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I am moved to tears when I hear of children bearing children and then attempting to kill them (“Motherless Child,” 10/6). Initially, I think that we should “throw the book at them,” but then I learn about their lives, who they are, and what they were thinking. Ultimately, the concern is for the safety of the child. I’m never satisfied when the child ends up in foster care because many times it’s just another nightmare of abuse and neglect. Tanisha Montague is immature, and though I’m sure she now loves her baby, she doesn’t have a clue about how to raise her except based on what she learned from her own mother. Unfortunately, such methods would not be productive. If Montague could somehow learn how to be a parent and face her past fears and deal with them maturely, then, maybe, she would be able to be a true mom to her daughter. Her family members weren’t there for herhow would they raise this little girl? I wish there were a way for me to somehow intervene, to teach Montague how to love and allow herself to be loved, how to raise a daughter that wouldn’t have to go through what she went through, to show her life and hope and dreams for herself and her daughter. If Montague doesn’t get the help she needs, the futures of both her and her daughter look bleak. It pains me to know that she probably won’t get the help she is so badly in need of.
North Bergen, N.J.