Anybody posted about the 13 siblings found chained in California home?

[Seasider]

Did y'all see the reports that for awhile when they lived in Texas the kids were living alone with the parents only coming by to drop off food every few days?

No. Where are y'all getting all these extra details - your news source?

[Guinevere]

Not me. I find Virginia too intrusive. Besides, the way the homeschool law is written in Virginia, I could claim Religious Exemption and have no more reporting to the state required at all.

 

 

 

Again, I am sure that is not true, since the children show up in birth indexes in both Texas and California. Generated by birth certificates, these are online public databases available to anyone who knows where to look. It includes only the children over 18, per state laws. I can see the kids there.

Va laws are annoyong, and I feel they regulate testing too young. If public schooled kids aren't tested until 3rd grade, then why do have to test my 6yo? She made the k cutoff by a few days. I could have legally waited a year to start k, but as a homeschooler, she had to be on my noi, and she had to be tested with a nationally normed test (or we could have done the portfolio thing).

 

And, again, I wasn't referring to this family as homebirthers, but a hypothetical under the radar family, as we were discussing the difficulty of catching them all.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Guinevere

[Lawana]

There is no stopping a family culture of secrecy, at least for some. I was given an opportunity to disclose sexual abuse, by a caring, safe adult, but could not, at 14, overcome the family "no talk" rules to do so. When psychological abuse happens early and often.... never mind, too painful

[prairiewindmomma]

It seems as though there is a consensus around 1 regulation in particular, keeping close tabs on kids who are pulled from public school after a CPS report has been made. That won't prevent them from just moving, of course, but this group seems to be the most vulnerable.

 

In many states, there are already regulations to prevent parents involved in active child protective services regulations from withdrawing their children from public school.   

 

In a recent child welfare conference I attended (social workers and lawyers working as guardian ad items), a poll was done in which people raised their hands as to how many cases they had been assigned.  150 was about the average for social workers, it was well over 300 for GALs. 

 

So, even if you are on the radar, it doesn't mean that help is coming. Over 200 kids in state care in Texas died in 2016 alone. http://tpr.org/post/federal-judge-finds-texas-foster-care-system-unconstitutional

 

What do I think should be done?

1. Increase funding to local courts---for guardian ad litems.

2. Increase funding to the local foster care system---and de-privatize it.  Bring everything back under state control.

3. Increase funding for health insurance (particularly CHIP/medicaid), and continue the mandates for free annual checkups.  Add two free dental cleaning/checkups to the medical program. Better yet, create a single payor system. More contact with medical professionals is a good thing.

4. Increase funding to mental health services, mandate more coverage through insurance companies

5. Allow privately schooled children to access public school services without full registration in public school

6. Require registration of privately schooled students with a state database

7. Require testing of children at key points in their educational career---3rd, 7th, and 10th grades.  If a child falls below standards (low, like 15% low), or there are known issues, use evaluators. 

 

As to how to ensure students are registered---I think my idea is controversial, and not necessarily a good one, but it would be to tie their tax returns to their student records.  If someone wanted to go WAY astray, like by not listing their children on their returns, you're in that category of deviance that is just going to be hard to discover anyway....

[Carol in Cal.]

As far as I know, it’s standard in CA.

It is.  In fact, DD once wrote an essay about what she learned from a PE class about something else (character or friendships or something) and because it mentioned that this was a Christian group, the reviewer rejected it as a sample.  

[mom2samlibby]

No. Where are y'all getting all these extra details - your news source?

 

I read that in a couple of different articles yesterday about this case.  Here's one about the parents living in a separate house in Texas from the children -- http://www.latimes.com/sns-bc-us--shackled-children-20180118-story.html

Edited January 20, 2018 by mom2samlibby

[Katy]

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned they wondered what had happened to that family in Kentucky whose children were with CPS for a while.  I got curious too and googled. It looks like the kids are still at home since they built the shed tiny house, but she had a full term stillbirth in July.  I don't have the heart to read any more, but if you're curious their blog is called Blessed Little Homestead, they named the baby William, and there are photos of him on the blog.  So sad.

