The day CPS came a’knockin’
November 10, 2009 by Christine
Filed under a day in the life, what a day!
UPDATE 11/30/09 :: Ray received a call from Ms. CPS this afternoon. She had not a single question for him except to be sure he knew of the report and her visit earlier this month. He was informed that the case has officially been closed. Praise God!
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give my friendly neighbor any satisfaction by writing about this, but decided that I have nothing to hide and this is a good lesson for all of us, really. I don’t know who called CPS to report us, but I do have my suspicions and I know this person will read this. I write about this incident here in hopes that others can learn from their mistake, which fortunately didn’t prove to be more than an inconvenience for anyone. While I don’t expect an apology, I do hope that this neighbor will do me the courtesy of a friendly chat if ever they see any of my kids in danger again.
So, imagine my surprise when a gal from Child Protective Services showed up at my door this morning. Of course, I immediately began questioning myself as a mom, and all the little doubts poured in to my head as I stood there while she introduced herself. What did I do to warrant an investigation? My kids are safe and well-loved, so why is she here? I really am a good mom, aren’t I?
I invited Ms. CPS in and offered her a glass of water. Just as I would have if you, as my neighbor or friend, had shown up at my door unannounced. She asked about the kids, who were taking a break from their morning studies to try out a new toy in the backyard, and mentioned she’d want to meet them after we had a chance to chat.
At this point, I still was unaware of the reason for the visit. I offered up a prayer to the One who gives me peace and knew instantly that I was not to fear. As Ms. CPS read me the report I couldn’t help but think that it all sounded like things a child who was known to be a tattle-tell would say…
“I can hear the kids outside playing all day long”
“Ben climbs on the mailbox”
“the twins are always hitting each other and playing rough with Josh”
“the older kids are out front unsupervised between 4-6 every day”
Oh, that’s weird, since my kids have had soccer practice twice a week, from 5-6, for the past several months! You think perhaps our neighbor was seeing the other dozen children who play outside every day? hmmm.
Then it turned ridiculous…
“Ray is never home”
“Christine is upstairs sleeping all day or on the computer”
Um, my husband works very hard to provide for his family and has a job, thank God. He works Monday through Friday 8am to 5:30pm, but is home every night for dinner, spends every weekend with his kids, and is not even close to being an absent father.
While I admit that I have a job that requires a lot of computer time, I can assure you that I do not spend as much time on the computer during the day as you may think. In fact, most of my computer time is after I’ve done school with my kids, and in the evenings. My husband has reason to complain, but certainly not a nosey neighbor.
Even Ms. CPS kinda laughed at the accusation that I sleep all day! Honestly, I don’t even get so much as a 2 hour nap on most weekends. I only wish I could sleep more, but I threw that dream out the window when I started having kids!
By the way, it may be helpful to know that none of these accusations – if that’s what you want to call them – are relevant to CPS’s jurisdiction and in no way are indicative of neglect.
The only valid concern Ms. CPS shared was that “Noah was seen in the street with just a diaper on” and apparently was “almost hit by a car.” Now, I do not make a habit of allowing my two-year-old to play out front without clothes on, especially without adult supervision. Most often, though, he is out front before I even realize he has escaped through the garage or out the back gate, as he is known to be quite the little escape artist as he follows his siblings around. To remedy this very real problem, Ray and I were already planning to install high locks on all of our doors, but in the meantime Noah is sure to escape again.
Honestly, what upsets me the most about all of this is that this neighbor who reported us knows all of our names and my children’s ages. She even mentioned stories I’ve written about here. Posing as a neighborly friend and finding it necessary to report a single valid incident was so not cool. It would have been nice if this person had walked Noah home after seeing him almost get hit by a car, like most concerned friends would have done, instead of calling CPS!
A big thanks to our CPS informant, however, for allowing me to prove to Child Protective Services what a good mother I really am and how well-taken care of my children are!
