By Teri Cayton
The Parsons Advocate
People never stop amazing me with the things they are capable of. I just read a news article about a mother that killed her 16 day old baby. The child was taken to the hospital where it was discovered she had 6 broken ribs, a broken arm, various marks on the throat, eye and injuries to the back of head. The mother was suffering from Postpartum Depression and not had any treatment.
She has been indicted on counts of child abuse by a parent resulting in death, child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, child neglect resulting in death, strangulation, malicious assault and domestic battery. She said she was frustrated with herself and the baby and everything escalated to the point of no return. Momma Said, “Mental health is a very serious topic and needs to be addressed more seriously.
It is a terrible situation and I feel for the mother and the family but at the same time she stole that child’s life. When a mother is frustrated or agitated, the child can pick up on that and then it is also frustrated and agitated, so the cycle begins and just spirals out of control. I think all mothers need to be counseled after birth regardless of symptoms or not.
I never had children and never experienced anything like this depression so I can’t speak of what these women go through but I have gone through some tough times and felt pretty low. So I know she had to have been going through some terrible feelings. Momma Said, “Pay attention and if you see a family member or friend going through some tough times maybe suggest to them to talk to someone before it is too late.” Mental illness doesn’t mean you have to be hanging from the rafters acting like a monkey. The signs are so slight sometimes that if you don’t pay attention it will slip under the radar and that is when it goes beyond reason.
Almond Joy Cookies
Your friends and family will never believe how easy they are to make.
Ingredients
⅔ cups almonds, chopped
14 oz. bag sweetened coconut flakes
2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
⅛ tsp. salt: omit if using salted almonds
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set Aside.
Rough chop whole almonds then measure out ⅔ cup.
In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped almonds, coconut, chocolate chips, salt (omit if using salted almonds) and sweetened condensed milk. Stir with a spatula until combined.
Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and scoop balls onto the baking sheet. If needed reshape the cookies to make perfect rounds, wet your fingers with water and lightly press to reshape. Flatten the tops slightly.
Bake for 10-14 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a container.