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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Council considers end to prohibition in city parks Mushroom hunter rescued after rainy night in Merlin woods Get Up & Go: Dec. 2 Since You Asked: How low will it go? For now, just the 30s Emergency Services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Woman admits role in ID theft, bank fraud ring Community blog: The Hug-Let's Hope it Happens in Furgeson Too. Community blog: Ernie Whiteman Sr. The Definition of a SRO Emergency services Politics and Elections East Medford's the charm Pot, GMOs unite south Jackson County Buckley again named Ways and Means Committee co-chairman Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Education Kitzhaber calls for early education spending in budget proposal Medford leans toward three-quarter-day kindergarten Building audits will help district save energy, and money Homelessness is growing problem for Medford students Les AuCoin recommended for SOU board Environment Hawks use I-5 as hunting ground Curbing urban runoff in Gold Hill Mt. 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Real Estate News Dear Monty: Violation of HOA rules creates conflict Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban Financial webinars offered for veterans and their families Home prices rise across Jackson County People In Business People in Business, Nov. 18 People in Business, Nov. 8 Transportation Allegiant Air will resume Medford-Phoenix service May 22 Medford airport passenger counts sky high in October Erickson reports third quarter profit Agriculture Southern Oregon wine industry had a robust 2013 Farmers file suit over GMO crop ban Lawsuit seeks to overturn Jackson County's GMO ban or net $4.2 million for farms Latest count shows Measure 92 supporters narrowing deficit Opinion Latest Our View: Waiting for someone else to step up Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2 Michael Gerson: Shrinking the global AIDS epidemic map Granlund cartoon: Charitable donations down Letters to the Editor, Dec. 1 Editorials Our View: Waiting for someone else to step up Our View: What's in a name? 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Guest Opinion: Fight for the rights of independent voters will continue Guest Opinion: 'Natural' not necessarily better for forest management Guest Opinion: County voters rebuffed judicial appointment process Fix health care reform, don't scrap it Lifestyle Latest stories Dr. Elaine Heffner: The emotions of the holidays Food for Thought: Sugar cookies offer holiday nostalgia Ride & Drive: The 2015 Toyota Camry Keeping Fit: Runners need to do more than run to stay in shape Jeff Vrabel: Unhappy accidents are hard to predict Food Food for Thought: Sugar cookies offer holiday nostalgia Kitchen Call: A change from turkey leftovers Community blog: In soup or salad, savor pumpkin with leeks Be a gravy-making star on Thanksgiving Food for Thought: Add new twists on Thanksgiving favorites Home and Garden Home Help: Luxurious upgrades don’t have to break the bank 9 ways to green your gift wrap Dear Monty: How to find a good real estate attorney Home Help: Quick tips for getting your home ready for the holidays Mortgage insurance: Your questions answered Health HealthStyle: Develop an attitude of gratitude Health Watch: Fuel up on carbs before workouts Health insurance enrollment help available Community blog: Appreciating Clouds: Year-Round Gratitude Community blog: A Little Toilet Talk Hiking Biking Faith Religion news: Pope aims to expedite sex abuse rulings Religion news: Seattle-based mega-church dissolves Religion Briefs 'Walk the talk' Religion briefs Milestones and Achievements Madi-Stiles A New Song Rogers-Horn New Arrivals ACCESS receives $50,000 donation from Wells Fargo Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Brunch at Loft Brasserie 2014 Providence Festival of Trees A grand illumination at the Commons Lighting up memories Jacksonville's Victorian Christmas Theater OCT's holiday show is a wonderful play New 'Alice' has some for kids ... and adults 'It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play' opens at Oregon Cabaret Theatre 'Red Noses' a romp through slapstick and pathos SOU presents 'The Drunken City' Music Shae Johnson releases 'Can You Feel the Music' Jeff Kloetzel releases 'Long Time Coming' A new guitar slinger in town Peter Chianca: Top 40 songs even a dad could love The Farr Side: Different artists, common songs Community Events 2014 Providence Festival of Trees A grand illumination at the Commons Lighting up memories Jacksonville's Victorian Christmas New exhibits highlight Third Fridays Dining Brunch at Loft Brasserie The Bohemian Club Thanksgiving comes early at Taprock Word of Mouth: Brunch at Brothers' Restaurant Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Council considers end to prohibition in city parks ... Our View: Waiting for someone else to step up ... Medford