The day I have children I will be ready to surrender any selfishness, impatience and pettiness I have in order to provide for and love them to the best of my ability.

Unfortunately for some parents, this is not the case.

Whether it has always been so prevalent, or the media is shining a spotlight on the issue, it seems as if every time I pick up a paper I'm reading about another helpless child who has been abused or killed by their parents.

Recently, the Associated Press reported on the Texas mom, Gilberta Estrada, who hung her four daughters, then proceeded to hang herself.

Last month, the Houstonist reported on the Arkansas dad, Joshua Mauldin, who put his 2-month-old daughter in a microwave causing third-degree burns all over her face and hands, later stating the devil made him do it.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, more than four children die each day as a result of child abuse in the home. This means about 1,500 kids die every year because of the abuse they receive in their own home.

Of those 1,500 children dying each year of child abuse, 78.7 percent of them were under the age of 4.

While I'm sure every parent has days when they are at their wit's end and thoughts of spanking their kids may creep into their minds, thinking and doing that, or worse, are two completely different concepts.

Although spanking as a form of discipline is viewed with mixed feelings, spanking should only be used in the most extreme cases and only after all other methods of verbal discipline have been exhausted. However, if parents do choose to resort to a spanking, it should never be hard enough to do any sort of physical damage.

Laws pertaining to child abuse need to be more strict. Nedda Shayota, a Detroit attorney, stated in a Detroit News column that it is rare for a parent or foster parent who kills their child to be convicted of first-degree murder.

First-degree murder is a premeditated, intentional, unlawful killing of someone.

According to the Houstonist, three Texas mothers, who all were on trial for killing their children, were found not guilty by reason of insanity. Obviously, they were insane, but that is no reason a killer should be allowed back into civilization with nothing but a slap on the wrist.

Shayota believes the reason behind the lack of first-degree murder convictions is it's hard for anyone to believe a parent would intentionally kill his or her children. With that said, it's easier to believe the parent may have been suffering from the ever popular excuses of "post-partum depression" or "temporary insanity."

The entire nation needs to adopt a zero-tolerance child abuse policy and put it into action immediately.

Adopting a zero-tolerance policy would mean people in authoritative positions would be instructed to act in particular ways and impose predetermined punishments regardless of the individual or extenuating circumstances.

Currently, there is a child abuse case involving Charlsie Adams-Rogers, a Detroit woman charged with involuntary manslaughter and two counts of child abuse in Wayne County Circuit Court, as the Detroit Free Press reported. The woman allegedly beat and burned 2-year-old Isaac Lethbridge to death because he wet his diaper. She also allegedly abused his sister.

The article states that if convicted, the maximum sentence would be up to 15 years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter charge and up to four years on the most serious child abuse count.

This woman will only receive up to 19 years in prison for brutally killing a helpless child, if she is convicted at all. But by looking at past cases, it is unlikely that, even if convicted, she will end up receiving the maximum punishment.

There are people serving life sentences in prison for first-offense crimes such as drug trafficking or gang violence, while people who have killed a child are serving sentences less than 20 years. That alone is a perfect portrayal of our faulty justice system.

Do I think a zero-tolerance policy will have a significant effect on the amount of child abuse in the country? No, because a lot of times the parent is not thinking about the consequences while abusing their children. However, a stricter policy would play a vital role in sending the message that child abuse is wrong and should not be handled lightly. It also would put offenders behind bars so they don't have the chance to become a repeat offender.

Allison Grant is a State News copy editor. Reach her at grantall@msu.edu.