A child is said to be best safe in mother’s care. But the sad and shocking death of Baby P in north London reveals the dark side of motherhood. This death of a toddler has forced child protection agencies, social workers and doctors to find the loop-holes in the system.

It is indeed shocking, Baby P had been listed as abused and had suffered series of bruises and injuries and yet was allowed to stay with his mother. Why? Maybe because society believes that mothers are nurturers and children are safe with their mothers. But the ground reality is different. Not all women are prepared to handle motherhood and the responsibilities that come along with it.

Not all women who become mothers are psychologically stable either. There has to be support system in the form of extended family or friends to help young single mothers handle the new phase of motherhood. It is indeed sad that this woman, whose personal life was clearly in a mess, decided to vent her anger on her own helpless and vulnerable child. Maybe she had a criminal and sadist mind behind her facade of normalcy.

In many developing countries, where there are no monitoring agencies, child abuse at home often goes unreported. But if we look closely, we can see such gross abuse everywhere. Children either become display dolls or punching bag for frustrated and at times insane parents.

Children learn from their elders and surroundings. Abused children often develop serious mental problems and personality disorders. If not corrected they may end up as abusers themselves! That’s how negative emotions spread. Maybe due to pressures of modern life, we are forgetting how to love and nurture our future generation. We must not ignore this dark side of modern life.