leans toward three-quarter-day kindergarten ... Council considers end to prohibition in city parks ... Our View: Waiting for someone else to step up ... Medford leans toward three-quarter-day kindergarten ... Breaking the cycle Adrianna Poot fights to become the mother her children deserve Editor's note: This story is part of a joint effort by the Mail Tribune, KOBI Channel 5 and the Jackson County Child Abuse Network to educate the public about the extent of child abuse locally and what Rogue Valley residents can do about it. Three more stories are planned on Mondays starting April 12 as part of child abuse awareness month. By Sanne Specht MailTribune.com By Sanne Specht Posted Apr. 4, 2010 @ 12:01 am Updated Nov 4, 2010 at 9:25 AM By Sanne Specht Posted Apr. 4, 2010 @ 12:01 am Updated Nov 4, 2010 at 9:25 AM Did you know? --> Infants need to learn to trust their world before they can begin to explore their world. Provide security and a loving, predictable routine for your children. Children's brains grow as a result ... » Read more X Did you know? Infants need to learn to trust their world before they can begin to explore their world. Provide security and a loving, predictable routine for your children. Children's brains grow as a result of what they see, hear, taste, touch and smell. Everyday experiences are learning experiences for children. Children who are talked to by the adults in their lives learn about 5,000 more words by the time they enter kindergarten. Talk to your kids today. Touch is important for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age kids. Hug your child today. Sources: The Jackson County Early Childhood Partnership Team and the Grants Pass Early Childhood Council. » Social News Editor's note: This story is part of a joint effort by the Mail Tribune, KOBI Channel 5 and the Jackson County Child Abuse Network to educate the public about the extent of child abuse locally and what Rogue Valley residents can do about it. Three more stories are planned on Mondays starting April 12 as part of child abuse awareness month. Adrianna Poot didn't want to pass on her parents' painful legacy of drug use, child abuse and neglect. But she did. "I used to stick my daughter in a highchair in the morning when she was 1 or 2 years old," said Poot, of Medford. "I'd give her something to eat, turn on a video and just leave her there. Then I'd go back to bed because I'd been up all night. Doing drugs. Doing whatever." Addiction, violence, poverty and/or mental health issues among people such as Poot often can be traced to their own childhood experiences of neglect or abuse. These parents need support in learning proper parenting skills because they lacked positive role models and mentors themselves, said Mary-Curtis Gramley, director of the Family Nurturing Center. "A child's ability to explore his world in a positive manner stems from feeling safe and secure," Gramley said. "When children haven't been able to develop that trust, they don't explore. And there's no reason to trust if your diaper is never changed or you are not fed adequately or you cried yourself to sleep because you were hungry." Today, Poot, 31, is working hard to heal the damage done to her now 9-year-old daughter. And to nurture her 16-month-old son. "You have to change everything. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to live a different way," Poot said. "But when your kids are hanging in the balance, nothing is too hard." Born to a drug-addicted mother and a violent, criminal father, Poot was removed from her home and made a ward of the state by age 3. "My mom was hooked on heroin. My dad robbed banks. Their relationship between each other was abusive," she said, adding both her birth parents now are dead. In and out of foster and group homes for six years, Poot was adopted by a couple at age 9. But the relationship was not an easy one for Poot or her adoptive parents, she said. "I was really angry and rebellious," Poot said. When her adoptive parents sent her to live in a group home, Poot ran away. "I was out on the streets by the time I was 12, fending for myself," she said. Poot ended up in an abusive relationship with her daughter's father. She didn't start using drugs until after Angela was born. She was 22 years old, Poot said. "I prided myself on being the kind of person who would never use drugs while I was pregnant," she said. But a lifetime of unstable relationships and untreated depression made self-medicating an easy path to addiction, she said. "I let people hurt me," Poot said. "I don't know why. Then I got introduced to the meth and the pipe. I loved it. I loved the way it made me feel." Poot thought she had things under control, even as she tried to hide her drug abuse from family and friends. But it got to the point where meth was more important to Poot than her daughter, she said. "I just wasn't there anymore," she said. By the time her daughter was 5 or 6, she was left to fend for