Richardson group: Polygamists' children are OK

[crispini]

04:28 PM CDT on Friday, April 18, 2008

BY JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA-TV

From inside the West Texas ranch of a polygamous religious sect, mothers say their children were stolen and traumatized.

But volunteer chaplains who have been monitoring the situation say that is not true.

“There was no hysteria or crying children or any of that you might think would happen,” says Gene Grounds, founder of Victim Relief Ministries, a Richardson-based volunteer chaplain organization called in times of crisis.

...more...

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa080418_kd_janetpolygamy.77412a92.html

Good news. I was wondering how the kids were doing. Apparently they are doing OK.

[skycordia]

1. Thanks, I'm glad they're OK. n/t

[tularetom]

2. OK may be an overstatement

I read in another post (can't find it to link) about how inbreeding among these polygamist cults has resulted in a whole bunch of freakish genetic disorders and severely retarded children.

This could ultimately lead to the extinction of the groups.

[aquart]

9. Nah, they smother those babies.

[LisaL]

11. Oh good lord. Why make crap like this up?

I've heard at least one woman complaining she was separated from her special needs child by CPS.

[seabeyond]

3. they have been waterboarded as babies for crying. bet... they werent crying

i am sure in this traumatic experience for the children and babies they were taken care of. i am glad to hear it confirmed.

[atreides1]

4. It is Good News

But, what will happen if the judge decides to place them all into foster care?

The children know each other, they are among family and friends that they have grown up with. What happens when you separate them from the familiar and place them into another environment where those friends and family members are no longer a part of their lives?

Remember these children have had very little to no exposure to the outside world, and as long as they are together things will remain pleasant.

[Fumesucker]

5. From what I've been reading here..

These children are brutally conditioned not to put up a fuss about anything.

The fact that you could tear their families apart and there would be no crying is the most damning indictment of all, IMO.

Of course the kids are freaking out.. But they are terrified to make any trouble.

The fact that "volunteer chaplains" would miss such a glaring point doesn't speak well of them, IMO.

[knitter4democracy]

7. I agree. I was thinking that, too.

Just because a kid isn't crying doesn't mean that child is okay.

[LisaL]

8. Exactly. Numerous posters have pointed out that the

fact that these women don't cry means they've been conditioned not to cry. But apparently the fact that kids don't cry means they are o'key.
Right.

[theoldman]

6. My oldest son and his wife have taken care of children

who were taken away from their mother. The young ones settle down within days or a few weeks at most. It may be totally different if the sect children were living in a loving home. I suspect that the children are treated well by their parents. The abuse is probably done by men outside of the immediate family.

[aquart]

10. Not when husbands control wives by threatening to beat the children.