3yo Was Terrified Of Moms Penis 3 yo Thrown Into Wall & Beaten & Now Dead

**Whisper** · April 17th, 2010, 01:16 AM

Man charged with murdering Henrico toddler
Posted by Terry Alexander - email

HENRICO, VA (WWBT) – New information on the death of a toddler in Henrico County. His mother's boyfriend charged with murder. That little boy was found dead in his home Thursday evening. This all unfolded in the 4900 block of Farrell Court in Henrico.
Multiple sources say the little boy died after being thrown into a wall in his home. Neighbors call the three old victim -smart and vibrant.

The little boy was found dead around 6:30 Thursday evening. Police say he had "massive injuries to the body" The boyfriend of the child's mother, 45 year old Kevin Lucas, is now charged with murdering the toddler.
[...]
Sondra Hardney is more than a neighbor to the victim. She was his babysitter.
Hardney says she's since spoken with the little boy's mother and brothers about the incident.

"The mother had said to me one time that the little one was scared to death of him," she said.
Neighbor's say the boy's mother is a hard worker -- and seemed friendly and caring.
"This shouldn't happen to them at all or anybody," neighbor Bruce Schaaf said.

For now neighbors are left wondering why. They say they're praying for the family.
"The little boy he's in a better place. He was a sweet young boy…I know for a fact he's in heaven," said Everet Rhone, neighbor.
[...]

http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=12327239

**AussieMum** · April 17th, 2010, 06:13 AM

If this little boy was terrified on the man, why was he left in his care????

Poor sweet little darling, I hope and pray he didn't not suffer long.

**Whisper** · April 17th, 2010, 12:31 PM

Thats exactly what I said
He mustve been hit by him to be afraid of him

**TheMorningStar** · April 17th, 2010, 12:43 PM

**Whisper** · April 17th, 2010, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by TheMorningStar

Damn hes fugly and evil looking no wonder that baby was afraid of him

**momof3** · April 17th, 2010, 01:18 PM

These so called mothers that continually put their children in harms way piss me off more then the pricks that harm the child. Is a penis THAT important cause I don't get it. Buy a vibrator, they make so many wonderful ones these days :-) I hope she is forever haunted knowing that she is just as responsible for the murder of her son as that vile man is. And to all the idiots who read these posts and still don't get; if ur child is afraid of someone in ur life then there is a reason damnit! Get to the bottom of it and in the meantime don't leave ur child with that person!

**Silvahalo** · April 17th, 2010, 02:33 PM

This shouldn't have happened to little Christian.

The mother had said to me one time that the little one was scared to death of him," she said.
Neighbor's say the boy's mother is a hard worker -- and seemed friendly and caring.

"This shouldn't happen to themat all or anybody," neighbor Bruce Schaaf said.

The mother knew and expressed to the neighbor her child was scared to death of this fucker. And the mother is seemed caring and friendly. Sure, I read that she was working hard for her children, as this loser stayed home to "care" for her children. I simply have a hard time feeling for a mother who left her son with this POS knowing he was scared to death of him....so how does that translate to caring for Christian?

The three boys were inseparable.
"You see one, you saw three," said Sandra Hardney, a neighbor and occasional babysitter to the boys, ages 3, 5 and 8, on Farrell Court in Henrico County.

"Little Christian was not there," Hardney said of the 3-year-old. "Just the other two, and we knew something wasn't right."

[...]
Then the boys' mother, known to neighbors as Marie, pulled in front of her home. Moments later her bloodcurdling screams filled the neighborhood.

Little Christian was dead.

Christian died from massive trauma, according to police. A neighbor who saw the body said the child had a large head wound.

Concerns about the three boys' welfare had been an issue for months.
"We even got a petition up about how they seemed not to be watched closely enough. They were making noises, riding their bikes into cars. Sometimes the little one would be standing alone in the street,"...

(Christian's babysitter)...Hardney, tears streaming down her face yesterday as her grandchildren comforted her, is saddened by the memory of a little boy whose face was often swollen.

"When I would ask what happened, he would start to say something and his brothers would jump in and say he had fallen from his bike, or down the stairs. I feel like I just didn't do enough.

Sadly, there were many indications that little Christian was being abused, children often went unsupervised. This baby killer had no interest in watching over the children, and if neighbors saw signs of abuse, surely the mother did too. And we know that she knew little Christian was terrified of the POS. He was "scared to death" alright... "He was such a sweet, sweet boy. And now he is gone."

