I was in the gym of the church childcare center with my 6-11 years olds in Summer childcare several years ago. The usual cacophony was pierced by the shouts of an 8 year old that was angry at a 6 year old. “I hope that your parents get turned into DHR (child protection) and they go to jail , and you have to go to a foster home and you never see them again” The face of the younger girl was one of total horror, the older total anger. I got another teacher to take over and to comfort one child while I pulled the other aside to address her fears.
My friends 15 year old saw her friend being physically abused by an older sister. She called DHR. The friend became very angry because her Mom would go to jail. This caused the friendship to end and eventually lead to a physical altercation between the two girls.
In neither case did the parent end up in jail or the kids in a foster home. We seem to be educating our children in what child abuse is in all its forms, and giving them the tools to protect themselves and others, but then the ball drops. The children do not know what will happen next and they should. They can understand that an investigation will take place. They will be asked to talk to a social worker. If they are in immediate danger, they may be placed with a relative or in a temporary foster home. The parents (s) may be offered help for their addiction, anger issues, parenting issues, or other issues that could lead to the abusive behavior, The children may also receive intervention to address the behavioral issues that are present. Yes, the parent could go to jail, and the child to a foster home, but that will not be the first step. This information could lead to more children coming forward to start a process that will stop them from an abusive situation
The education process needs to go further so that we can really protect our kids. It is a way that we can show them love.
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