Now for the lesson…
Reporting parents to CPS for neglect is not something to be done lightly. If you feel it’s your neighborly duty to report parents, it’s certainly in your best interest to examine that isolated incident you’ve witnessed and determine if it is in fact neglect. CPS doesn’t take kindly to frivolous reports, especially because of their limited resources during this recession, and over time you will lose your credibility.
Christine, aka YoungMommy, is married to her best friend, Ray, and together they have six very active children - five boys and one pretty princess. She's a busy mama, spending most of her days homeschooling her crew.
Wow. I can only imagine how shaken up you were when you answered the door. I completely agree that the neighbor would have been served by coming to YOU about the incident.
I would think your neighbor is completely clueless as to what goes on in your home. It’s sad that people act so ignorant about the well being of children. And, calling CPS is serious business. That person, or whomever, needs to apologize and you probably should just ignore them all together.
Wow! I can’t believe that a neighbor would do this! Our CPS is so desperate for funds and staff right now that they certainly don’t have the extra manpower to deal with frivolous calls like this. They have VERY important work to be doing as they deal with TRUE problem parents. Why bother them with an unfounded complaint from an uninformed neighbor?
All I can say is “Wow”. I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine.
I am so sorry Christine that you had to deal with this. That report is absolutely ridiculous and really makes her look stupid and immature.
And can totally relate to little ones escaping. I STILL remember when Truett disappeared in an instant here on the ranch. They are so fast and so small that it’s not hard to lose track of them. It can happen to anyone and it does happen all the time.
She’s just being a capital B in my opinion (and I’m trying not to get too ugly..sorry) but she clearly needs a life if she just sits around listening and watching you guys all day.
Glad to see that the CPS knew it was all bull. And it’s great of you guys to put locks on the doors! Just another thing that shows that y’all are fabulous parents;)
HUGS to ya and prayers to her. (I think she needs them more than you right now)
Lori
I’m so sorry that you and your family had to go through this. Calling CPS, in my opinion, is the nuclear option of last resort. Your purportedly concerned neighbor should have had the decency to bring any truly valid issues to you directly. The action speaks of cowardice and a lack of respect. A good friend of ours is a pediatric social worker who previously worked for DSS here. These people are overworked and underpaid and shouldn’t have their time wasted by such inane and baseless accusations. It is unfortunate that this alleged do gooder can’t be reprimanded for their actions.
If those were the chief complaints and they warrented an actual visit by CPS, then my mother would have been locked up…along with with the rest of the crazy parents who let their children play outside. At least the neighbor showed concern?…well…due diligence seems to have been given…the event is over.
Someone who would make an accusation like that against you is obviously ignorant! You are such a dedicated mom and your children are so well-behaved and happy. You should be honored, not put down. I’m sorry that you had to deal with such ridiculousness.
You know this just happened to a close friend of mine and the accusations were just as ridiculous: they have homebirths, they use homeopathy….huh?
Same thing happened, the CPS worker did what she had to do and left assuring them it was all good.
But I wonder, when people call, do they REALLY think? Do they actually think that the solution (for what they consider problems) is to take children away from their parents? If it’s warranted, please by all means call, but please think twice.
I’m so sorry you went through this, but I’m so glad you kept a confident attitude and navigated your way through it.
Unbelievable. You handled it well… I would have been a mess. Will you confront this person? Knowing your temperment, I imagine not. I do hope that CPS realizes what a ridiculous neighbor you have … who, no doubt, no longer has any credibility.
I know about nosey, ridiculous neighbors all too well right now. Sigh.
I am surprised they even came out for that at all. If someone almost hit your child, they would have honked the horn! Noone would leave the kid out there if they almost hit him! And a neighbor, even a bad neighbor, would bring a little guy home, if it actually happened.
I have an escape artist myself, and he has had a couple of run ins with the police department because of them, lol. and the police didn’t call CPS when he escaped twice that they know of.
My guess is that your neighbor is jealous of you – who wouldn’t be of a beautiful, successful mom with a wonderful family – and wanted to “bring you down” to make themselves look better. You took the high road and will prevail.