Baby killer should have his life taken for what he did to baby Christian. I have no doubt on that. Useless waste of space.

So sorry baby Christian Reed. You deserved a full life to go to school make new friends and experience life with your brothers. You should have been protected and cherished, your little voice went unheard until it was too late. Kisses sweet one, in the heavens.

My deepest sympathies to family, friends and little Christian's brother who has lost a playmate and a life long friend.

Rest in peace little Christian Reid J.S. Stephens.

Picture of little Christian? couldn't find one :(
Three boys were inseparable.
Article/Video (neighbor/babysitter speaks on Christian).

**Tundratot** · April 17th, 2010, 03:17 PM

It breaks my heart that these adults dismiss their children's fears of their friends, boy/girl friends, and sitters. Do they weigh the child's response to other people, look at whether the child ever had suspicious injuries, or was still afraid when they come back (after 10 minutes), or whether the child started out afraid before anything could have happened?

**Whisper** · April 21st, 2010, 12:23 AM

Henrico murder suspect denies killing 3-year-old boy
A Henrico County man facing a first-degree murder charge in the alleged beating death of a 3-year-old boy is denying any involvement in the child's death and, through his lawyer, says he believes the child's injuries may have been accidental and cumulative over time.
Attorney Greg Sheldon also said that murder defendant Kevin M. Lucas, 45, was deeply concerned and responded as best he could when he called the mother of toddler Christian Stephens to report that the child was not breathing last week.
"He had run into a wall and wasn't feeling well," Sheldon said of Christian, recalling Lucas' description of events from Thursday afternoon and evening.
"Both the mother and Mr. Lucas had been worried about him, and [Lucas] had been checking every 15 minutes or so to make sure he was all right."
Sheldon said Lucas called the mother, Maria E. Stephens, 40, as soon as he realized the child wasn't breathing and then talked with a 911 operator whom Stephens alerted by cell phone from her car; the operator called Lucas and directed him in administering CPR.

Sheldon said Lucas moved Christian downstairs from the child's bedroom, where he had been sleeping, so he would be close to the front door when rescue workers arrived.
A search warrant says rescue workers found the child "cold to the touch" when they arrived and declared Christian dead at 6:37 p.m.
A funeral for the boy, whose formal name was Christianreid J.C. Stephens, tentatively is scheduled for Friday.
[...]
Court records show that when arrested early Friday morning, he declared he had $1 in cash on hand, no income, and was paying more than $270 a month in child-support payments from a previous relationship.
A judge denied him bond last week.
[...]
But he said Lucas described to him sharing a meaningful relationship with Stephens, who is divorced and formerly homeless, and her three young boys. Stephens' other sons are 5 and 8.
Sheldon said Lucas took pride in easing the cost of child care for the woman by watching the boys when Stephens went to work; she is a senior underwriter for Bank of America.
[...]
Neighbors at the Shannon Green town-house complex, where the couple lived for much of the past year, have described Lucas as quiet and aloof.
The brothers' rambunctious behavior prompted neighbors to file a petition with the Shannon Green Homeowner's Association seeking better control over the community's young people in the U-shaped cluster of town houses at 4900 Farrell Court, neighbors said.
Sheldon said Lucas told him Christian suffered numerous blows from falls and bicycle accidents over time, that Stephens was aware of the injuries, and that he believes Christian's death may have resulted from the accumulated impact of the injuries.
[...]
Henrico police said Christian suffered "massive trauma," and the state medical examiner's office concluded that the cause of death was homicide and the manner of death was from "inflicted blunt-force injuries of head." A search warrant described "a swollen laceration" on Christian's forehead.
Sandra Hardney, a former baby sitter, has said she noticed bruises on Christian's face but did not report her fears of abuse, because Christian's brothers explained the boy often fell.

Stephens and her three boys were featured in television and newspaper reports during the past two years, near the time she and the boys lived for seven months in a homeless shelter in Fairfax County. Asked to comment last night, a spokeswoman for a Fairfax advocacy organization, Reston Interfaith, which cared for the Stephenses, said privacy laws prevented detailed comment.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/ne...221407/338864/

**The Diabolical Mr. Lieman** · April 21st, 2010, 01:23 AM

You know, every once in a while, I get to where I can't read this shit about kids getting killed without it profoundly fucking with me. The other story where dude killed his five year old stepson, "crack baby", and pressed his eyes in, that has haunted me for a few days now....

