The Turpins of California

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   gmwilliamsposted 7 years ago

   
   According to CBS, FOX, BBC, & varied news sources, David & Louise Turpin of Perris, California have been arrested for horrific child abuse & endangerment of their 13 children, ranging in ages from 2 to 29.  One of the children, a 17 year old, contacted authorities, describing that the children were shackled to their beds.  The children were malnourished & were taken to the hospital until they were well again.   The parents were described as strict Christians who maintained that they had 13 children because "God told them so."   They kept to themselves & had little contact w/the outside world.   
   
   The Turpins have also filed for bankruptcy & were in debt because of the expense of raising 13 children.  They also homeschooled their children & established a homeschool called the Sandcastle Day School; however, the children were the only pupils at the school. Neighbors remarked that the children didn't respond when spoken to.  They further indicated that Mr. Turpin was "highly protective" of the children. What are your thoughts regarding this case?
   
   www.time.com/5103640/california-siblings-shackled-home/

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      gmwilliamsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Further Information on the Turpin Case:
      
      On January 18, 2018, according to CBS & FOX news, Mr. & Mrs. Turpin now 94 years imprisonment for the physical abuse of their 13 children.  CBS & FOX news added that Mr. Turpin committed a lewd act on a child under the age of 14.   CBS & FOX news indicated that the children were allowed to eat once a daily & to shower twice yearly.  The children were forbidden to communicate & socialize w/those outside of their family circle.  Neighbors remarked that they have seen the children rummaging through trash bins for food. Mary Parks, Senior Public Information Specialist of the Riverside Department of Public Social Services, indicated that no one at the social services were ever notified of the abuse.
      
      An article by TIME MAGAZINE on January 18, 2018, confirmed the abovementioned, adding that the Turpins mentally & physically abused their 13 children so much that they are impaired cognitively.  The magazine article cited that the investigation done by Riverside Country District Attorney Mike Hestrin found that the Turpins were guilty of 12 counts of torture, 7 counts of dependent adult abuse, 6 counts of child abuse, & 12 counts of false imprisonment.  Reports indicated that such acts of abuse dated back to 2010.
      
      www.time.com/5108487/david-louise-turpi … ure-abuse/

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   Aime Fposted 7 years ago

   I finally read about this earlier today. It’s awful. But I’m glad the kids got out, I hope they can all find a way to live a better life from now on. And I hope the parents rot in jail for the rest of their lives.
   
   I do wonder if homeschooled kids should have mandatory checks by professionals once in a while. It seems quite common that parents homeschool their kids to hide signs of abuse. I’m not sure how you’d enforce that, though, without making all parents who homeschool feel like they’re being treated like criminals.

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      gmwilliamsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      It is apparent that in California, there are no checks done on homeschooled parents.  However, in many states, checks are done.  Beyond this point, there is a strong correlation between psychotic religiosity, large families, & physical abuse.
      
      In large families, there is some type of physical abuse in one way or another.  Parents of large families don't have the physical resources to discuss things w/their children.  Based upon the sheer volume of children in large family households, parents oftentimes resort to harsher means to teach & control their children.  It isn't unusual for children in large families to be physically punished, even physically abused.  Such parental behavior is normative in large family households.
      
      When I read the article on the Turpins, I wasn't shocked.  Children in large families are reared in harsh households.  Parental resources run thin.  There is only so much parental time to be divided among numerous children.  Parents are usually stretched mentally & emotionally.  Parents in large families don't have the resources to teach, even discuss things w/their children.  So if children veer off course in large families, they get a beat down.   
      
      Parents of small families(1-2 children) have teachable moments where if children veer off course, use such moments as teachable.   It is QUITE the opposite in large families, parents of large families have BEATABLE moments to "keep their children in line", think of the Jacksons, Duggars, & other large families.  Children in large families grow up in harsher climates than their counterparts in small families.  Parents are more distant towards them.  Everything is harsher & crueler in large families physically, emotionally, mentally, & psychologically.  The large family, on average, have dysfunctions, even pathologies, that AREN'T present in the small family.  No, I wasn't surprised when I read the article.  Abuse of varying kinds is de rigueur in large family households.