My condolences for having to experience this…It’s what we all fear, isn’t it? With large families and for us with multiples, it feels like the eyes upon us are multiplied and waiting for us mess up. Thanks for using your experience to hopefully articulate the seriousness of the situation.
His mercies are new EVERY MORNING!
First off all I’m very sorry that this happened!! Second of all as a formally homeschooled kid this kind of story makes me sad. Homeschoolers have to be so careful as people seem to want a reason to call CPS.
Mistakes happen and you are so right, this person should have come to you! I have had issues with a neighbor, for well over a year I went to this person until it got out of hand and couldn’t be handled with just us anymore. Unlike my problem I’m sure this could have been fixed in minutes and never come up again.
Oh how I long for the days when neighbors shared sugar with each other and kids ran freely around the neighbor with all the kids in the neighborhood.
I hope and pray this never happens again to you and that you will have peace!
Wow. I really don’t even know what to say. I am so, so sorry this happened. What ridiculous accusations…and to call CPS?! Are they serious? Who would be so ignorant to call CPS over the above. Blows my mind.
Whatever happened to friendly neighborhoods? To people who care? And why are others always trying to find ways to bring others down?
Again, I am so sorry. I cannot imagine how scared or shaken you must have been
Wow! The things people do. I’m glad to hear the outcome and understands well how children try to escape their homes. It all works for your good!
Good grief Christine. I’m sorry this happened to you. Hugs.
I’m sorry Christine. I can’t imagine having CPS show up at my house. Children that are home schooled have to take breaks too. So heaven forbid you guys take a much needed break and go outside. What a wasted visit for CPS too, when they need to be visiting households that are in real need of some attention.
Wow… so sorry! Remember one thing. You are a fabulous mom. You love your children enough to be home with them, teach them and heaven forbid you allow them to play outdoors. LOL
Don’t give in to those doubting thoughts. You both are doing a wonderful job!
That’s awful. I’m glad the CPS worker believed you and isn’t taking any further action. That could have had a scary outcome. I believe something like that is a valid choice, but only if you are VERY sure that there is major, serious abuse going on. I think this was a chickenshit way for this person to handle a situation like this.
I was not going to comment but now I am. I am ripping mad. Your “whoever” it was that reported you needs to open their eyes to the faulty system. Seriously….being a foster mom, we are ALL exhausted and we see families being ruined everyday because the parents are irresponsible.
We also see families being ruined everyday because people feel the need to create drama. What a waste of time and energy. I hope that the system could afford a worker away from her desk. I hope that attention to a “lost” child that has been moved from place to place didn’t need her case worker today. Most of all I hope that your “whoever” is satisfied with the decision she/he made to call in the complaint. Congrats for wasting everyone’s time and giving the possibility for a loving family to be split apart and put in homes where there are scarier (yes much more danger) then they would ever experience in your home. The foster system is not something you mess with. It is a mess and a phone call can ruin lives just as much as it can save one. EVERYONE choose wisely before you pick up the phone this is precious people we are putting at stake.
I can not imagine how you must have felt!! It definitely sounds like you handled it perfectly!
I hope the person realizes the harm she could have caused and learns her lesson.
Oh my lord how that had to shake you up at first. But, kudos for handling it so well & with such a positive attitude. I totally agree, SHAME on the neighbor that wasted the VERY Valuable time and resources of CPS. Big *hugs* to you!
I am not normally so full of hate, BUT in this case I really hope your anonymous caller has to pay, be fined, go to jail or be a social worker for a month or 2 so they have an inkling of the valuable resources that they have wasted just because they wanted to cause drama. Really?! They wanted 6 happy and healthy kids to be ripped away from parents that love and adore them to be put in a receiving home where they don’t know anyone and have no love until they can be placed into foster care? That is wicked and dark no matter what faith one comes from. I hope this person grows up to be a responsible, kind and drama free person someday, but it sounds like he/she has nothing to do other than criticize and create more drama. I am so sorry that you have to live near such miserable, venomous people- that is so exhausting! Hang in there Youngs!