Gah.

Now this. Every once in a while, man....this shit just hits me. These kids, man....every moment to them, is so big. Each move by an adult, each word uttered, each smile, each frown, they mean so much....our responsibilities as parents, as mentors, as fucking GROWN UPS, man, is MAGNIFICENT in scale....fuck.

And for some reason...no, it's always been this way...I fucking loathe the way you ladies have coined "Penis" to describe a guy...or "asshat", and shit like that, when you are writing a headliner, or worse yet, a front page story...it just comes off so retarded.

Jane's PENIS did this...Deb's PENIS did that.

Jesus fucking Christ, man. We all know what you mean, but it still reads like the bitch has a DICK.

Enough, already. It just rubs me so fucking wrong.....

How about....Jon's PUSSY let him beat her kid....Jim pounded his VAGINA'S son to death. Ted's VAGINA was a junkie....

Ugh. Wouldn't that get old?.. well....

And FRONT PAGE STORY WRITERS----use Asshat again, and fucking rot in hell. You sound like fucking teenagers trying desperately to be witty cynical, but come across as just stupid as goddamn hell.

**Morbid** · April 21st, 2010, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by The Diabolical Mr. Lieman

You know, every once in a while, I get to where I can't read this shit about kids getting killed without it profoundly fucking with me. The other story where dude killed his five year old stepson, "crack baby", and pressed his eyes in, that has haunted me for a few days now....

Gah.

Now this. Every once in a while, man....this shit just hits me. These kids, man....every moment to them, is so big. Each move by an adult, each word uttered, each smile, each frown, they mean so much....our responsibilities as parents, as mentors, as fucking GROWN UPS, man, is MAGNIFICENT in scale....fuck.

And for some reason...no, it's always been this way...I fucking loathe the way you ladies have coined "Penis" to describe a guy...or "asshat", and shit like that, when you are writing a headliner, or worse yet, a front page story...it just comes off so retarded.

Jane's PENIS did this...Deb's PENIS did that.

Jesus fucking Christ, man. We all know what you mean, but it still reads like the bitch has a DICK.

Enough, already. It just rubs me so fucking wrong.....

How about....Jon's PUSSY let him beat her kid....Jim pounded his VAGINA'S son to death. Ted's VAGINA was a junkie....

Ugh. Wouldn't that get old?.. well....

And FRONT PAGE STORY WRITERS----use Asshat again, and fucking rot in hell. You sound like fucking teenagers trying desperately to be witty cynical, but come across as just stupid as goddamn hell.

Penis is commonly used to refer to "boyfriend". It's a term Impqueen coined on the site a few years ago when she stated "put down the penis" when talking about women letting their new boyfriends beat on their kids (hell, I even see other sites using it now).

As for front page writers and the adjectives they choose to use. We instruct our writers to write in the same way they would tell a friend about a story. If that means they use "asshat", "penis", "fucktard" or whatever term they want - they are free to do so. When you're writing stories on this type of stuff every other day for years, trust me when I say it gets more tiresome using the same old, stale headlines than it does for you to have to read the word "asshat" in one FP title once out of 3,900+.

They may come off as desperately cynical and stupid as goddamn hell to you, but that almost pales in comparison to how you look creating a post to actually bitch about it and insult people who put up these stories on a daily basis for years and get absolutely nothing in return...well, aside from posts like yours.

Soooo.....take a Xanax or something man! You really shouldn't let headline verbiage get to you so much.

**The Diabolical Mr. Lieman** · April 21st, 2010, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Morbid

Penis is commonly used to refer to "boyfriend". It's a term Impqueen coined on the site a few years ago when she stated "put down the penis" when talking about women letting their new boyfriends beat on their kids (hell, I even see other sites using it now).

As for front page writers and the adjectives they choose to use. We instruct our writers to write in the same way they would tell a friend about a story. If that means they use "asshat", "penis", "fucktard" or whatever term they want - they are free to do so. When you're writing stories on this type of stuff every other day for years, trust me when I say it gets more tiresome using the same old, stale headlines than it does for you to have to read the word "asshat" in one FP title once out of 3,900+.

They may come off as desperately cynical and stupid as goddamn hell to you, but that almost pales in comparison to how you look creating a post to actually bitch about it and insult people who put up these stories on a daily basis for years and get absolutely nothing in return...well, aside from posts like yours.