herself as Poot's drug use escalated. "My daughter had to talk to me through the (bedroom) door," Poot said. "I didn't want her to see what I was doing. I was either too strung out or coming down." Poot said the damage she did to her daughter while she was using drugs still haunts her. The missed days. The blank spots in her own memory. "I lost a lot with my daughter," Poot said. "It scares me to death. I don't remember a lot of things. I'm sure it's affected her. But I can still be a good mom. I can still show her I love her. It's so simple. But it's huge." Sobriety lessons learned at OnTrack's Moms Program and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, parenting skills acquired at the Family Nurturing Center and Community Family Court, and insights gained in her Women Against Violence group are all helping Poot become the kind of mother she never had. The kind of mother every child deserves. "I used to stuff my feelings, and then I'd leak them all over the place," she said. "I never figured out what was really bothering me. Now I'm learning how to manage my feelings." Neglect may leave no physical mark on an infant or a toddler, but the emotional fallout can last a lifetime, Gramley said. "We're understanding more and more what children need," she said. "There can be an arrested capacity to relate to people, to experience the joy of friendships, that feeling of reciprocity and contentment." Neglect is an insidious form of abuse that can be legally difficult to define, said Dr. Kerri Hecox, of the Children's Advocacy Center. "It is one of the hardest ones to prove," she said. "But it is very damaging." Proper brain development can be damaged by neglect. Children under 2 need to interact positively and frequently with nurturing adults in order to learn how to form trusting relationships. Without regular physical touch, eye-to-eye contact, verbal stimulation and other positive reinforcement, a child can experience critical and ongoing damage, Hecox said. "The younger a child is, the more impact neglect has on them," Hecox said. "Teens can suffer from neglect. But it is not as likely to create lifelong damage." Poot's love affair with meth lasted into a new relationship with her current boyfriend. And into her pregnancy with their son, Anthony. "I always promised myself I would never use drugs if I ever got pregnant again," she said. "But I did." Poot's first prenatal exam showed she was using meth. Doctors are mandatory reporters of child abuse or neglect. The authorities were contacted. Poot's daughter was removed from her home and placed in foster care. Often there is some legal intervention that alerts child welfare workers that there is a potential risk to a child, said Susie Wahl, Community Family Court coordinator. About a third of the clients in Family Court have had criminal charges filed against them. But they cannot have active criminal charges pending when they enter the program, she said. Poot entered the Moms Program at OnTrack, then Family Court in April 2008. It takes courage and determination to break the chain of inter-generational child neglect and abuse, said Wahl. "Adrianna is really a remarkable example of positive change," said Wahl. The coping skills Poot learned in the various programs have helped her be a more supportive parent and a better person. Before heading off to night school to complete her general equivalency diploma, Poot helps Angela with her homework each afternoon. She also attends parent-teacher conferences and makes a point of offering consistent and positive feedback. "Her grades are coming up," said Poot. "And she's a great big sister (to Anthony). She's very patient with him." Anthony is a curious, active little boy. He's walking and starting to talk. He spends two afternoons a week at the Family Nurturing Center's therapeutic respite nursery. "He gets to interact with other kids," she said. Poot wants to graduate and then help out at the Moms Program, she said. "I want to give back a little," Poot said. "But the main thing for me is I want to break the cycle for my kids. It's important for me." Communities must support families who are breaking the cycle of abuse. Otherwise they are simply contributing to the next generation of abused and neglected children, said Rita Sullivan, director of OnTrack. Sullivan said Poot's insights and experiences, combined with a nonjudgmental understanding of addiction and abuse, may one day make her a valuable employee. "But if all she ever does is provide a clean, sober and nonabusive environment for her children, then her walk across this planet has been worth it," Sullivan said. "She will have broken the cycle." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 541-776-4497 or e-mail [email protected]. By Sanne Specht MailTribune.com By Sanne Specht Posted Apr. 4, 2010 @ 12:01 am Updated Nov 4, 2010 at 9:25 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. 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