated to share her daughter's final moments, however excruciating.
In court, you see parents at their extremes. In that, there is always a lesson.
Court of Public Opinion
I was a newspaper writer for 20 years in three states, primarily covering the courts. Trial coverage is an art, blending evidence with emotion and condensing long and complicated arguments into a read
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