 

I'm not linking because I don't think it's right to link this situation to that one. Children living in poverty without adequate shelter and clothing isn't remotely like being confined and tortured.

[gardenmom5]

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned they wondered what had happened to that family in Kentucky whose children were with CPS for a while.  I got curious too and googled. It looks like the kids are still at home since they built the shed tiny house, but she had a full term stillbirth in July.  I don't have the heart to read any more, but if you're curious their blog is called Blessed Little Homestead, they named the baby William, and there are photos of him on the blog.  So sad.

 

I'm not linking because I don't think it's right to link this situation to that one. Children living in poverty without adequate shelter and clothing isn't remotely like being confined and tortured.

 

if they were responsible and living in poverty without adequate shelter would be a whole different ball game to those parents.  and they choose to live the way they do, and subject their chidlren to do.  it's not sanitary at all.  they don't even have a pit toilet. my mother was a child with a out house during the depression - it was more sanitary than that family.

[sewingmama]

If you look at the photos...the boys seem to have fared better than the girls.  The oldest boy looks a decent enough weight although thin and was almost as tall as his Dad.

 

An abused, neglected, malnourished, undersized young adult in regular contact with a professional educator?  I thought that was supposed to be the solution?

 

Though, I don't think I've seen anything about who alerted authorities... (I wasn't home much yesterday.)

 

[umsami]

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned they wondered what had happened to that family in Kentucky whose children were with CPS for a while.  I got curious too and googled. It looks like the kids are still at home since they built the shed tiny house, but she had a full term stillbirth in July.  I don't have the heart to read any more, but if you're curious their blog is called Blessed Little Homestead, they named the baby William, and there are photos of him on the blog.  So sad.

 

I'm not linking because I don't think it's right to link this situation to that one. Children living in poverty without adequate shelter and clothing isn't remotely like being confined and tortured.

 

There's a whole board about the Nauglers on Free Jinger.  

 

Kentucky's foster system must be more strained than most for those kids to go back. 

Edited January 20, 2018 by umsami

[Ausmumof3]

If you look at the photos...the boys seem to have fared better than the girls. The oldest boy looks a decent enough weight although thin and was almost as tall as his Dad.

True but looking at pics of the mums sister seems like they are also short genetically as well.

[maize]

if they were responsible and living in poverty without adequate shelter would be a whole different ball game to those parents. and they choose to live the way they do, and subject their chidlren to do. it's not sanitary at all. they don't even have a pit toilet. my mother was a child with a out house during the depression - it was more sanitary than that family.

I believe they were required to get a porta potty.

[maize]

No. Where are y'all getting all these extra details - your news source?

Just googling for articles. Sorry I don't remember what was where.

[gardenmom5]

This is not true. The older kids are reported in California and Texas birth indexes, indicating birth certificates filed at the times of their births. It's online information in public databases.

 

 

 

not sure the baby , or youngest children, were.   

 

So it does seem that the youngest baby is mom's bio child, there are pregnancy photos and I think it was a hospital birth.

 

the "new mom in bed with baby photo" - with the baby was in bed at home.  there weren't any pics of her with the baby in a hospital.

 

It was infuriating to see her in front of the crib showing off her pg stomach - and noticing the carpet was clean.

 

her own brother and sister want them locked up for life.

[school17777]

Apparently, the older children attended school at first before they were homeschooled. Here’s a Facebook post from a classmate: https://www.facebook.com/taha618

 

So, they were around mandated reporters on school days and that wasn’t enough to stop what was going on in their home life.

[maize]

Apparently, the older children attended school at first before they were homeschooled. Here’s a Facebook post from a classmate: https://www.facebook.com/taha618

 

So, they were around mandated reporters on school days and that wasn’t enough to stop what was going on in their home life.

Thanks for posting.

