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Concrete Angel

Ashlee Boal

Child and Family Advocacy

BYU-Idaho
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Concrete Angel

There’s an older country song titled “Concrete Angel” by Martina McBride. I have

always loved this song, but every time I hear it, it makes me cry. The first verse says, “She walks

to school with the lunch she packed. Nobody knows what she’s holdin’ back. Wearin’ the same

dress she wore yesterday, she hides the bruises with linen and lace. The teacher wonders but she

doesn’t ask. It’s hard to see the pain behind the mask. Bearing a burden of a secret storm,

sometimes she wishes she was never born.” Now I will share the second and third verses, then

I’ll share the chorus at the very end. “Somebody cries in the middle of the night. The neighbors

hear, but they turn out the lights. A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate. When morning comes

it’ll be too late. A statue stands in a shaded place. An angel girl with an upturned face. A name is

written on a polished rock. A broken heart that the world forgot.” Now the chorus. “Through the

wind and the rain, she stands hard as a stone, in her world that she can rise above. But her

dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she’s loved. Concrete angel.”

Those lyrics hit you pretty hard, don’t they? This song is about a little girl who is being

physically abused by her parents but nobody is speaking up to help her. In the end, it’s too late

because she is beaten so badly that she passes away. The teacher wonders but she doesn’t ask…

the neighbors hear the cries in the middle of the night but they just turn out the lights. This is

something that cannot and should not be ignored. If anyone you know, especially a child, is

being abused in any way, shape, or form, it’s time to take a stand and be their voice.

Over the years it has become easier and more common to talk about abuse and there are

now several other songs that talk about it. Thankfully, we’re becoming more aware and are more

willing to speak up and reach out. Abuse is something that comes in many forms whether that is
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physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual, but for the sake of this speech, I will be focusing on

parental physical abuse.

Did you know that when children are exposed to domestic violence, it causes significant

health, educational, and behavioral consequences? When severe enough, there can be immediate

physical injuries such as brain injury or failure to thrive. It can also create psychological

disorders such as depression and anxiety, and can even create suicidal thoughts in the one being

abused (Mathews et al., 2020).

I have personally never known a child who has been physically abused or met someone

who was physically abused as a child. I think it would be incredibly scary to be the one to

discover the abuse and have to report it, but those children need a voice so we must do what we

can to protect them. Going back to the song I shared earlier, just think of how things could have

been different for that little girl if the teacher had asked, or if the neighbors had gone over when

they heard the screams. Imagine that scenario in your mind. How would you feel if you stayed

silent then later heard the news, knowing it was something you could have helped prevent?

Dallin H. Oaks (2012) said, “Children are highly vulnerable. They have little or no power

to protect or provide for themselves and little influence on so much that is vital to their well-

being. Children need others to speak for them, and they need decision-makers who put their

well-being ahead of selfish adult interests.” So even if it might be scary to report it, we need to

think of how scared that child is and how little they understand about why that is happening to

them.

There was a study where 2,000 middle-aged men and women from Wisconsin self-

reported on parental childhood physical abuse and mental health. In this study, 11.4% of

respondents (10.6% males and 12.1% females) reported being physically abused by a parent. The
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study also found that when a child is abused by a parent, they have an increase in depression,

anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, and medical diagnoses (Springer et al., 2007).

Sadly, these statistics tell us that it’s fairly prevalent and has many adverse effects. So,

what are some signs we can look out for? Some examples are if the child has a sudden change in

behavior at school or in public, if he/she has not received help for physical or medical problems

that the parents already know about, or if they are always watchful like they’re waiting for

something bad to happen. Some signs from the parents could be if the parent shows little or no

concern for the child, if they tell teachers or other adults to use harsh physical punishment or

discipline if the child misbehaves, or if the parent sees their child as worthless or burdensome.

For physical abuse, look for unexplainable burns, bruises, bites, or broken bones, or if the child

seems frightened of their parents or shrinks away when adults approach them (Child Welfare

Information Gateway, 2007).

Fortunately, though, there are several laws, policies, and acts that have been put in place

to help with these situations and to help protect the children. One such act in Idaho is Title 16

Juvenile Proceedings, Chapter 16 Child Protective Act, section 16-1602. This act specifically

states the definitions of all forms of abuse, the different circumstances that would be deemed as

abuse, and the steps that would be taken to remove that child from the abusive circumstances and

place him/her in a safe environment. This act is more individual-focused, but it addresses the

symptoms and problems of physical abuse then gives options for how to help the children get

into the best situations possible. If the parent is seen as unfit, then this act removes them from the

situation and places the child in a home where the caregivers or foster parents will be better

parents for the child than their biological parents.

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With all this being said, and even with the many acts, laws, policies, and programs that

are in place, there are still abused children who go unnoticed or unseen. It’s time to step up our

game and try a little harder to be a little better. Let’s protect the children and be the voice that

they don’t have. Children deserve to be loved, cherished, and cared for and should always feel

safe and protected. Be the one to stand up for them, even if it might be scary. Speak up, speak

out, and protect those who can’t protect themselves.

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References

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2007). Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect: Signs and

Symptoms. childwelfare.gov. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/signs.pdf

Mathews, B., Pacella, R., Dunne, M. P., Simunovic, M., & Marston, C. (2020). Improving

measurement of child abuse and neglect: A systematic review and analysis of national

prevalence studies. PLoS ONE, 15(1), 1-22. 10.1371/journal.pone.0227884

Oaks, D. (2012). Protect the Children. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/10/protect-the-

children?lang=eng

Section 16-1602,

(2020b). https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title16/t16ch16/sect16-1602/

Springer, K. W., Sheridan, J., Kuo, D., & Carnes, M. (2007). Long-term physical and mental

health consequences of childhood physical abuse: Results from a large population-based

sample of men and women. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31(5), 517-530.

10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.01.003