While this won’t ever come to fruition—mostly because of its very Utopian vibe—forcing folks to take parenting tests to determine whether they’re fit to have kids is an idea a number of folks have suggested over the years. This would be one such occasion that would prompt the idea again.
A young lady recently shared a situation whereby she was given some clothes and beauty products by a friend’s dad only for her mother to take it all away, exchange it for store credit, and then proceed to get stuff for herself.
Having kids is not just a duty—it is a privilege. Unfortunately, some parents don’t get it and proceed to do as they please
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
A teen shared how her gifts were taken away by her mom only to be traded in for store credit, and then Child Protective Services (CPS) got involved
Image credits: varyapigu (not the actual photo)
Needless to say, the mother was extra upset when her actions were noticed and the daughter’s friend’s dad called CPS
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk (not the actual photo)
This story’s a short one: 13-year-old living with 3 of her siblings, plus one step-sibling, biological mom and stepdad under one roof. However, her and her siblings were never really all that taken care of.
A friend of hers noticed this and offered help. One thing led to another and his dad ended up getting some essentials for her. Unfortunately, the essentials were quickly traded in for store credit by the mom. Bold move—one that led to CPS getting involved. Now OP lives with her friend and his dad.
It was an immediate NTA—not the jerk—from the community. The general consensus was that it is the job of parents—and actually a privilege—to care for their kids. They made sure OP hears that she has done nothing wrong.
Others were quick to point out all the red flags in this predicament, starting with the stepdad not wanting her mother to work, but also not giving her money. Let alone, financially supporting the kids he took under his roof along with the woman. This is besides all the woman’s kids having to live in one room.
CPS gets involved in three major cases: physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
For context, CPS has a number of criteria that must be met to issue a report before starting an investigation.
CPS must be able to identify the subject of abuse as well as their location, figure out the jurisdiction that applies, determine the persons who are legally responsible for the kid, and, finally, investigate the allegations.
Everything up to the last bit is pretty easy to do for specialists. The trickier part comes with providing a reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect. By reasonable, it means that two facts are at play: the reporter has information that suggests that a child has been hurt or harmed by a parent/person legally responsible for the child; and another experienced mandated reporter would suspect child abuse or neglect if given the same information.
If they have enough information, CPS will be able to register a report and start the investigation, which means following up with the family.
In OP’s case, CPS got involved because of the reported neglect, namely that a person legally responsible for her failed to provide a minimal degree of care.
So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Kick off the discussion in the comment section down below!
Folks in the comments ruled that the young lady did nothing wrong, calling for an NTA verdict
