[Palladin]

I enjoyed reading all the posts about large families. Indeed, there are many sacrifices involved, but the payoff comes later on, especially in old age, as you watch your many children carry on the traditions you love so well.

That being said....this Bascom family is not entirely fault-free. Any parent with half a brain knows that a two-year-old child (and during the whole toddler stage) must be watched constantly. The only time you can take your eyes off them is when they are asleep. The two year old is going through a phase of tentative independence and continuous exploration. The brighter the child, the more dangerous this phase is.

Parents should be especially watchful if there is water nearby--creek, stream, ocean, swimming pool. You cannot take your eyes off a toddler for even a second around water.

The Bascoms sound like a flaky and irresposible bunch to me.

[Maximilian]

That being said....this Bascom family is not entirely fault-free... The Bascoms sound like a flaky and irresposible bunch to me.

There's a huge leap from "not entirely fault-free" to "flaky and irresponsible." No parents are entirely fault free. All of us are going to make mistakes. I'm sure the Bascoms regret not keeping a better eye on the 2-year old. But the tendency to jump all over parents for every mistake is a huge discouragement to parenthood in our society. We need to be charitable and supportive of fellow parents, not judgemental. If society was serious about the best interests of the children, they would be assisting large families like the Bascoms, not throwing them in jail.

[ConservativeStLouisGuy]

It was truly heart-warming to see so many fine people respond to the article that I posted....many thanks for your succinct and warm wishes for my (impending) marriage....I've been a lurker here at Free Republic since the days when Drudge first posted the news about the "Liar-In-Chief" (Billy Boy) and his liason with....well....let's not cause a "barf alert" here....hehehehe....so, again, many thanks to y'all out there. I consider myself very blessed to be in the company of such fine, God-fearing American patriots!! - ConservativeStLouisGuy (Tom)