I’m glad things turned out well for you, but what a sad commentary on our society.
My best friend had her upstairs blind neighbors calling the police on her 2 year old daughter. Said daughter would scream and scream just for being told to do something she didn’t want to. The policeman was nice enough when confronted with screaming child who was obviously unharmed/bruised, etc. However, I know all to well what can happen from unfounded accusations and overzealous CPS workers. Elizabeth is right when she says the foster care system is a much scarier place than most normal homes.
I’m a teacher and I once felt like I had to call CPS for a student. It was a long thought out decision on my part and eventually they did nothing. I truly hope that girl is okay today.
I had something like this happen myself just last month only it was reported my children never got fed. Stupid people didn’t realize, I guess, that all my purchases at the grocery store, McDonalds, etc would be on my debit card. Be careful with this person because if they did it once, they more than likely will do it again. I know in NC, I’m still under “investigation” for at least a month (or until they send a letter saying the case is closed) where they can come knocking back on my door again. The laws should be changed when proven lies to CPS are made.
Becky you are 100% correct in your thoughts but here is the sad thing.CPS will not wear egg on their face in any case.In other words even if they find their services or intervention is not needed they will make sure they fabricate things to make you look guilty when you are not.I should know,I lost my daughter a year ago to them and there is definite evidence they never even did an investigation to disprove anything as far as abuse.You know what I got in trouble for?My daughter got mad because I was not allowing her access to drug addicts and underage drinkers so she lied to a guidance counselor.You know what is even sicker yet?Right in front of CPS she asked them if she got taken from me could she go live with her friends?This is friends mind you that were drug users and underage drinkers that I was trying to keep her away from yet that sent up no red flags with these people.Oh and here is a kicker,I got accused of lack of parental control when she skipped off of school property without my knowledge,she was on school grounds and I was supposed to make sure she did not skip off their property.This is what this agency is about blaming the wrong people and not offering true help.Whatever you do do not sign any documents,do not allow them access to your home nothing because then when you cooperate they still record in the records that they made reasonable attempts and you were uncooperative.Their service plan?Wow is that a joke.You sign it and they say you have 6 months to comply,they take your child less than a month later.Do not make it easy on them in any way,they will take advantage and lie anyhow so not cooperating is your best option.
Oh my gosh!!!!
That is brutally insane!!!
I would have probably thrown up with panic if a CPS person showed up at my door. It freaks me out what can happen to someone because of the lies or accusations of another.
Wow. That neighbor really needs to do some soul searching and I think some begging for forgiveness.
I am terribly sorry that you had to go through that and that valuable tax payer money and resources were wasted.
All the best to you!!!
Susan
I am so sorry you had to go through this. There is nothing worse than questioning yourself as a mom or having someone else question your mothering. I say it is time for a new neighborhood
((Hugs))
That is so insane… people DO NOT realize the damage CPS can do to a family, to call for petty inane reasons really upsets me. I went through a similar situation a bit over a year ago, apparently in my father’s apartment complex, neighbor called CPS on him re: my 6yr old at the time that he was always “yelling” at my son.
My father is italian and deaf, we all talk VERY loud.
So many times these CPS calls are made out of spite, rather than actual concern/abuse.
I agree with some of the previous commenters, if they did it once, they will probably do it again, most likely try to build “evidence” against your family.
Sara,you are absolutely right about the reasons the calls are made.My daughter lied to her guidance counselor because I attempted to keep her out of trouble and before everything was said and done CPS violated so many laws it was pathetic.What is sad is I was punished for being a good parent but through violations of my civil and Constitutional rights,and fraudulent statements as well as the abuse of power by everyone involved including school officials who do not know me and never took the time to do so I have lost any chance of a relationship with my daughter.I was horrified when I read the documentation CPS finally released showing the exact words used to mentally abuse my daughter so she chose to break off her relationship with me.This is sick and twisted that anyone would choose to put a family through this without any proof.You know what is even more sick and twisted?The supposed safe foster homes these children end up being murdered in and all of the people that ignore that.
