CPS, not just beatings and verbal abuse?

Question

I want to know if those evangelical parents out there REALLY think that the only reason CPS would come to the door is if you're beating or excessively yelling at your child?? CPS is insane. I counselled a woman who had her 2 year old taken from her for having him living in 'undesirable living conditions'.. when what had happened was she went to her mother's for a few days and when she came back, she found out her husband had a party while she was gone, and hadn't cleaned up the mess when she got back. A repair man saw the mess and called CPS.. they took her son for 3 months.. CPS is insane.. and you don't just have to be beating your kids to be afraid of them. Do people really think that??

Answer 1

We lived in an apartment and there was a alcholic woman next door that would call CPS on me every time I gave the boys' a bath and she'd been drinking.. which was every day. They boys would play in the bathtub and be thumping around and screaming (again, playing). CPS came out and wouldn't do anything as it was unfounded and then the woman called the cops. The cop came out and said he had a report of a child being abused, my oldest was still naked with just a towel wrapped around him (he was 3) and I pulled the towel off and told the cop, "If you see bruises then take him". The woman was charged with filing false reports.
CPS does have too much control in a lot of cases but I think about all those poor kids who've been beaten to death. There has to be a better way.

Answer 2

Well in our state they don't have enough foster homes and case workers are really busy, so the living conditions must have been pretty bad. Maybe there were half-empty alcoholic drinks out that the baby was drinking. The woman who's telling you the story obviously wasn't happy about what happened but there could be more to the story. My brother-in-law works for CPS, and when I talk to him, I feel the standards are often too low. Like, there's no reason to take kids away from their parents if the parents are using drugs. Except if it's a small child and the parent's dozing from taking opiates maybe.

Answer 3

I do agree about that, but I do not think that parents should be living in fear and raising their kids with the constant fear of CPS over their heads. Its ridiculous and out of hand. I refuse to live my life with CPS looming over my head, as I KNOW I am doing nothing that would result in my kids being taken away, and if there were a tip given about me to CPS a simple interview would clear it up. Raise your kids the way YOU know is right, not the way everyone else says is right.

While CPS will take away a child for a non issue they will not take a child who is seriously and really being neglected or abused.

Answer 4

I don't know where you are, I'm in Southern California and I've had three home visits due to various false reports and they never went anywhere. Once my ex made anonymous call my daughter was being sexually abused to gain leverage in our custody case. That backfired. Once my neighbor called and said I hit my child across the face because at the time her husband was constantly wandering by and asking me out and it made her mad. Once a disturbed little "friend" of my daughters at school told a teacher my daughter was pregnant by her stepfather - she was 11 and didn't even have her period yet let alone any sexual experience. All were ridiculous and after the first visit it was obvious nothing was going on so that was it. I'm not afraid of them at all, nothing to be afraid of, all those reports were preposterous and unfounded. I bet there was more to the story that what you heard, there usually is.

Another nurse at work adopted a child last year, it took her three years to get custody, they kept returning her to her natural mother - a prostitute and heroin addict. It takes a lot to get kids away from their mothers - at least in this state.

Answer 5

I have always wondered why Americans have these CPS.To protect children?But are they protecting them or overprotecting them to even harming with that protection?I understand if they take away a child who is:
a) starving
b) maltreated sexually
c) beated

But in other cases why are CPS messing?I don't approve when CPS are messing at these cases:
a) a child left alone at home
b) a 'mess' after a party
c) parties at home with alcohol

In these cases CPS have no business to bother the parents.And why does everybody think that with CPS the child will feel better than with his/her family?Who loves police officers better than his own mother and father?Who feels safer in an orphanage or i the police station(just because he was left alone at home for 2 hours)?
I don't know why are they so...messing with things which are none of their business instead of stopping the criminals kidnaps and rapes.

Answer 6

Once I was called the CPS on me (by a neighbour who didn't like me because I'm not American) because of "psychical abuse" - that means I have yelled at my kids and threatened them,etc. which I have NEVER DONE.I never yell or threaten or even criticize.I have a lot better discipline methods which exclude physical and psychical punishments.I still remember it clearly...it was when I was 27 years old.The cops called at the door and asked to go inside.Of course I let them.They went inside and saw my children(then they were four,ages 9,6,4 and 1. They asked me if they could ask the children some questions and I agreed and took a magazine to look at while the cops were asking them.They turned to my daughter Jennifer(9 years) and asked politely something like "What have you been doing all day?".She was very pleased because she felt like someone is interviewing her,and began talking about all the stuff we had been doing for the las two weeks(the other children joined her story) - going to the park,eating candy floss,playing some games,eating in an Italian reastaurant,etc.They asked her about the last time she was punished and she said that she is never punished.They asked if I had been yelling at her and she just said that I don't yell.They asked my son Robert(age 6) if I had spanked him recently and he said "No".They also asked my daughter Kateline(age 4) if she gets spanked and she asked back "What is spank?".That was enough for the cops.They asked me a few questions to think about people who could make false messages about me to the CPS.
So,what to say...I have no words actually to describe that...

Answer 7

I had cps called on me last year because somebody called in and said that at soccor game, i was a coach, that i was grabbing one of my kids by the arm, dragging them, etc. I never did that, but somebody didn't like me and made a false report, but the ss had to come anyway. once cps is in ur life, once, they normally r in it forever. They stick there heads in where they don't belong. i have never done anything like that in public. i see people out in public so a lot of stuff that cps should be called on, but is never called. Don't let it stop or ruin your life. I asked a cop who is a friend of mine and they said that they get so many false reports a day, but by law they have to report it. The only reason that the women called is because she didn't like me.

Answer 8

I know thatone of their missions is that a child has to be a loving, safe and caring environment but I have to ask you this...how do you really know that woman was telling the truth? CPS does not take kids away without a full investigation. Was there a child in the home with liquor and beer bottles lying around? That could be seen as unsafe.

Answer 9

Elena
You don't think a child should be taken away if they are left at home alone??? What age are you talking about here? A child not capable of taking care of themselves or being able to deal with emergency situations should not be left alone. Are you saying a mother who leaves her infant at home alone, should not have that child taken away?? You don't think that is endangering the childs life?? Many children have died and been seriously injured by being left alone.
If you aren't doing anything wrong, than why would you worry about CPS?
It just doesn't make sense to me.


P

Answer 10

Talk t me about it!I have been called the CPS on me 3 times because my daughter's body type is thin and they thought I was making her starve!Actually I let her eat as much as she wants(she is 3 years old) but she just doesn't get fatter.