What about the parents?

As our media has been flooded with news of horrifying abuse claims against university coaches, I feel that one key aspect of the equation has been left unexamined--the involvement of the parents.

ABC News, along with many other news outlets, recently published an interview with the mother of one of the alleged Sandusky victims in which it was revealed that she had allowed her son to stay overnight at Sandusky's home (see link below). Similarly, one of the alleged victims in the Bernie Fine/Syracuse scandal claimed that he was abused while staying in Fine's hotel room while on an out-of-town trip with the team.

While the actions of these men, if true, are beyond reprehensible, I am concerned that virtually none of the spotlight is falling on the parents. What in heaven's name were they thinking in allowing their young children to stay overnight in the company of someone who was not a relative?? In fact, in each of these cases, the accused was barely more than an acquaintance. In Bernie Fine's case, he allegedly had met his most recent accuser only once before inviting him to come on the road with the team. I understand that both of these men at one point had solid reputations and were probably household names in their respective communities. I can even imagine that the fact that they had taken an interest in these children may have been a source of pride for the parents. However, in my mind that does not excuse the obvious lack of judgment they displayed by allowing their children to be alone with these men.

The legal notion of causation comes to mind. Is it possible to say that "but for" the parents allowing these overnight visits, such abuse would not have taken place? Probably not, but I still feel as though the parents should face some responsibility for the role they've played in what happened to their children. If an obese 8-year old can be removed from his home because of his parents' negligence in managing his diet, shouldn't these parents face similar consequences?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/penn-state-scandal-mother-victim-son-afraid-sandusky/story?id=14930219

http://news.yahoo.com/obese-third-grader-taken-mom-placed-foster-care-201731761.html