Christine, I often see your kids playing outside, in fact, it is one of the NICE things about the neighborhood! I love showing houses in that area because any family with children can see that there are actual children in the neighborhood to play with. My question is: where are all the other children? In front of the TV, Computer, video games most likely. It is a shame that children actually playing and enjoying fresh air is a problem. And if I might add, she should be happy Noah was wearing a diaper, my son Logan would take his off and prance around the neighborhood like he was wearing the Emporer’s New Clothes!!! The neighbor is blessed to hear so much joy and activity instead of the sounds of silence in most neighborhoods these days!
Yikes.
~Luke
CPS is there to protect children. Thankfully, most cases reported do not actually prove neglect and abuse. HOWEVER, as an educator, I am a mandated reporter in the state of California, and I know that it is my LEGAL responsibility to call CPS if I even SUSPECT a case of abuse or neglect. And NO, I didn’t call CPS on Ray and Christine!
Contrary to what many people have stated here, it is NOT the reporters job or responsibility to ensure that accusations are accurate, or to prove to anyone that the call was justified. That job belongs only to CPS or law enforcement officials.
Calls need to be made out of genuine concern over the welfare of a child, and not out of anger or vindictiveness. That is abuse of the system, and wrong.
I understand what you are saying, Janice, but I believe it IS the job of the reporter, however, to not abuse their power… By making sure their accusation is accurate they are being a responsible reporter, regardless of whether or not it’s their responsibility to prove the call was justified.
Agreed…abuse of “power” is never justified. Power should never be the issue when reporting a case to CPS, it isn’t about power, it is about child welfare. That phone call should be a carefully thought out decision! That’s why I brought up the point of making sure the welfare of the child is the main concern, not anger or vindictiveness.
However, the thoughts of a caring person that calls CPS about a situation should not revolve around, “What if what I am seeing is not true neglect/abuse?” Sometimes calls that SHOULD be made are not, because of those thoughts. It is CPS’s unfortunate responsibility to sort through all of these.
Also unfortunately, sometimes innocent families get caught up in a situation like this. I am sure there were several times (like when Lisa went wandering down the street undressed when she was two) that someone could have called on ME.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you guys!
You say it is mandatory for you to report supposed accusations of abuse and it is not your fault or responsibility to ensure the accusations are true?Well I will enlighten you that it is your job to observe the child you are reporting the abuse towards and see if the evidence or lack thereof warrants your accusation.It is also your obligation to have a sit down with the family to see if you observe any problems.People like you make me sick because it is you reporting something that 9 times out of 10 is unfounded that actually causes that child and that family to suffer great emotional and mental trauma.A person like you reported me when I did nothing abusive at all towards my child and her as the guidance counselor not knowing me brought in an agency that not only destroyed my life but my daughter’s as well.My daughter told lies because she wanted to do what she wanted to and hang around drug addicts and underage drinkers and this is how it all got started.
The officials in her previous school did everything they could to help me and my daughter and it did not include reporting anything to Children and Youth because instead of abusing their power they chose to involve themselves enough to discover the real truth.You all go around trying to absolve yourselves like you deserve absolution when you cause children to end up in foster homes that the foster parents party and drink in front of the child you had removed through your supposed righteous act.My daughter was almost stabbed by a drunk friend of these foster parents and when it was brought to the attention of the Children and Youth workers they covered it up to secure their case.I have not even seen my daughter for a year and in between time she has been told lies about my to cause our relationship to be non-existent and by the way I have paperwork proving my allegations.I hate to inform you but the agencies you turn parents in to do not investigate anything.They falsify documents,commit fraud and make fraudulent statements to present to the judge to destroy the parents.Next time you want to act all holier than thou for supposedly doing your job read an article about a dead child that people like you helped put in the home of a foster parent.
I saw this in my reader and just had to click over to show some support. Wow, what craziness. You handled it well. It is important for people to contact CPS if there is TRUE danger or neglect, but kids being kids doesn’t qualify as neglect. Sheesh! What ever happened to neighbors being neighbors and CARING for one another???