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         Aime Fposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Ah, well if other places have managed successfully to do checks without making everyone angry then I’d say it should be implemented everywhere. I honestly don’t know much about the homeschooling process.
         
         I do think very large families have the potential to be very problematic. I’d imagine it would be extremely hard to meet 13 kids’ needs appropriately, heck I sometimes struggle with one. I especially don’t understand why people would have that many kids if they have absolutely no intent of even trying to meet their needs. Insanity, I suppose.

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         1. 85

            gmwilliamsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            I have studied the large family dynamic.  I read books on the subject.  I have parents & relatives who are from large families, even anaconda sized families(my word for very large families).  Yes, I agree w/you that large families are problematic.   Parents can't possibly give adequate attention & love to a large number of children.  This results in incidences of neglect from the seemingly benign to the horrific.
            
            In large families, parenting falls into two extremes- the neglectful & the authoritarian.  Commonsense dictates that parents should have the amount of children which they can exercise a span of control.  In families of 1-2 children, parents can easily exercise a span of control which is oftentimes democratic & benevolent.  In such families, the ratio of parent-child is equal or more than in the case of the only child.  Parents in such families can give a child the individualized attention & love that the child needs.  In other words, children don't outnumber parents.
            
            Problems arise in families when children outnumber parents.  When parents feel overwhelmed such as in large families, they react the following ways: (1) they abdicate their parenting, leaving parenting duties to the oldest/older children or (2) they become authoritarian, exercising extreme control over their children. Since there is a large number of children in the family, parents oftentimes resort to extreme, harsh, & even brutal means to control their children.  Such control oftentimes include harsh punishments, including corporal punishments.
            
            In large families, there is also an insularity which isn't present in small families.  In small families, children have friends & associations outside their family circle.  Not so in large & very large families.  In such families, children's primary associations are within the immediate family circle.  Children from large/very large families, for the most part, don't have friends & associations outside of the immediate family circle. They stick w/n the family.   People from large families are oftentimes clannish & distrustful of those who aren't in the immediate family.  Their attitude is them vs. us.

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            1. 85

               gmwilliamsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               To add, there are so many reasons why people elect to have large/very large families of 6-more children, knowing that they can't afford to support such children:
               (1) To fill a void in their lives.  There are people who have no outside interests i.e. friends, hobbies, a career, or other interests.  Well, guess what?  They have children to fill that void.
               (2) An infantile idealistic need to have that large family.  There are people who are obsessed w/having children.  They know logically that they can't afford a large family physically, emotionally, psychologically, & socioeconomically.  However, they won't let such components deter them from having that large family.
               (3) A psychological need for attention & adulation.  There is nothing like parenthood & having a large family to garner the admiration & attention from others.
               (4) To others having large/very large families is having an authentic, real family.  There are people who equate having LOTS of children w/having a REAL family, believe it or not.
               (5) The religious factor- the belief that children are a gift from God. 
               (6) To prove true femininity-not an authentic woman unless one has many children.
               (7) To prove true masculinity-not an authentic man unless one has many children.
               (8) Selfishness- I will have as many children as I want, who cares about the ramifications of such actions upon the existing family structure, particularly the existing children.
               (9) Having antiquated ideas on what family is.
               (10) Lack of education.  People who are less educated tend to have MORE children.
               (11) Being of the lower classes i.e. lower, working, & lower middle class.  These socioeconomic classes oftentimes have larger families than normal.

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   gmwilliamsposted 7 years ago

   More links:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg9fimgjeXk
   www.klfy.com/2018/01/09/regular-beating … nto-abuse/
   www.bbc.com/news/av/world/us-canada-427 … n-siblings

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      gmwilliamsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry, the 3 abovementioned links  are gone.......

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