Wow Dana, for what it's worth I am sorry you are in this mess. Now onto your problem. This woman is obviously irresponsible, and is depending on the kindness of others to make up for her short comings as a mother. I think you should tell her you or your daughter will no longer be watching her kids. Then you should call child protective services anonymously and tell them that those kids are in danger from a substance abusing mother.
-----Original Message----- From: Dana Tierney [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 1:40 AM To: CF-Community Subject: need for government intervention, or feel like a sucker.... <major vent with no relevance to other current threads, feel free to delete> Or is it? I'd be interested in hearing a take from all those let em starve minimalist conservatives out there. In ten words or less, I have two real live children at my house right now. So... here I am on deadline. The single mother up the street calls me up and wants my daughter to watch her kids. Nuh uh, I said, she just left with a friend to see a movie. I am feeling unsympathetic.... My daughter wound up spending all night there two nights ago because Amanda was too out of it. Apparently she went out (with my daughter watching her kids) and got so drunk she hurt her muscles dancing at some club. So OK, maybe I am being prissy; I don't do the club scene but she's only about 20, with three kids under 5. And yet when I went to get my daughter the next day she was so out of it I called Poison Control to make sure she hadn't OD'ed. She roused enough to tell me she had taked three Percosets, a Xanax, three Darvocets and a couple of different kinds of musle relaxers. Welp, my daughter is scheduled to be doing something and I am not going to let her blow it off because this chick is too messed up...but I can't just walk away because hey, the youngest here is about one and a half and mom is just plain too messed up. I call around and find another of her friends who is willing to come over and deal with the situation. That was Sunday. Yesterday she called and said could her kids come over so she could clean her house. I said hell no, I'm still cleaning up from the last time they were over here. So today she has an appointment for an MRI. Ok, it really would be very hard to watch three kids that age while getting an MRI, so I say fine OK I'll watch the two older ones (aged 3 and 4), but not the baby. I need to get SOME work done here. And try to hurry. You guessed it. That was at 1pm... it's now after 11. She called me at 6 and told me they were admitting her. For a torn ligament I said? Amanda, I've had a torn ligament. They don't admit you for that. She gave me to some guy who told me he was a doctor. He was drunk. Well, ok, he was slurring his words, and he didn't talk like a doctor. Feeling like a heel I asked him where she was. He names a hospital. Funny, I said, I just called there looking for her. They dont have a patient by that name. I dunno, he said. She is here on the third floor. Room 327. OK. I told him that if I could reach her there through the switchboard I would owe her a HUGE apology, got a name and phone number from him (totally different exchange from the actual number for the hospital) and tried the switchboard again. No patient by that name. Are you sure I said. She just called me, told me she was in room 327. Loooong pause on hold. Some one who identifies themself as an ER supervisor comes on and tells me there is no patient by that name in the hospital. Period. And all clinics are closed. While I am on this phone call she leaves me a voice message that her ex-husband (who she has previously told me smokes crank) is coming over to get the kids. Oh goodie. Daughter gets home at 8. I ask her to watch kids while I look into Amanda's whereabouts. Discuss this with neighbor. We are not sure if the kids are better off with a messed up mother who loves them, or an indifferent foster care system. I really don't want cops OR social workers at my house thank you very much. A totally different guy calls me and tells me he picked Amanda up at the hospital and she is passed out at his house. He says he is too drunk to drive. I thank him for calling. Who's taking care of the baby? I ask. I am he says. I love that baby. I have met him once and he seems like a pretty steady guy. I hesitate. I tell him Amanda has lied to me and I need to kick her ass, and the situation is way out of hand, and he better make sure that baby is OK. He says he will. I have his number on caller ID. OK so.. kids are safe for tonight. I call the friend who came over Sunday. I am not volunteering, he says. Put up with it for as long as you can then do what you have to do. He does not have a phone number for any of her relatives. Hubbie never showed up. I am thinking I am gonna have to make the call. We can't keep watching the kids; we are enabling. I hope there are relatives, but I have no way to reach them...and I can't see just letting her pick the kids up in the morning. Recent experience says the kids will NOT be ok. </rant> Dana -- Someone has to knuckle down and change history, and that someone is you - The Doctor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
