Effects

• Parents who abandon their children often do not realize the impact this decision has upon their child. The abandoned child often has questions about self-worth and experiences low self-esteem. The child may in turn make a conscious effort to completely reject the parent, expressing a desire to be "nothing like them." Abandoned children may carry with them a sense of shame and blame themselves for the abandonment, thinking of themselves as a burden or as deserving of it.
  
  

Significance

• The inability to express emotions is one significant impact that abandonment can have on children. They often have difficulty sharing their feelings and may keep them bottled up. Abandoned children also have extreme difficulty trusting other people, which prevents them from forming strong, healthy relationships. They are afraid of betrayal and do not make friends easily. They need constant affirmation that they are accepted and loved.
  
  

Laws

• All states except Maryland have some form of law criminalizing abandonment. Abandonment laws vary widely state by state. Not all states define child abandonment in the same manner, as some states do not even use the term "abandonment" Many states include the definition of abandonment in their neglect laws or vice versa. Some states have "safe haven" laws, under which a parent considering abandonment may be able to take the child to a safe place instead without the fear or threat of prosecution.
  
  

Theories/Speculation

• Although many states are moving toward legal abandonment laws, there is a belief that these laws ignore the importance of emphasizing the personal responsibility of being a parent. Some feel that it sends the message that it is acceptable to bring a child into the world and then run away from the responsibilities that go along with having the child. However, advocates of legal abandonment laws believe that the immediate danger to the infant or child takes precedence over the moral issues of responsibility and values.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Not all abandonment fits the above definition, however. Children can feel abandoned on some level every day, regardless of whether or not their parents are conscious of these feelings. When a parent goes to work, a child may feel abandoned. Similarly, when a parent drops a child off at day care, a child may feel abandoned. In this context, abandonment is part of the human experience, and children must learn how to deal with it. While there's no way to avoid the reality of life, the one thing parents can do is be aware of their child's feelings of abandonment and minimize potentially negative effects.