 

I do think that had all the children been in school for years someone would have raised the alarm.

 

But then maybe the parents were starting to get questions and that is why they pulled the kids out.

[homemommy83]

There's a whole board about the Nauglers on Free Jinger.  

 

Kentucky's foster system must be more strained than most for those kids to go back. 

Both Kentucky and Indiana are having a terrible opiod crisis- there just aren't enough homes for these children.

[school17777]

Thanks for posting.

 

I do think that had all the children been in school for years someone would have raised the alarm.

 

But then maybe the parents were starting to get questions and that is why they pulled the kids out.

 

I heard that was the reason they didn’t send them back to school, the parents were afraid the kids would tell people about their home life.

[EmseB]

Apparently, the older children attended school at first before they were homeschooled. Here’s a Facebook post from a classmate: https://www.facebook.com/taha618

 

So, they were around mandated reporters on school days and that wasn’t enough to stop what was going on in their home life.

 

And she got to endure this at school, while going home to abuse:

 

 

Jennifer Turpin was the one girl at Meadowcreek Elementary that nobody wanted to be caught talking to. Every grade level had a designated "cootie kid" and she held the title for our year. She was a frail girl, had pin-straight hair with bangs, and often wore the same purple outfit. She was often made fun of by the other third graders because her clothes would sometimes look as though they had been dragged through mud, which she would also smell like on most days. I distinctly remember my entire third grade class scoffing at her one day because our teacher had asked her to discard a scrunchy she had used to tie her hair out of a discarded tin foil wrapper from an old Hershey's bar. After that year, Jennifer moved away, and she was forgotten about after we moved on to the the next "cootie kid."

 

 

 

This kind of stuff is exactly what I was talking about in my previous posts. I feel sick to my stomach thinking about the teacher calling her out for not having a real scrunchy and the whole class going in on it. I think it is super great if you all had/have schools that came alongside the smelly kid, or the poor kid, or the kid from the unstable home life that was a bit out there.  The above is more in line with my experience, having attended 2 different public elementary schools, one middle school, and four different high schools...in different regions of the country. Kids who are different don't usually even get the teacher's sympathy. Every school I went to had some version of the cootie kid mentality. Thankfully I was somewhere in the middle, not cool enough to be popular, but quiet enough to not be noticed by the popular crowd for ridicule.

[maize]

Collecting children...clearly as possessions of a sort...the matching names and matching outfits...not treating them as humans...

 

Seems this is a set of symptoms that ought to have a name. Does it?

 

I'm really struggling to understand wanting to have a bunch of kids --without loving the kids--.

 

I come from a double digit large family. It was clear at every point that each of us children was viewed as a full human being.

 

Clearly these children were not.

 

Children as items to be acquired?

[gardenmom5]

I heard that was the reason they didn’t send them back to school, the parents were afraid the kids would tell people about their home life.

 

when they were in texas - the three oldest played with a neighbor girl for a few months, then her mother asked one of the girls her name. she wasn't allowed to tell her, the parents found out and  that was the end of it, and the children were only allowed to play in their backyard, behind a fence.

this extreme behavior didn't start over night - it grew as the years went past.

 

And she got to endure this at school, while going home to abuse:

 

 

 

This kind of stuff is exactly what I was talking about in my previous posts. I feel sick to my stomach thinking about the teacher calling her out for not having a real scrunchy and the whole class going in on it. I think it is super great if you all had/have schools that came alongside the smelly kid, or the poor kid, or the kid from the unstable home life that was a bit out there.  The above is more in line with my experience, having attended 2 different public elementary schools, one middle school, and four different high schools...in different regions of the country. Kids who are different don't usually even get the teacher's sympathy. Every school I went to had some version of the cootie kid mentality. Thankfully I was somewhere in the middle, not cool enough to be popular, but quiet enough to not be noticed by the popular crowd for ridicule.

