Lullabies For Little Criminals By Heather O Neil

According to Statistics Canada (2016), 11% of the population aged 5 to 24 in Canada lived in low-income circumstances. The socioeconomic status of a developing child has a large impact on several aspects of their childhood and success. A child in a family with a lower socioeconomic status will have a reduced likelihood of success in academic achievement, have poor physical and mental health, and will be more prone to live in low-income circumstances in the future. Using a Market Based Measure, also referred to as MBM, can assess a person’s socioeconomic status. The MBM the estimated cost of purchasing a “basket” of goods and services estimated to represent the average of consumption. This measure includes the costs of food, clothing, shelter,

(Collin & Campbell, 2008). If a person cannot support themselves and their family, and cannot comfortably purchase the “basket”, they would be categorized as poor, or in a low socioeconomic status.

In Lullabies for Little Criminals, written by Heather O’Neil, the protagonist Baby faces several obstacles in her life. She lived in a dangerous neighbourhood, was exposed to drugs and prostitution at a young age, and did not have friends or family. She was affected by these experiences due to her socioeconomic status and lack of support. These negative social determinants of health caused her to experience a difficult time growing up through her adolescent years. In Lullabies for Little Criminals, Baby faces several obstacles in her life that are affecting her due to her socioeconomic status, and lack of support.

Baby grew up living off a low-income. Some factors that determine a socioeconomic status include income, education, occupation, and wealth. Ontario Association of Food Banks states, “Poverty has no single cause. It

Social services and social workers are known for providing helpful guidance to diminish the problem. In Baby’s case, she felt as if the social workers were just following a script and did not genuinely care about her. Baby said they all talk to her the same way even using the same lines, means they are not being genuine. Baby claims, “They had a cue card tucked away in one of their pockets with compliments that they were supposed to give me. Some of them had used the exact same lines on me” (O’Neil, 2006, p. 213). Baby constantly felt isolated and not wanted. This led her to become desperate and wanted to be friends with anyone she encountered. Subsequently, she met her pimp, Alfonse. She idealized the ways that he treated his girls and wanted to receive love like them; it only came with a price. Alfonse forced Baby to have sex with strangers when she was only 12 years old. She thought he loved her, because that’s all she knew. If Baby had received more social support from peers and family, she would have been able to avoid these situations completely. Social support is extremely detrimental to all humans, however it is especially important for developing children. According to the organization Here to Help, “lack of social support and feelings of loneliness can make us more vulnerable to the onset of mental health or substance use problems like depression” (Fairbrother, 2011). Unfortunately, due to the