Depending upon how active your child is, it may be fairly common for them to get bumps and bruises from playing. Sometimes children who have a few scrapes now and then are actually the healthiest children around. There are times, however, when you’ll see signs of abuse on your child that do not seem to be what you would expect from them having falls and other minor accidents. In these cases, you may want to take a closer look and keep an eye out for the following.
Unusual Injuries
Some injuries are not normal for children. When children fall during play, they tend to scrape up the same areas over and over again, such as the knees, the elbows, sometimes even the face. Some areas are very hard to injure just from falling down. These areas include the tops of the shoulders, the insides of the wrists and the neck. These are areas that are not normally put at risk when a child falls or has another play-related accident. They are, however, areas where people tend to grab each other when shoving or pulling in an aggressive manner, such as an abuser does to a child.
Black eyes, cut lips and other signs of simple fighting might mean that the children aren’t being supervised adequately, and that yours is being picked on by another. Bruises on the buttocks, in addition to in the other areas, may be signs that a daycare worker is physically striking your child. Any severe bruising is cause for immediate concern.
Mental Trauma
Children who are suffering abuse generally live in dread of the next occasion when it will happen. One of the ways that they will exhibit this fear is by flinching when you come close to them. They may also develop an aversion to physical contact and may react dramatically when someone invades their personal space. When you see these signs in a child, especially a child that was formerly quite comfortable with physical contact with friends and family, it can sometimes be taken as a sign that abuses going on. Remember, however, that abuse is usually indicated by several signs together, not by one sign alone.
If you do discover that there’s abuse going on, the most important thing is to make sure that it’s put to a stop. Do not hesitate to report it by contacting the police and/or the child care licensing division in your state.
After the abuse has been reported to authorities, contact a daycare abuse attorney to see if you have the option of suing for damages. A good daycare abuse lawyer may be able to help build a lawsuit that will seek monetary damages for the suffering that your child has been put through, and for the expenses it cost you and your family. For a free consultation, call us today at 1-877-403-9378.
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