 

and so typical that children who live in bad environments at home (ranging from dysfunctional to abusive) - are the ones who get bullied at school.

and yes - teachers sometimes are the worst, because if they make a snotty comment about a student (in any students hearing) the other kids take it as permission to go after that student.

and not having a "proper scruncy - how petty can the teacher get . . . .

[umsami]

If I was the teacher, the little girl would have found a whole ziplock baggie full of scrunchies in her desk.  :(

[mom2samlibby]

After reading this post from the oldest's third grade classmate --  https://www.facebook.com/taha618/posts/10154979632211901, how can one be calling for more homeschooling regulations?  Some of the children were in public school at one time.  The classmate talks about how she smelled like poop everyday.  How did this teacher not intervene then?  And worse, instead of intervening, she picked on her also.  How was CPS not called them?  Those that are saying they got by with this because they were homeschooled and we need more intervention for homeschoolers are missing that these children were at one time in the public schools and were failed by that system.

 

There were just awful people (monsters) and it shows that no matter where those kids were -- public school, private school, homeschool -- they were going to be abused.    

 

 

Edited January 20, 2018 by mom2samlibby

[Sneezyone]

I actually had a child in my summer school program who was the target of taunts, seen and unseen, for his clothing and hygiene. We (a team of teachers) talked to the parent about it (made referrals etc., this was a non-profit summer enrichment program) and she immediately made changes to his washing routines that stopped the comments in their tracks w/o CPS. We gave mom and opportunity to fix it first but I could easily see an abusive parent taking the child and disappearing. Calling CPS wouldn’t have changed the outcome. What’s the right thing? Kids are not robots and they are going to comment on individuals with unpleasant aromas. There’s no excuse for a teacher or authority figure to participate but there’s also not much that can be done if a parent refuses to make any changes. Telling kids, don’t say anything (even if Tommy’s smell makes you gag) isn’t going to make Tommy feel better. Kids will still avoid him.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Sneezyone

[gardenmom5]

I actually had a child in my summer school program who was the target of taunts, seen and unseen, for his clothing and hygiene. We (a team of teachers) talked to the parent about it (made referrals etc., this was a non-profit summer enrichment program) and she immediately made changes to his washing routines that stopped the comments in their tracks w/o CPS. We gave mom and opportunity to fix it first but I could easily see an abusive parent taking the child and disappearing. Calling CPS wouldn’t have changed the outcome. What’s the right thing? Kids are not robots and they are going to comment on individuals with unpleasant aromas. There’s no excuse for a teacher or authority figure to participate but there’s also not much that can be done if a parent refuses to make any changes. Telling kids, don’t say anything (even if Tommy’s smell makes you gag) isn’t going to make Tommy feel better. Kids will still avoid him.

 

yes - abusive parents will probably disappear.

that's great the parent was willing to listen, most won't.

kids can be taught to emulate thumper and "if you can't say anything nice, dont' say nothin' at all."   yes, they'd probably avoid the child, but that isn't as bad as name calling or doing something else to make their lives miserable.  ('kick me" signs, pulliing chairs out, garbage in the desk)

 

I'd like to see people be more willing to be kind to those who are overwhelmed, and more support for mentally ill.   that is also likely to help prevent at least some of those who seek opiods for "self'medicating".

[Sneezyone]

yes - abusive parents will probably disappear.

that's great the parent was willing to listen, most won't.

kids can be taught to emulate thumper and "if you can't say anything nice, dont' say nothin' at all." yes, they'd probably avoid the child, but that isn't as bad as name calling or doing something else to make their lives miserable. ('kick me" signs, pulliing chairs out, garbage in the desk)

 

I'd like to see people be more willing to be kind to those who are overwhelmed, and more support for mentally ill. that is also likely to help prevent at least some of those who seek opiods for "self'medicating".

We certainly didn’t see or hear of anything like you described but the students’ comments and avoidance behaviors alone were plenty damaging. It’s hard for them to grasp (those with parents who do take care) that other parents might not be providing the same. Edited January 20, 2018 by Sneezyone

[Seasider]

If I was the teacher, the little girl would have found a whole ziplock baggie full of scrunchies in her desk. :(

Right???

