Nothing in this world upsets me more than to see babies and small children be abused by their parents.

While shopping at our local Walmart last week, I saw something that left me shocked, saddened and angry.

It was a bitter cold day. Even if you wore a coat and several layers of clothing, it still seemed like you were bare. I described it as brutal.

As I was parking my car, I saw a lady with a baby about six or seven months old exit the store.  The lady had on a coat with a hood and seemed to be dressed appropriately for the weather.  However, it was the baby that left me aghast. It had nothing more on than a very thin onesie-type pair of pajamas. No sweater, not coat, no blanket to cover it in any way … Nothing on its little head or anything to cover it from the brutal cold and wind.

I parked my car and watched as she left the baby outside the car as she unloaded the buggy full of items.

I could not take it any more and asked her to please put her baby in the car out of the weather.

By the time I entered the front door, I was shaking from both cold and anger.

I went inside and asked if anyone else had seen what I had witnessed and the greeter said she also could not believe that anyone would take their child out with nothing on in that type of weather.

Witnessing that baby made me feel compelled to write this column. If you have children, take care of them. If you can’t be a responsible parent and love them and take care of them, don’t have them.

I have watched as children are talked to and cursed out as though they were animals.

Even right before I began writing this, I heard about the local woman who tried to smother two of her children with pillows. Her nine-year-old ran about a mile down the street to get help. I could not help but think of all that could have happened to that child as it ran for help.

Late I learned the woman has five children. When they found her, she was lying on top of her baby and passed out from alcohol or drugs.

It sickens me to think of these kids’ outcome.

Some people continue to have kids as an abuse of the system, it seems. Our system needs to get more involved and do more to ensure the welfare of the kids.

There are many irresponsible parents who seem to be still act like kids themselves. The children are the ones to suffer.

In many cases, if these children if they make it to adulthood, they develop the same irresponsible parenting habits as their own parents.

I could not help but worry and wonder about that precious child in the buggy outside Walmart.

He or she and so many other children are victims.

I, for one, am not standing idly by and not reporting cases of abuse like this.

If more people stand up for what is right, our world will become better.

Do not just watch this happening and not say or do something about it.

Take a stand for those who can’t!