Soooo.....take a Xanax or something man! You really shouldn't let headline verbiage get to you so much.

Listen, I know you don't pay anyone to write, and they do it anyway, so you want to come out and say what you have to say so they will continue to do so. That's fine. It's your site, and I admire that you give the writers freedom to write what they want. And I'm saying this more in jest, about the asshat and the penis thing, and I can see that it doesn't come off as that, because there is no tone of voice in a written sentence. It just reads terrible, and this isn't the first time I've bitched about certain verbiage, and pretty much the only times I do, is when there is a story that carries a certain impact...and those words are scrawled all through it.

You have no standards for your front page stories, and I get that. You'll take what you can get, and protect the shitty ones, because someone is doing SOMEthing, and I get that too. That's your choice. For now, I'll continue to gripe from time to time, when a story hits me across the face and it is hard to get through because of boorish writing, and you continue guarding shit output so that you can get...some kind of output. Deal? Awesome!

**Tundratot** · April 21st, 2010, 02:51 PM

Mr. Lieman, I agree that "penis" has gotten stale. I'm currently searching for alternate descriptors myself, because in my posts I don't like to assign humanity to the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Unfortunately, I over think things, and I also don't like to impugn animals -- especially mammals. So, maybe you'd like to offer some suggestions? We could compile a thesaurus of sorts. I don't think Morbid has any stake in the exclusive use of either profanity or genital terms.

**Whisper** · April 21st, 2010, 06:55 PM

HENRICO, VA (WWBT) - New information tonight about the death of a Henrico toddler. Christian Stephens, 3, was found dead last week of blunt-force injuries to the head. But tonight, the man accused of the child's murder, says he didn't do it. The suspect's denial came through his attorney. The comment, though, is at odds with what investigators saw, according to the search warrant we obtained.

Kevin Lucas, 45, has neither been seen, nor heard from publicly since the night of April 15, when he was accused of murdering three-year-old Christian Stephens. But that all changed when his attorney revealed new information in the case.
[...]
According to a search warrant, though, police responded to a "possible homicide". The child had a "swollen laceration", "bruising about his body", and was "cold to the touch". Whether the new information will sway the case, is not immediately clear.
[...]
The medical examiner maintains the cause of death was "homicide", adding that the boy died from "inflicted blunt force injuries to the head." According to police, Lucas remains the only suspect.
The boy's mother, Maria Stephens, met today with the investigator, but no one's talking about the outcome of that meeting. A funeral for Christian Stephens will be held this Friday at Scott's Funeral Home in Richmond.

http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=12351825

Christian Stephens

**CadburyCremeGirl** · April 21st, 2010, 07:02 PM

The child was beautiful, and the mother obviously had a moment of stupidity. I had a question though to those DDers who are parents: if your child was terrified of someone or looked scared, how would you respond?
I ask because even though I don't have kids(yet) I would most likely not let me kids be seen by someone they are afriad of. I also ask because I've seen a situation like this happen in my own family. The child didn't end up killed, but something that was just as bad.

**Whisper** · April 21st, 2010, 07:14 PM

Personally If my kids didnt like a person I never left them with that person
I was lucky only my mom and hubby watched mine

**Morbid** · April 21st, 2010, 10:17 PM

Originally Posted by The Diabolical Mr. Lieman

You have no standards for your front page stories, and I get that. You'll take what you can get, and protect the shitty ones, because someone is doing SOMEthing, and I get that too. That's your choice. For now, I'll continue to gripe from time to time, when a story hits me across the face and it is hard to get through because of boorish writing, and you continue guarding shit output so that you can get...some kind of output. Deal? Awesome!

It has nothing to do with having no standards for the front page, it has everything to with having a standard period. We are not the New York Times and we have never aspired to be anything but what we are currently and we are completely happy with it. I don't have to say a thing to keep either FlamingFox or Jaded writing, and I REALLY don't need to reply to one of your complaints about FlamingFox to keep her. I'm pretty sure she is quite immune to you now. So I got a better deal...I'll continue to run this site the way I see fit, and you continue doing whatever it is you do in our forums. Sound Good? Sweet!

I do appreciate your candidness, Mr. Lieman, and we will be sure to file any of your future complaints in the proper file. I look forward to whatever you do next!

