Child Abuse Prevention Association

The View of Prevention Advocates on the Alec Baldwin Verbal Abuse Case

As ABC’s daytime television program The View prepares to address the issue of verbal abuse and parents feeling ‘pushed to the edge’ remains a focus of national attention. In the aftermath of Mr. Baldwin’s now-famous voicemail message to his daughter, Prevent Child Abuse (PCA) America wants to ask whether parents are receiving the kinds of help and support they need, while letting all parents know about resources to help them deal with anger and frustration.

“If we view Mr. Baldwin in isolation, we are missing an opportunity to identify changes in the way we can more systematically help parents promote healthy child development,” said PCA America President Jim Hmurovich. “While Mr. Baldwin must be held responsible for his actions, we believe this is a situation that highlights the reality that every parent has, at some point, experienced times of extreme stress, frustration and even anger. Stress can lead to behavior that is unquestionably abusive.”

Emotional abuse – which can involve belittling, criticizing, and ignoring - is child abuse, plain and simple. Even divorced parents need to work together to make sure their children are protected from it. Emotional abuse can happen when a parent is under stress and does not know how to properly manage that stress; children who are emotionally abused may go on to experience depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, if not worse emotional and mental health issues.

“This situation reminds all of us that emotional abuse can happen in families of every race, religion, and socioeconomic status,” continued Hmurovich. “We want the public to ask how each of us can help parents to be the type of parents we really want to be and we would like all parents to know there are steps that can be taken to prevent directing stress toward a child. There are resources – like a national child abuse hotline – that are free and available at any time, day or night.”

PCA America gives the following tips on how parents can manage stress and prevent verbally abusing their children. If you feel you’re about to lose your temper, you can:
• Put Yourself in a Time-Out Chair. Think about why you’re angry – is it your child, or is your child simply a convenient target for your anger?
• Be Aware of What Triggers Your Temper. Just recognizing your ‘temper triggers’ can help you stay calm during such situations and enable you to try to avoid certain circumstances in the first place.
• Phone a Friend.
• Splash Cold Water on Your Face.
• Close Your Eyes and Imagine You’re Hearing What Your Child is About to Hear.
• Take a Deep Breath… and Another. Then Remember: You are the Adult.

Parents who feel overwhelmed and fear losing their temper can, 24 hours a day, call a toll-free child abuse hotline like the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (www.childhelpusa.org) or

The Covenant House Nineline at 1-800-999-9999 (www.covenenathouse.org).

Other resources for parents:
• Crisis Baby-Sitting. There are local organizations that provide immediate baby-sitting services if parents need to deflect a would-be crisis situation. There are also crisis nurseries and crisis counseling resources.
• Parent Support Programs. Many communities have support groups for new parents, and for parents with children of all ages.

For more tips, and for additional information on services and support resources in your community, go to the Prevent Child Abuse America website at www.preventchildabuse.org.

ABOUT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA
Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in Chicago in 1972, is the nation’s leading organization working solely to prevent the abuse and neglect or our nation’s children. Through its chapters in 42 states and its voluntary home visitation services provided by Healthy Families America® in more than 400 communities nationwide, Prevent Child Abuse America helps provide healthy, safe and nurturing experiences for more than 100,000 families every year.

For more information, please visit www.preventchildabuse.org.