 

(ETA by which I mean heck yeah!)

 

Also, this would have prompted me to get to know her better in case the home situation was discernibly off enough to exercise my duty as a mandated reporter. I'm not vindictive but it would be interesting if someone sought out that teacher for an interview.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Seasider

[Laurie]

Last night there was an ABC News 20/20 special about the family.  I only saw the last few minutes on tv, but the show is available in 4 parts on the homepage today.  http://abcnews.go.com/

 

There's another family interviewed on the show.  The father had held his wife and children captive in NYC before one of the sons escaped.  There are some home movies of their life in the apartment.  

 

I'm still shocked that a neighbor of the Turpins said that he would see the children marching around a room for hours at a time in the middle of the night when he was getting home from work, and yet he never reported this.  He claimed he thought they were doing some kind of therapy!   

Edited January 20, 2018 by Laurie

[Scarlett]

If I was the teacher, the little girl would have found a whole ziplock baggie full of scrunchies in her desk. :(

This is what I was thinking!

[gardenmom5]

We certainly didn’t see or hear of anything like you described but the students’ comments and avoidance behaviors alone were plenty damaging. It’s hard for them to grasp (those with parents who do take care) that other parents might not be providing the same.

 

who is "we"?

 

I certainly experienced those things IN SCHOOL. IN the classroom.  more than once

 

I also experienced teachers leading the snotty comments.  those who tried to be nice - really really stand out - but no one really ever did anything that would have changed anything.

don't underestimate how many teachers/admins wish the more challenging children would just "go away" (because it makes more work for them.) - and they send that message to the 'victim' students, and the bullies.

 

a teacher found the kick me sign and pulled it off.  this was less than a year after my father od'd.  the only one I felt who cared about me was dead.  I couldn't grieve at home,  and I couldn't grieve at school.  and I wasn't ever allowed to express my feelings.  I though there was wisdom in the simon and garfunkle song "i am a rock".

 

I admit - some of the utter cluelessness I've seen in some of the comments has been downright infuriating.  these are children's lives, and it does have an impact on the rest of their life - even if they pull it together.

[maize]

who is "we"?

 

 

I think "we" referred specifically to the folks running the summer program in the situation described earlier where mom was informed of the problem and changes happened.

[maize]

Last night there was an ABC News 20/20 special about the family. I only saw the last few minutes on tv, but the show is available in 4 parts on the homepage today. http://abcnews.go.com/

 

There's another family interviewed on the show. The father had held his wife and children captive in NYC before one of the sons escaped. There are some home movies of their life in the apartment.

 

I'm still shocked that a neighbor of the Turpins said that he would see the children marching around a room for hours at a time in the middle of the night when he was getting home from work, and yet he never reported this. He claimed he thought they were doing some kind of therapy!

I remember the NYC family, they became the subjects of a documentary film.

 

They were locked in for a number of years but not deprived of food or beaten and shackled.

 

I think it sounded like paranoia on the father's part.

[ktgrok]

This is breaking my heart. And honestly...making me have very unChristian thoughts about what I want to happen to those parents. Death won't be good enough. I want them to rot in jail for years, and have it be known in the jail population how they treated those kids, and for what happens to people like that to happen to them. I find myself wanting them to be terrorized.  Lord forgive me, but I do. 

 

This poor children....I can't imagine what their lives were like, or will be like, but I hope that they are at least FILLED with love from now on. 

[Sneezyone]

I think "we" referred specifically to the folks running the summer program in the situation described earlier where mom was informed of the problem and changes happened.

