Naomi Brunner, author of Deadbeat Moms, has been on all sides of the issue, as a child, a parent and an employee of Social Services. While she is not a social worker, Naomi experienced first hand what it was like to have a deadbeat mom, two actually. One was her biological mom and the other her foster mom. In both cases she experienced abuse, neglect and physical punishment. Yet the worst experiences for Naomi were the times in which she was sexually abused by males and neither her mom nor her foster mom ever did anything to stop such abuse – and they were both aware of it.
Despite growing up with her own deadbeat moms, she vowed to always be there and never be a neglectful mom to her daughter. She recognized the importance of protecting and taking care of her own daughter. She did, however, discover that so many other youngsters were in need of responsible parenting, especially by their mothers.
Naomi collected stories of deadbeat moms and compiled them into her book in an effort to help society better understand that this is a growing epidemic – moms who take no responsibility for their children. More and more cases of mothers neglecting, abusing or even killing their own children appear in the headlines each day. The Casey Anthony trial drew national attention – and yet, it’s still too easy to turn a blind eye to the problem of deadbeat moms.
Volunteering and work:
Naomi has worked in children’s services as a program coordinator where she gained insight into the family “system” and why it takes so long to delve into the overload of cases regarding parents and children.
She has also volunteered for a number of agencies including the Red Cross and the Family Dynamics Children’s Center. Naomi also spent six months as a Hurricane Katrina operator, collecting information and making referrals to various agencies for individuals affected by the tragedy. In 2006, she won an award from the Federal Board of Katrina Inter-Agency Team.
