My 2010 encounter with child protective services

[mamajoan]

A couple of recent conversations on Facebook got me thinking again about my experience with being reported to Child Protective Services (in MA it's called DCF - Department of Children and Families), which I realize I never posted about publicly at the time (spring of 2010). It was not a fun time.

Comments

[tehomet]

I'm glad everything worked out in the end, although it goes without saying that it must have been unbelievably stressful at the time.

[angledge]

Wow. What a harrowing story. I'm glad it's mostly in the past for you, but I imagine that they lingering effects you described (paranoia, second-guessing) have been difficult enough.

[jrosehale]

The Washington Post had a column/article about people's tendency to call the cops instead of helping to look out for the kids.

I know I have gotten so much passive-aggressive guff from other parents about my supposed cavalier attitude about Stuart's safety (when he was younger, letting him be across the playground from me--now it's for stuff like *considering* letting him walk alone to a friend's house that is 10 houses down from ours on the same street). Stuart knows how to use the phone, and I leave him alone in the house while I walk the dog, and he calls my cell if he needs me, but I still feel wary about admitting that? We live in weird-ass times, friend--a universe where encouraging independence is treated by some as a form of neglect, not encouraging growth.

ETA: That's a very old (but cute) picture of him. :-D

[tehomet]

PS Happy birthday to you! :)