Yes, this. Obviously we did see an issue and tried to find the best, most diplomatic way to address the problem. It’s not easy to tell a parent who may be trying to do their all that their child's hygiene issues are an obstacle to developing meaningful friendships. Fortunately, we had a parent who was willing and able to work with us on solutions but I could just as easily see it going the other way and the family being driven underground. This wasn’t even a regular school day but a voluntary summer program. Edited January 20, 2018 by Sneezyone

[Tanaqui]

This is breaking my heart. And honestly...making me have very unChristian thoughts about what I want to happen to those parents. Death won't be good enough. I want them to rot in jail for years, and have it be known in the jail population how they treated those kids, and for what happens to people like that to happen to them. I find myself wanting them to be terrorized. Lord forgive me, but I do.

 

What gets me is that apparently their *dogs* were well-cared for. These people weren't incapable of treating other beings compassionately. They just didn't want to care for their kids.

But the saddest thing is that this isn't even the worst child abuse case I've heard about in the past 12 months. (But I won't share the details on the other one. I've worked hard to forget it.)

[ktgrok]

What gets me is that apparently their *dogs* were well-cared for. These people weren't incapable of treating other beings compassionately. They just didn't want to care for their kids.

But the saddest thing is that this isn't even the worst child abuse case I've heard about in the past 12 months. (But I won't share the details on the other one. I've worked hard to forget it.)

 

Honestly, what got to me the most, and this is crazy, but it was the unopened toys. That level of cruelty.....I just can't fathom it. 

[Tanaqui]

Honestly, what got to me the most, and this is crazy, but it was the unopened toys. That level of cruelty.....I just can't fathom it.

 

No, I get it. Like, you expect any level of depravity from people who starve their kids and chain them down - but buying them toys they can't play with? Leaving food out that they can't eat?

 

[umsami]

No, I get it. Like, you expect any level of depravity from people who starve their kids and chain them down - but buying them toys they can't play with? Leaving food out that they can't eat?

 

Yeah...for me it was the pies they couldn't have.  I mean that's just twisted and sick....not that these people aren't already twisted and sick....

 

I read an article in the Guardian today that took me to this article about the Pilgrim family.  Where was I when this happened?? Did I tune it out???  https://www.npr.org/2013/07/16/195193595/a-dark-family-secret-hidden-for-years-in-alaskas-wilderness

[Daria]

No, I get it. Like, you expect any level of depravity from people who starve their kids and chain them down - but buying them toys they can't play with? Leaving food out that they can't eat?

And on the other hand, I can’t understand being so neglectful and abusive, and then letting one kid take a college music class. It is so random, and somehow, to me, it seems weirder that is wasn’t even a practical course. (not knocking music, but it is generally a subject you take because you love it, and this doesn’t seem like a family that was celebrating kids’ passions)

[Ausmumof3]

What gets me is that apparently their *dogs* were well-cared for. These people weren't incapable of treating other beings compassionately. They just didn't want to care for their kids.

But the saddest thing is that this isn't even the worst child abuse case I've heard about in the past 12 months. (But I won't share the details on the other one. I've worked hard to forget it.)

However the dogs were puppies I think (around six months old). The baby was also well cared for. She talked about wanting another baby. It makes me think she was one of these people that cared well for whatever was the new thing around but once they'd outgrown the cute stage they just became a burden.

[gardenmom5]

What gets me is that apparently their *dogs* were well-cared for. These people weren't incapable of treating other beings compassionately. They just didn't want to care for their kids.

But the saddest thing is that this isn't even the worst child abuse case I've heard about in the past 12 months. (But I won't share the details on the other one. I've worked hard to forget it.)

 

as has been mentioned - the dogs were puppies.

 

but if you dig further . . . . . highlight to read:  dead animals were found in their house in texas.

 

Honestly, what got to me the most, and this is crazy, but it was the unopened toys. That level of cruelty.....I just can't fathom it. 

 

unopened toys, more than a hundred family dvds they probably never watched.

and the pies - cruel.  just cruel.

[umsami]

So the Aunt/sister is posting about their abusive childhood.  TW.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5292731/Aunt-13-California-house-reveals-abusive-childhood.html

 

 

Is there enough research out there in helping kids who are victims of abuse, domestic violence, etc. break the pattern??  

