Tough love

I saw this posted on Soompi and thought that I’d share it. The Article Reads:
The terrified parents of a two-year-old Chinese boy have taken to desperate measures to keep him safe — padlocking him to a lamp post.
PHOTOS: Toddler’s tough love
Unlicensed rickshaw driver Chen Chuanliu told the Chinese wire service Xinhua News he chained his son Lao Lu to the post while he picked up customers because he feared kidnappers would steal the boy.
Chen’s four year-old daughter was stolen earlier last month. His wife was unable to care for Lao Lu because she was “mentally disabled”.
“I have to work to support my family,” the 42-year-old told Xinhua News.
“I don’t even have a picture of [my daughter] to use for a missing person and … I cannot lose my son as well.”
     Shoppers saw the boy outside the Huaguan Shopping Mall near Liangxiang, 20km southwest of Beijing, before contacting authorities. Chen was ordered to remove the shackles. The boy cannot be taken to a local nursery because the family is from another province and therefore does not qualify for state help. Chen, who earns just $8.10 a day, said he could not afford childcare. He has also refused “many good offers” to put Lao Lu up for adoption. “To chain him is better than losing him,” Mr Chen said.
     In his defense, he honestly and whole heartedly was trying to do what was best for his child. With all these variables weighing him down, this had to be one of his last options. No one would want this for their kid but he had no other choice. Between supporting his family by making the amount he does, taking care of his infant child and mentally disabled wife, and carrying the grief of a lost child, this man is at his lowest. Some may find his choice inhuman, but in his mind, this was what was best.