Originally posted by Pam
According to the various news pieces that have been coming out in the paper on almost a daily basis, the kids hadn't been to a doctor in over 5 years. Their teeth are in horrible condition and the younger children have never eaten in a restaurant - not even a McDonald's! Can you believe this? There have been 9 case workers fired as a result. They said in one of the articles that sometimes a case worker might go to a house and never actually get to see a child. In this case they might have actually been hidden away. What is the point of visiting the house, if not to see the child? This whole thing is just so sad!
I never ate in a restraunt until I was in the 8th grade, and yes No McDonalds for me either. We were too poor to go out to eat. After my mom met my stepdad things changed for the better, but it still took me many years just to be able to walk into a corner store and buy a candy bar without feeling like I wanted to cry.

As far as not telling anyone if you are locked up, I have been in that situation. When I was around 6 or so my brother and I were being looked after by my mothers boyfriends mother while my mom and her bf went on vaction to Mexico to visit his family. She took my younger brother but my older brother and I stayed behind for two weeks with Fransisco's mom. For those two weeks we were locked into our bedroom, with only one meal a day. Water, beans and one tortilla. We were not allowed restroom priveldges, no clean clothes, nothing. Finally someone found out and they came and took us to Orangewood Childrens Center. I stayed there for about a year, but my brother got out six months earlier than I. It wasn't my mothers fault but she now knows not to just trust anyone with their children.

The funny thing is that we knew this lady forever. Many many years. I was there for 6 months, ended up getting chicken pox and then pneumonia and had to stay an extra 6 months in their hospital because I was very sick. I remember how relieved I was when I finally got to go home.