You’re absolutely correct that false accusations will lead to loss of credibility. It’s not as serious but I have a neighbor who constantly calls police/animal control about our dogs. Animal control will no longer accept his calls and he was warned (after 3 false allegations) that if he turned in a 4th false allegation within a year that he would be slapped with a fine. We had a quiet rest of the year
As for the kids being outside from 4-6pm…it’s called P.E. And if you didn’t allow them to play outside then you would be reported as “The Crazy Homeschool Lady Who Keeps Her Kids Locked In The House All Day.” I hope your neighbor realizes the severity of her allegation and gets a firm grasp on what true neglect is. There are kids out there who really are abused and neglected who weren’t being helped because she sent CPS on a wild goose chase.
I’m sorry if your neighbor reads this and thinks I’m rude…but they are bordering on psycho stalkerish. What do they do, peer in your windows or just make a habit of assuming what you do with your time?
Perhaps, his/her time would be better spent volunteering at a youth center than disrupting your lives.
I’m sorry you had to go through this but you’re one of the lucky ones. Oh and if you have not received a letter from them saying the case is closed and unfounded, then you may still be in danger. You never ever let a social worker into your home without a warrant. I know you want to prove you’re a good mom and you’re not abusive, and that’s fine but if they decide they don’t like you for whatever reason, they can and will find a way to substantiate a case of abuse and/or neglect against you. I know you think CPS only removes children from abusive homes but that is NOT the case at all. Do not ever willingly give up your Constitutional rights because once you do, then you cannot fight it if you need to. Please, do some research now before you need it again. If this reporter is determined to make your life miserable, she will continue calling in allegations from other phones or get their friends and family to do it for them. This anonymous reporting is for the birds!!! So even if you think you could win mother of the year, be careful and be afraid of CPS, be very, very afraid.
What a story! I think what’s most upsetting is that she wouldn’t even come talk to you first. I would be so embarassed to go behind someone’s back like that. So scary – can’t even imagine!
That’s insane. It’s really terrible that some people report to CPS for nothing at all. I really think at times that people are buying into that old bit of “children should be seen and not heard”… except they’d rather not see them either.
Kids do crazy stuff. That’s not parental neglect. That’s kids being kids.
I am sorry that you had to deal with that today! I hope that is the last you hear from them.
I would have died if CPS came to my door!! I would have thought the very same things you did, shame on your neighbor for not coming to you with their concerns. I am glad it all turned out…sleep most of the day…that made me laugh…out loud!
That is insane! It still amazes me what people do to hurt others. No shame… I hope your “wonderful neighbor” reads this.
I am so sorry that happened to you! I have to say though that you handled it really well! Hopefully the neighbor will realize her mistake and apologize to you. Maybe she needs a few prayers…
Kids are kids. When we first moved into our new house I lost my daughter completely, she had just started walking and I was showing some family the house, she snuck out the back door in the process, another night we were all in the front playing baseball and came in to make dinner, a few minutes later a knock on our door, it was the neighbor with my daughter. He says” is she yours” I was so upset and thankful something awful didn’t happen I baked him some brownies.
You obviously have a nosey neighbor that either needs to watch her own dang kids or find something better to do than to be so jealous to spy on you constantly. Hang in there!
OH my gosh Christine! I am so sorry you went through that you are a wonderful mom and poo on the neighbor. I can’t believe they didn’t just come to you to bring up the concerns they had which imo were not warranted
Saw this on Twitter and had to come over to see what happened. I would have been so angry at that neighbor! She was right to be concerned if your 2 year old was outside near the street and “almost got hit by a car” (if that’s what really happened), but she should have come and talked to you first.
My next door neighbor’s granddaughter works for our local children’s shelter, where kids are taken when they have to be removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect. Reporting someone to CPS is not to be taken lightly. Your neighbor has to see that your kids are well cared for. I’m so sorry you had to go through that!
