It's Hard to Understand Why Some Families Single Out Just One Child for Abuse

How will Sherin Mathews' surviving sibling remember the sister she lost? She will surely struggle to understand, as we all do. It's hard enough to ponder why any parent would inflict deliberate harm on his or her own children. It may be harder still to understand why some abusive families "scapegoat" one child while providing comparatively reasonable care to the rest. This week, a Dallas judge ruled that Wesley and Sini Mathews cannot have contact with their surviving daughter, and that child-welfare workers aren't obligated to work toward reuniting the family. Both parents remain jailed on charges linked to their treatment of 3-year-old Sherin, their adopted daughter, whose body was dumped in a culvert following her death in early October. Neither parent has been convicted.   Continue reading...