**MadeaBecBec** · April 22nd, 2010, 12:37 AM

Here's the story about Maria Stephens and how her and the boys ended up in a shelter: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/08/renters.foreclosure/

For Stephens, who now has a new job and is renting again, the experience has caused her to leave as little as possible to chance -- she saves enough to give her family a cushion, just in case. And she emphasizes to her children an outlook on life now vital for renters as well as for homeowners.

"No matter where we laid our heads," Stephens said, "I told my sons as long as we're together, we'll be OK."

I haven't been able to find, where the bio-Father of Marias sons participated in their lives and that makes me curious, maybe Maria thought that Christianreids fear of Kevin was because he wasn't comfortable around men, in general...Just a thought...
Edit:

Henrico A funeral for Christianreid J.C. Stephens, the 3-year-old Henrico County boy who died of injuries to his head last week, is scheduled for tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Scott's Funeral Home, 115 E. Brookland Park Blvd., in Richmond. Burial will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery. Kevin M. Lucas, 45, the live-in boyfriend of the boy's mother, is being held without bond on a first-degree murder charge. Among the boy's survivors are his mother, Maria Stephens; his father, Siddique Stephens, who is divorced from the mother; and two older brothers, Efton and Alexander Stephens.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/ne...234202/339216/
Father God holds Christianreid close, No Pain or Fear, now.........

**Whisper** · April 22nd, 2010, 12:46 AM

How come I always run out of tys???

**mommyX3** · April 22nd, 2010, 12:49 AM

How can it be that the only person who saw this coming was the poor little 3 year old?! He knew enough to be terrified of this man.
Little Christian lived in fear and died alone.
The last face he saw was the one he feared the most.
I hope this man will live in fear for his life, in jail, with the label "baby killer"
And I hope this mother is haunted by Christian"s little voice telling her "I told you so."
Sweet Baby.....you deserved so much better. RIP

**TheMorningStar** · April 22nd, 2010, 12:50 AM

Looks like a Penis to me.

**Tundratot** · April 22nd, 2010, 01:09 AM

Cadbury Creme, when or if my child is frightened of someone to that degree, I hope to say that I would not leave them alone with that person.

I have had my children resist relatives who want to kiss them, and I've had my children resist being left with babysitters and childcare, but not out of true fear. (My son even now at 6 years of age tells me he's afraid of things he wants out of, like eating meatloaf. So how to take this seriously?) Because I don't think it's true fear, he just wants to cling to me, I call in a few minutes after I leave to see how things are going.

My daughter used to scream like the boogie man was after her when I arrived to pick her up from preschool. They ought to have concluded I was beating her, but the fact was that she didn't want her good time to end. To counter that awful reaction, when I dropped her off in the morning, she was clinging to me like a vine. And she always loved babysitters. She'd ask me to leave her with babysitters more.

I have asked my children if they were afraid of a particular person, had that person been rough or mean to them. They have never said yes. They've also never had any suspicious bruises, black eyes, lumps, or broken bones.

**MadeaBecBec** · April 22nd, 2010, 01:13 AM

Christianreid JC Stephens November 17, 2006 - April 15, 2010

**Rockin Ma** · April 22nd, 2010, 07:31 AM

Originally Posted by Morbid

It has nothing to do with having no standards for the front page, it has everything to with having a standard period. We are not the New York Times and we have never aspired to be anything but what we are currently and we are completely happy with it. I don't have to say a thing to keep either FlamingFox or Jaded writing, and I REALLY don't need to reply to one of your complaints about FlamingFox to keep her. I'm pretty sure she is quite immune to you now. So I got a better deal...I'll continue to run this site the way I see fit, and you continue doing whatever it is you do in our forums. Sound Good? Sweet!

I do appreciate your candidness, Mr. Lieman, and we will be sure to file any of your future complaints in the proper file. I look forward to whatever you do next!

oooooo Lieman's got a file in the Staff Only area!

Back to topic.

Tundratot Cadbury Creme, when or if my child is frightened of someone to that degree, I hope to say that I would not leave them alone with that person.

I think a mom can look at their child and read if they really are scared. Maybe sometimes mom's let the importance of getting to work or whatever... overwhelmedness take over and lessen that sense, or they just lose the attentiveness they should have to their child. I can't explain what I'm trying to say, but it makes sense in my head!

**Alf** · April 22nd, 2010, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by Rockin Ma

I can't explain what I'm trying to say, but it makes sense in my head!

It makes sense to me.

--Al

**Laurenthian** · April 22nd, 2010, 12:15 PM

Hmm...

