The innocence of children is the basis for many of our laws and societal arrangements. Because children don’t know about the world, they can’t make any informed decisions by themselves.
But, where does childhood end, and when do responsibilities begin? That is the core debate behind so many regulations and guidelines that people follow.
Parents and educators, guardians, protectors; that is the line that adults have to decide on for the safety and protection of children.
But some children prove the rule by being exceptions. A child’s innocence often ends where the legal system begins, and their crimes cannot be excused by mere lack of agency alone.
Some children break the golden rules of civilized society. When anyone violates such laws, they have to be punished, whether they understand why or not.
10 /10 The Incident
On October 30th of 2018, a girl – who is unnamed due to the legal complications of the law regarding illegal minors – was at a daycare with a 6-month-old baby named Jaxon in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
She was only ten years old when the incident occurred. For unclear reasons, she picked the baby up but dropped him.
When he started crying, she stomped on his head until he stopped. She was discovered soon after and was arrested. The boy died two days later.
9 /10 Confession
This all happened in a foster home. The girl had been removed from her mother’s care due to complications earlier that year. It happened the month before the disturbing incident occurred.
The girl was meant to be part of the same foster family as the small boy, assumedly. She claimed her decision was made in panic and wasn’t planned.
It was all just an accident, but she didn’t deny that she did stomp on the infant’s face until he was bloody and silent.