The Internet is crowded with stories of children dying or being hospitalized due to abuse. There is one question that stands out that many have tried to answer. Why do parents abuse their children? Child maltreatment can occur across cultural, socioeconomic, racial, religious, and ethnic groups (Goldman, Salus, Welcott, Kennedy 1). There are thousands of reasons why parents are abusive. This, however, is a shocking way to do it. “Twelve percent of those who spanked fifty or more times in the past year admitted to having been abused” (Locke 1). Parents start with spanking just for discipline, then start hitting their child for unnecessary reasons with objects such as whips or branches. Many parents don't realize what they are doing until they are called to do it. This is one of the physical ways parents abuse. Parents may have a strong belief in religion. Parents can be so strict about their beliefs that they abuse them. Few Christians take the verse “parents who spare the rod, spoil their children” too literally (Locke 2). The grandmother, in Flowers in the Attic, was very religious and believed that God said to punish every little thing. “People make the rules of society, not God” (Bloom Flowers in the Attic). The grandmother abused her daughter and grandchildren because she misinterpreted the text. This is yet another reason why parents or grandparents abuse. “Children with single parents are 120% more likely to experience some type of maltreatment overall” (Goldman, Salus, Wolcott, Kennedy 3). Parents who go through a divorce are more likely to face greater stress than parents who do not divorce. Single parenthood comes with a lot of stress that can be put on the child in a more physical way. Parents are quick to get angry and most of the… middle of paper… discipline happens through abuse. This is one of the most popular reasons. Abuse is passed down from generation to generation and it is difficult to stop this pattern. Another reason why parents abuse their children is age. Teenage mothers are more likely to abuse than older mothers. Young mothers don't get much moral support and the stress factor is incredibly high. Mothers abuse to vent their anger. The age of the child is another reason. A young child will be abused more than older children. There is no specific reason for this, but abusive parents continue to do it. Parents abuse their children for many different reasons. For some parents it is the only type of discipline they know how to impose. Some may live in poverty, and there are even parents who have had children who are too young. No matter what situation an abusive parent finds themselves in, stress seems to be the main factor.