This is going to be a short diary because I have to get to bed in a bit (even though sleep has been hit or miss). This popped up on one of my news feeds though and I can't get it out of my mind enough to sleep.
Those of you who have been following the story of Rebecca Sedwick, as thoroughly covered by our own Christian Dem in NC, know the story. Those new to this can get the details at the first link.
There is a new twist to the story.
Follow me below the twisted Cheeto for details.
The mother of a teen accused of bullying a girl until she committed suicide was arrested today on suspicion of child abuse.
Vivian Vosburg is the mother of the 14 year old girl who is accused of instigating the bullying that led to the suicide of Rebecca Sedwick. (There has been some discussion whether the names should be published here, even though they have been published in the press. I choose not to publish the names because I don't want them to get any more attention in the public than they deserve; at any rate the name of Fosburg's daughter is mentioned in the linked article.)
Vosburg is facing two charges of child abuse with bodily harm, and four counts of child neglect with great harm. While there is no connection between her actions and the alleged actions of her daughter, it appears that the young girl may have had a very poor role model in her mother. (The sheriff, Grady Judd, was quoted as saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.")
The particulars:
Judd said news of the daughter's arrest prompted several people to alert the sheriff's office to a video posted in July on Facebook in which the mother is seen beating at least one of her children.
The video shows Vosburg repeatedly punching a boy's head while another older boy is seen laying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. "They were all laughing, cussing and throwing F-bombs everywhere," Judd said, "which clearly indicates to us that this is a normal way of life."
Vosburg, after the arrest of her daughter, defended the girl saying that she would never engage in that sort of bullying behavior without parental knowledge:
"I would check her Facebook every time she would get on it," she said Tuesday night.
But if this was the sort of behavior that was common in her household, maybe she wouldn't see anything wrong with the online bullying that her daughter allegedly carried out, or would have chalked it off to "girls being girls" especially since a boy was involved. And maybe, indeed, the sins of the fathers (and mothers) are visited upon the following generations.