How about Sperm-/ Egg- Donors (I've seen this used, although usually in the context of neglectful/absent parents). Or, if you wanted to emphasize "she chose a sexual partner over her children's welfare," you could use "dildo" in case of males and "hobags" in instances of females.

However, I don't care what you call the POS child abuser/murderer as long as someone is calling him out and holding the mother/father/family/community accountable.

**Whisper** · April 22nd, 2010, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by TheMorningStar

Looks like a Penis to me.

LOL yep looks like a real penis to me

**The Diabolical Mr. Lieman** · April 22nd, 2010, 03:02 PM

Morbid- LOFL. Understood. Cute, and a little transparent, but understood, and I'll accept that deal. Your forums are fun, and you've been good to me, so I can take it.

TUndrarot- I came off too abrasive with that comment, I admit, and the rot in hell thing was PURELY tongue in cheek, and I have a bizarre sense of humor, I admit. I was teasing about THAT, though, I hate the way some of the stories are written, because I LIKE this site. I like some of the people in charge, even if they get pissy with me, as I do them, overall, I want to see good things for it. Being the Jerry Springer of crimesites is fine and all, but quality should NEVER be sacrificed just to make a point.

Anyhow...to answer your question...I guess I'm a little boring, and in the minority here...I would just say boyfriend, or husband, or piece of shit, or whatever, or live in penis, or SOMETHING. Maybe it's the way that it's SAID. It reads as if she has a COCK. I keep reading hermaphrodite. And it truly TAKES AWAY from the read, and it's like a director doing something cute with a film, to remind us that THEY'RE the director, and we are reminded of that all the time, instead of just being able to watch the film.

For me, it's like that reading some of these. I only get irritated when a particular story grabs me, and I feel like I'm tripping on rocks reading it.

Either way, this is an atrocious story, and I'll let it get back to where it needs to be...on topic.

**AngelFire** · April 22nd, 2010, 04:25 PM

Cadbury Creme, when my sons were very small, (2 1/2 & 6 months), I had to go work outside my home. I had a friend that volunteered to watch my boys while I worked.

The first day went smoothly, the day after that not so much. As I was at the home dropping my boys off, my 2 1/2 year old went bat shit crazy, and almost crawled up my shoulder as I carried him inside the house. I, had a very abusive childhood, so signs to me ring louder than those Tornado sirens in the Midwest. I looked at my son's face and I could clearly see him petrified of my friend's husband. I grabbed my sons' bags and left.

Even though I needed my job like hell, I quit. Yup, called in and quit. I was lucky to have a husband that was willing to pick up all the finances and handled them all by himself, as I took care of our babies. Then along came my daughter, and again, I was with all three until she started Kinder and I went back to work. Then my youngest was born, and it took me well over a year of stalking my now Daycare Provider, to make sure I was placing him in good hands. Today, my youngest is 5, adores his teacher, and I know that she is just as good with him as she is to her own kids.

But I would never in my life leave my children when someone that they fear.

**Tundratot** · April 22nd, 2010, 04:27 PM

Rockin Ma: I do hope you're right about most mothers being aware when their children are really frightened. Because I seem to be one of the more dense mothers out there -- e.g., I could never tell one cry from another, as far as what it meant -- I really try to remain sensitive to what's going on, especially if it seems my child might be maltreated or truly in danger. I promised them when they were born I wouldn't discount their stories about perverted relatives or friends, if they told me. And I worry that all my watchfulness might not save them from something ugly.

I also agree that some of these mothers we read about must be reacting to the fact that it's hard to get help and costly. Most of them seem to be living on the edge financially, so every penny saved is more food or more fun to be had. But, they're also so often very young women, who are still looking desperately for the "right man". As a society, or as women, we need to get past the idea that you need a man to have a good life. There are far worse things than not having a man. If the current man is a danger to you or your children, move on sharply. Do not hang on desperately to that bad bargain. Give yourself some credit -- another man will probably come along, a better one. And please, stop looking at prisons and alleys for the man of your dreams. No good comes from them.

Mr Lieman: I totally get your meaning. We all have our boogums that detract from our ability to read comments and stories. Obviously, I have little hesitation in writing reams. And, I do so very often because I want to be clear. All these women don't have hermaphroditic features, so I'd probably just have to add a few judicious words to make it clear. "Mom's penis bearing cockroach of the week" or maybe "male consort of the mother" . . .