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lullabies for little criminals

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aby: A Product of Her Environment
Child development is the genetic and internal changes that occur in children during early years. There are many internal and external factors that affect a child 's growth and development. The connection between a child’s environment and a child’s development are explored in Heather O 'Neill 's lullabies for little criminals where a child named Baby becomes a product of her environment. This is explored through the early death of Baby’s mother, her being raised by a young father and her father 's drug addiction. Baby’s bad decisions and choices come from a lack of guidance necessary for a child’s social growth and development. The absence of a mother in Baby’s life is without a doubt one of the …show more content…

Baby want’s nothing but a stable and nurturing home environment but Jules is unable to provide the basic necessities for her. In Contemporary Liberalism and the Fate of American Children David L. Tubbs writes “Children depend on adults for many things, and this dependence encompasses more than material needs. Certain intangible goods—education, for example—are just as crucial to their well-being.”(Tubbs, 2007, 1) This idea is especially true in lullabies for little criminals where the emotional bond Baby yearns for, her younger father is unable to provide. This lack of caring for his daughter can also be seen when he is taken away by the police, leaving Baby stranded and confused, “As the cop car pulled away, I waved to Jules in the backseat. He had been too distracted to even notice me being hit by a car” (O’Neill, 57). As a child, Baby has learned to be self reliant and independent. Nonetheless Baby witnessing her father 's run in with the law profoundly affects her attitude towards the law as she herself becomes a prostitute and an addict. Despite the fact that Jules does not seem to care about Baby’s well being, she rationalizes his inadequate parenting as simply lack of experience. Throughout the novel Baby chooses to make decisions that are not in her best interest simply because that 's all that she knows. It is this lack of guidance that paves the way for Baby’s poor decision

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