Young dad "ashamed" of losing temper as 3-month-old son remains in critical care (Kissimmee, Florida)

Dad MATTHEW COLEMAN remains in jail without bail for "losing his temper" with his crying 3-month-old son, and violently shaking him before throwing him onto the bed. The baby is in critical condition.

This is one of the few news articles that puts the particular case in context. Shaken baby syndrome is ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF INFANT DEATH in the state of Florida, and the perpetrators tend to be YOUNG FATHERS and male caretakers who can't stand the sound of a crying infant.

I suspect that on some level, males are just not primed by biology or physiology to deal well with infant care. Call me sexist, I don't care. I think it's just reality. You just seldom see fathers routinely care for infants in most human cultures for most of human history. Nor do you see it in the other primates with which we are the most closely related. That some bird species parents share baby bird care is lovely and fascinating, but doesn't tell us anything useful about humans.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime/young-father-ashamed-of-losing-temper-as-3-551176.html

Young father ashamed of losing temper as 3- month-old son remains in critical care
By Henry Pierson Curtis The Orlando Sentinel

Updated: 5:26 p.m. Sunday, April 11, 2010

Posted: 2:11 p.m. Sunday, April 11, 2010

KISSIMMEE — Kimberly Coleman waits for her grandchild to recover while worrying about her son accused of hurting the 3-month-old boy.

Suffering signs of shaken baby syndrome, Matthew Coleman Jr. was rushed in critical condition Tuesday to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, according to Kissimmee police

His father, Matthew Coleman, 21, admitted shaking the infant in a rage of frustration over crying, arrest records show. He remains held without bail in the Osceola County Jail on a single count of aggravated child abuse.

"I know my son was wrong. He kind of lost it with the baby," Kimberly Coleman said Friday. "He has an anger issue, but he's never been violent toward anybody."

The latest news about Matthew Jr. looked promising. He was breathing on his own Friday, feeding on bottle and burping, said the grandmother.

"The bleeding has stopped in the brain," she said. "He's well on his way to recovery."

Other members of the family maintained a vigil at the hospital, while the father awaits word of his son's progress. The young father had been overjoyed at the birth of his son after miscarriages ended three earlier pregnancies, according to his mother.

"When this one was born I've never seen him so proud," his mother said.

Shaken baby syndrome is one of the most common causes of child abuse deaths in Florida, according to the state Department of Health. Violent shaking of an infant — typically triggered in young fathers and male caregivers by uncontrolled crying - can leave survivors to suffer from cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, seizures and learning disabilities.

According to police and arrest records, Coleman was at his apartment on Grand Cayman Court around noon on Tuesday when the infant began crying uncontrollably. Known as "Posta Boy," he worked as a cook at a local Applebee's restaurant and was home alone with his son.

"Matthew Sr. was frustrated and shook his infant son violently to make him stop crying," the arrest report stated. "Matthew Sr. then threw his infant son on the bed and left the apartment to smoke a cigarette. When Matthew Sr. returned, (the baby) was not breathing and was turning blue."

The young father called 911 and initially told firefighters that he left the child to nap in the master bedroom and found him lying face down and not breathing. Treated first at Osceola Regional Hospital, the baby was transferred to Arnold Palmer Hospital where "doctors concluded that (the) injuries were consistent with being shaken violently," the arrest report stated.

On Wednesday, Matthew Coleman went to Kissimmee police headquarters and admitted he had shaken and thrown his son on the bed for crying, records show.

"I know he's going to go away for a long time and he's going to suffer, but he's already suffering," Kimberly Coleman said. "I love my son and I will stand behind him."