A Facebook page called “Military parents abuse their children”, which professed its mission was to highlight what page creators claim is a proven link between military enlistment and child abuse, caused a firestorm of outrage online. A meme was also created on the page that said: “Stop the abuse. Pretty Please”
Many military parents, including Lieutenant Tyree Barnes take offense and exception to the page’s message.
“It`s a slap in the face because I know how much I pride myself in being a good military father,” said Barnes.
For most of his son’s first year of life, he was deployed, and says it was difficult. His son is now two-and-a-half years old.
“It’s really hard to be a father in the military,” he says.
Barnes’ struggle is a familiar one for many in the armed forces. According to the creators of the Facebook page, it makes them all child abusers. One irrational post demanded a law where military parents would be kicked out of the service and their kids put in foster care.
“It’s tasteless,” Barnes says. “It’s trying to pick the nerves of military members.”
Another provocative meme on the page suggested military deployment turns daughters into promiscuous strippers. Jessica Hart, a Navy wife who previously served as a sailor and is pregnant with her first child, is disgusted.
“I had that feel where it drops to the pit of your stomach and you just can’t believe that you’re reading this,” Hart says.
So who created this page, and why?
FOX 4 sister station, WTKR/NewsChannel 3 in Virginia took action to find out. The creators would only identify themselves as “a staff of men and women who tired of turning a blind eye to military child abuse.”
Since the page went up more than 3,300 people signed a petition to remove it from Facebook and other Facebook groups were born, also calling to take it down.
Those behind the offensive page seemed to be unfazed, posting: “we’re going to be here a long time.” However, a long time turned out to only be a few days. The administrators told us last week they received numerous death threats. The next day the page was gone.
A hoax or not, Betty Wade Coyle, former director of Champions For Children, says the Facebook page did accomplish something. “In some ways it gets people thinking,” she says. “It’s always a good thing to keep child abuse issues in the forefront.” Whether you’re serving in the military or serving fries at a drive thru, LT Barnes says there’s no doubt being a parent is the hardest job out there. “It definitely gets very stressful at times, but it’s worth it to me,” he says.
Navy officials did not want to comment on this Facebook page, saying there was no validity to the site. However, officials did provide a list of resources for Navy families:
The Navy provides many support services for Navy Sailors and their families at Fleet and Family Support Centers. Located on naval bases throughout the Hampton Roads area, the FFSC provides family readiness, counseling, assistance and other forms of military support. Examples of parenting classes include all stages of childhood from prenatal and new parent support programs, to toddler, young child and teenager.
Other resources/classes include stress management, parenting in a military family, single parenting in the military, enhancing step families, building healthy relationships, etc.
Outside of the military, Coyle says another resource for families is KidsPriorityOne.