 

 

[bzymom]

It is all breaking my heart.

 

A pizza place walking distance from the house said Mom was there at least once a week, and bought herself a slice of pepperoni pizza. While her children were starved.

 

I don’t know the answers, because it is so incomprehensible to me.

 

But I am so impressed that one of these prisoners broke out and got help for all her siblings. Courageous beyond measure.

[Rosie_0801]

And on the other hand, I can’t understand being so neglectful and abusive, and then letting one kid take a college music class. It is so random, and somehow, to me, it seems weirder that is wasn’t even a practical course. (not knocking music, but it is generally a subject you take because you love it, and this doesn’t seem like a family that was celebrating kids’ passions)

 

Maybe they allowed it to justify to themselves they weren't bad.

[Rosie_0801]

Is there enough research out there in helping kids who are victims of abuse, domestic violence, etc. break the pattern??  

 

There are "right" and "wrong" ways of doing that too. btdt

[freesia]

I find the unopen toys and DVDs and the pie thing weird and bizarre.  I mean it is cruel, but it seems so twisted and crazy.  Were the parents living some kind of fantasy that they were perfect wonderful parents but it was about image even to themselves?  Posting happy family pictures? Baby belly pics? Buying DVDs and toys but not using them?  It's like they were playing a game.  It makes no sense to me at all.

[TechWife]

not sure the baby , or youngest children, were.   

 

 

the "new mom in bed with baby photo" - with the baby was in bed at home.  there weren't any pics of her with the baby in a hospital.

 

 

I have pictures of myself and my son that were taken in my bed shortly after we arrived home from the hospital. The DA in the press conference stated that they believe all the children were born in hospitals. 

[Ausmumof3]

And on the other hand, I can’t understand being so neglectful and abusive, and then letting one kid take a college music class. It is so random, and somehow, to me, it seems weirder that is wasn’t even a practical course. (not knocking music, but it is generally a subject you take because you love it, and this doesn’t seem like a family that was celebrating kids’ passions)

Yeah this was so bizarre. One kid takes a college class. It's like they had a wierd image in their head of what a good family does. Takes kids to Disney. Buys them toys and pets. Teaches them music. Journals. But then weren't able to get the basics of a normal functional life in place.

[maize]

It is all breaking my heart.

 

A pizza place walking distance from the house said Mom was there at least once a week, and bought herself a slice of pepperoni pizza. While her children were starved.

 

I don’t know the answers, because it is so incomprehensible to me.

 

But I am so impressed that one of these prisoners broke out and got help for all her siblings. Courageous beyond measure.

Yep, super impressed with the 17 year old.

 

I don't know how she even knew to call 911, or that it was possible from a deactivated phone. And she had pictures for proof (on the phone maybe?)

[Χά�ων]

This post has me a bit shaken.

 

My childhood best friend's mom showed up to school one day and pulled her out and I never heard from her again. We didn't even get to say goodbye. Knowing what I know now, there were signs of abuse, though she never confided in me and we were inseparable. It breaks my heart. My hope is that her mom pulled her out while dad was at work, they changed their name and made a happy new life for themselves. Knowing the stats after reading that study, I dread it was something worse. There's nothing I could have done as an extremely naive girl. I went to her house often after she left, hoping to see her, but the place was empty. I've thought about her often and tried to look her up with no luck. I hope she got out of there and my fears are wrong. :crying:

 

I had something similar happen to a friend in 5th grade. We were not best friends, but we were not close as close as you were. We played together at recess and were on the same basketball team but never hung out outside of either. I asked and she said she couldn't and I shrugged it off since there were several other kids who came from families that did not allow their kids to hang out with anyone not active in their church (unless a friend was going with their family to church). Looking back that is odd of some families, but as kids we shrugged and hung out as much as we could. Rumor mill was mom ran away with a boyfriend and abandoned her and her brother at their grandma's in TN. It did not make sense then or now. I still think about her sometimes.