Wow Christine…like you don’t have enough going on in your life! Yes, a little neighborly help of walking little Noah home would have been so appreciated. Kids are so stinkin’ fast! And with 6 to keep track of, it’s only inevitable that one will escape from time to time
) It would have been nice to know that in the event your little houdini escaped that you could count on your neighbor to be helpful… So glad it all worked out. Kudos to you for ALL you do- both for your kids, the community and your followers!
How many times do we hear on the news that another child has been severly abused or killed by their mother or father who is supposed to love and protect them? CPS is meant to intervene in these horrific situations before the abuse even gets to this point. When CPS is overloaded with work, often researching bogus accusations, that is one more case that is distracting them from a true child abuse/neglect case. Shame on whoever reported you!
Wow, what a shock and so sad that this neighbor did not come to you directly. Praying for her…
This saddens me, but does not surprise me.
I am sorry you had to go through it. I wanted to make sure you knew about HSLDA. It is a wonderful organization for homeschoolers who truly watch our backs when the wrong agent comes knocking.
This is my first time coming to this blog and I can’t believe I’m reading this. It is informative to hear from other posters on their views as well. It’s unfortunate that our world is so full of neglected children and some people (maybe out of spite, revenge or whatever ill reason) want to take limited resource like CPS on a normal parent. Nobody wins.
This is awful! Yes they could have walked your child home. What’s with the calling? It’s unnecessary. Maybe it was…for you to be aware of the kind of neighborhood you have. Keep on writing.
Regardless of the circumstances keep up your faith, you know better than anyone what a great family you have and that is all that should matter!
Oy, I just don’t get people. I’m so sorry – I know it’s really unnerving.
We had a neighbor call CPS on us when our youngest was 5 months old. A CPS caseworker came to our house, took one look at my sweet, smiling baby boy and apologized for wasting my time. The neighbor that called then had the nerve to offer her babysitting services a few days later.
There is major problems with the law regarding reporting and mandated reporting, recently our whole family was put into a tailspin because a mandated reporter ( a kindergarden teacher at my step daughters school) reported to CPS that I had raped, burned and cut, and blown marijuana smoke down my daughters throat with a straw, even though my daughter is in 7th grade and does not have contact with the teacher at all. We we duly investigated and my step daughter had to go and get a physical exam and an HIV test ( something a 13 year old should never have to do) all because the teachers daughter overheard the kids talking about something unrelated and relayed the story, what is also very funny is that a week before my step daughter was over at that teachers house for a halloween party with some friends and her daughter and they actually conversed, but apparently all this happened a week later when we had a house full of people!
My step-daughter is a diabetic and sees the school nurse every single day for her medication, if there was something up ( burns cuts etc as the accusations had implied) the nurse would have seen instantly.
The teacher had lied on the initial report to the CPS and said she had confirmed all this with my step daughter in person when she never even spoke to her on the day she made the report ( she later stated she had confirmend it though HER daughter and cited her as a reliable source!)
It is very upsetting to be even accused of something like that let alone go through an investigation, luckily the CPS were VERY professional in their execution of the investigation and all accusations were unfounded, as we knew they would be.
It often gets you thinking about the horror stories though, what if the CPS had not done their job correctly I could have gone to jail, lost my job, been labled as a sexual predator and torn my family apart, there are no reprucassions for this type of report, for the reporter and they are fully protected by law.
I really understand what you went through because I have been having problems with my neighbor who lives two houses down and our kids used to be friends. They had been having problems in school and cant get along, but instead of having this resolved in school, she threatened me and my daughter with violence in which I called the police. Now everytime her daughter comes home and says lies that my kids are talking to her daughter she calls the police. Its been twice and twice cps came. When cps came they said we beat our kids and we let our 6 year old watch hardcore porn, I cried. What malicious lies spread and the cps worker has seen nothing when she came and interviewed my kids. I feel harrased and cps and police both said theres nothing i can do about it. There should be a law that has to get your legal name and address which should be verified before a person is investigated. Per the cps lady she said call my legislator. I’m glad things worked out for you…