There was a book written by a woman who lived in a village on the outskirts of northampton, close to the buckinghamshire border. I forget her name but she wrote an interesting account of secrets kept by her family, particularly her great grandmother. She drowned her twins at birth for fear of problems and disability as well as the fact that she was not entirely well after the birth. I'm gonna rack my brains for the author! There was a documentary on nearly a year ago about mothers who had had their children forcibly removed from their care at birth, for various reasons. My nan has also told me stories concerning babies and children that were removed from their parents at birth or infancy. You seemed to have misunderstood my earlier statement, I was in no sense implying that snatching and drowning happened on a regular basis but it DID happen in extreme cases. The stigma attached to having a baby with a deformity or disability used to be so great that families did put their children in the care of mental facilities. Sometimes it was for the best. I know of a lady who kept her down syndrome son against the advice of doctors. She wrapped that child in cotton wool and he was never able to do anything on his own. He was a quiet withdrawn boy, polite but non-conversational. When his mother died his father placed him in an institution (for want of a better word). He thrived there, learning new social skills and gaining some much needed independence. A few months ago my nan saw him walking alone late at night. Worried she rang the people who cared for him and they assurred her that he had enough common sense to come home when he was ready and that he would be fine. The next day she spoke to him on the phone and he chatted for over an hour about his new "family" and all the new things he had learned.
Apologies for any offence caused by the earlier comment, looking back it does sound ignorant but that was not my intention.

what a terrible waste

yay, more brits!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG! i just near on pissed my pants at that picture.
guess i won't be sleeping tonight!

wonderful picture!

If I could i would take all those babies and give them all my love.
Lynn, you must be a pretty spectacular person to work in such a place, I know i wouldn't last 5 minutes, it would just break my heart. The last time i volunteered at anything was when i was 12 and i went to an old peope's home to keep some of them company for the afternoon. while i was there an old lady died and it was almost a physical pain. she shouted for her husband (who had been dead for 40 years) said "there you are" and went. I haven't done it since, i thought it was best due to the fact that i find it very easy to form an emotional attachment with anyone i meet.
Like you for instance, you can bet your last penny that you will stick in my head for whatever reason because of the work you do and it's pretty much guaranteed that i will tell some family member or friend about the stuff you do and say on this site!

I agree with Lynn. Here in the uk it was not uncommon for doctors to tell parents that their physically impaired/deformed child had died at birth. Parents left the hospital grieving for a loss that hadn't occurred, many of the children were placed in "asylums" but in some cases they were drowned.
In other cases babies and children were physically dragged from their parents and removed from their care all due to the fact that physically or psychologically they did not conform to society's view of normal children.
In a majority of the cases it was under medical advice that children were admitted to these places, although there were parents who were willing to "rid themselves of such a burden".
Its such a sad thing. I knew i loved both my babies before i met them, i know that i could never turn their care over to anyone else.

My mum used to have a bike EXACTLY like the one the old bag is riding in The Wizard Of Oz....i'm pretty sure it folded in half too......oh the shame of it!

Looks like the wardrobe in The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe, Chronicles Of Narnia.

hhhhmmmmm.......Alice in wonderland....follow the white rabbit.....

oh my days. how do you guys NOT soil your pants when eploring these places?

jumpin jebus!! i nearly fell off me chair!!
some off these pics are too scary, they seem to penetrate the brain, disappear and then pop up again when you turn out the lights to go peepy bye bye's. I don't think i'll ever sleep again.

how funny, the first thing i thought of was mary poppins too!

**GASP**breath-takingly beautiful.
YOU REALLY ARE A VERY TALENTED INDIVIDUAL MR MOTTS

what is the crack with soap dispensers? i don't geddit.....

how amusing, chico and andy were both contestants on last years pop idol.....UK that is!!

oooooh, i do just love fireplaces!!!

OMG!!! that pic has freaked me out a treat! it took me a good 7 or 8 minutes to pluck up the courage to look at it again.
A bit like house on haunted hill, i watched that film once and will never watch it again.......far too scary

do you think that was done by a patient or by some graffiti artist muppet?

Lawdy miss clawdy, how disturbing is that?

how sad, this persons pain is nnow posted here for our amusement (for want of a better word....)

did you really walk through that thing???!!!
I cack my pants at the sight of a ghost train, let alone actually approaching one!
You brave brave people!

the convo's are v. v. v. amusing to read sometimes but then again when people have convo's between themselves it can make you feel a little left out...*sob*

hear hear Jon!

in re of cameras's during childbirth.
My mum offered to take pictures of both my son and daughters heads during childbirth!!!! What fruit loop would allow anyone to video their lady bits?!!! child birth or not, its not normal and i'm pretty sure people have choices as to whether they have cameras in the room with them!!!
On the other hand, i noticed that i was surrounded by 13 med students as i gave birth to my son and 11 months later i was surrounded by 9 students as my daughter made her grand entrance!!! I wasn't even slightly embarrassed and actually had a charming conversation with a young asian girl who held my hand while i delivered! Child birth can be pretty harrowing for men too....