For the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, December is the lowest reporting month for child abuse. March, on the other hand, is the highest, with more than 7,500 reported cases. Why?
Bill Garcia, deputy regional administrator for the child abuse hot line, calls the March statistics December's backlash.
"Even if families feel overburdened and stressed out [in December], they still want good things for their kids," he says. "Parents who can least afford it overextend themselves emotionally and financially," he says.
