In a perfect world, all children would be raised in a clean, loving home. But unfortunately, some parents aren’t able to give their children the sort of upbringing they deserve.
Whether it be because of financial, personal, or emotional reasons, there are children out there who suffer neglect at the hands of their parents.
This neglect isn’t necessarily strictly emotional.
There are, of course, parents who don’t give their child the emotional love or attention they require at such a young age.
But neglect can be physical too, particularly if a parent has made a toxic environment for their kids.
The general expectation of a parent is that they’re able to keep their children well fed, cleaned, and groomed every day. But some aren’t able to do that, or simply don’t.
Raising and caring for children is not an easy job, especially if you’re a single parent.
Sometimes, it is a daily struggle to work all day and come home to take care of your family alone, and then try to take care of yourself.
However, being overwhelmed isn’t an excuse for neglecting the care of children who are dependent on your care.
Other caregivers in the children’s life, such as at school or daycare facilities, can often spot the signs of neglect, and that’s what happened to one single-parent family.
One single mother in Florida was subjecting her children to abhorrent living conditions.
According to CNN , 33-year-old Jessica Nicole Stevenson was living with her five young children, aged 5 to 14, in Milton when teachers at her daughter’s school became suspicious of her daily garb.
The second grade student showed up to class in the same clothes every day for a week.
Suspecting that something wasn’t quite right with the little girl’s home life, the school notified a local deputy on April 18 who then began investigating the young student’s family.
As part of their allegations, the school worker who noticed the little girl’s clothing reported other troubling finds.
In the report, the worker alleges that the girl couldn’t remember the last time she had taken a shower or bath and that the girl’s clothing had been caked with dirt, some even with fecal matter.
But the most troubling part of the report had to do with the little girl’s school backpack.
The worker claimed that at one point, the girl was in the lunchroom and teachers found that her backpack had “hundreds of bugs” crawling out of it.
Upon checking the girl’s family home, a sheriff’s deputy discovered it was infested with cockroaches.
“The roaches were on nearly every surface in the home, to include on the children’s mattress, in the pots and pans in the kitchen, and inside the cabinets/fridge,” the report reads.
The kitchen cabinets held no food and there was almost no clean clothing inside the home.
There were also reportedly piles of “cat feces” all over the floors.
Jessica Nicole Stevenson was arrested on five counts of neglect of a child without great bodily harm.
If she’s convicted of her charges, she could reportedly face up to 25 years in prison.
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Stevenson has said she’s never neglected or abused her children before.
“It’s just not easy when you’re one person and five kids. I want to do better, and I’m trying,” she told WEAR .
“We have roaches. And people will tell me all the time, everyone in Florida has roaches.”
She is due back in court for her arraignment on May 30. While she awaits trial, a judge has ordered her not to have any contact with her children or drink alcohol.
h/t: CNN
