I just read about the needle boy from Brazil and it seriously made me physically ill. Number one, it is one of the most horrifying and disgusting cases of child abuse I have read about. That anyone could give a child alcohol until they passed out and then stick needles in them in an effort to kill them is the most horrible thing i've read in a long time!!!!!! Apparently, the psycho step-father did all this in an effort to get revenge on the mom. They didn't say what the revenge was for, but I think it's irrelevant.

On a secondary and less important note, it is depressing that yet again, the evil step-parent stereotype is being reinforced. Step-parents have been vilified in everything from Disney cartoons to literature to dramas and while the term "evil step-mother" is recognized by pretty much everyone (Cinderella anyone?), the term "evil bio-mother" is almost never heard (let alone portrayed in Disney movies). It really seems like every news story that mentions step-parents is at best mildly negative and at worst, some horrific story of evil child abuse, like what happened to that poor little boy in Brazil. While my heart goes out to that poor little guy, I would really like to see the sincere, caring and loving step-parents that I see on this site represented in the media. Being a step-parent is immensely frustrating and can be hellish, but when we get really angry, hurt or frustrated, the majority of us get on here and vent to others who can understand what we're going through. We don't hurt or injure the kids that happen to be in our lives because we fell in love with their parents. I know a lot of shitty bio-parents that would probably be better parents if they had a place like this to vent, get advice and support. I see bad bio-parents all the time and while step-parents are not all saints obviously, we are majorly mis-represented and every depressing and horrible story like this just hammers another nail into our reputation coffin.

Obviously, I don't think that a shocking and horrifying news story like this should be suppressed or something just because the psycho in it is a step-dad. I would just like to see more stories about some of the positive step-parents that give love and time to kids that they didn't give birth to and often never wanted in the first place and maybe show some of the sacrifices that step-parents make for a job that is not only thankless, but also one that, when mentioned, at best gets uncomfortable silences and at worst dirty looks and nasty comments.

I, for example, am not even close to being a perfect step-parent, but I didn't see a film crew or any journalists jockeying to interview me when I was painstakingly sewing patches on my skids torn pants, sticking my hand into a blood-filled mouth to help pull a tooth, or spending my entire weekend building a pioneer cabin made out of popsicle sticks. It sure was fun to not even get a mention in the program for the "we love our mom and dads" school carnival that I spent three days helping to set up, including some careful shopping for a "sick" outfit and a fresh haircut the night before. For step-parents, romantic evenings that have been planned for weeks are frequently canceled in favor of sitting up with a sick kid with a fever and cleaning up vomit from the bathroom floor. This kind of parenting stuff is difficult for bio-parents who have that oxytocin love bond and can look into their kids faces and see their own genetics looking back, not the hideous features of the crazy bio-parent. We usually don't have that bond and still we keep on going and strive to be the best parent figures we can be. It boils down to a hell of a lot of work and almost no recognition. I'm not trying to whine about how hard being a step-parent is, i'm trying to point out that step-parents work REALLY hard and make huge sacrifices emotionally, financially, romantically and socially and it would be nice if in addition to the nightmarish-monster step-parent media releases that always seem to be in the news, there was news stories about the awesome people who take on extra kids and give them their best.

This sad and awful news story depressed me a lot and then made me pissed. Sorry to depress anyone. Just had to get that out of my system so I can move past the venting and have a good Christmas. I also hope that little toddler comes through the surgeries okay and that he makes a full recovery.