i have written about her before, this is a child i babysit for. the mother is young and just doesn't get it. the little girl will be three in may and you can barely understand what she can say. the mother takes care of herself and gets herself all done up but the little girl never has her hair combed, her clothes are either too small or too big. i comb her hair everday sometimes i even give her a bath. i give her tons of clothes for her kid, that fit, so that she has something. oh and about her hair, it is so long and it has never been cut not even trimmed. it is starting to look really nasty. i finally got her eating good and the mother hardly does anything with her. they live in a small apartment and hardly are ever outside. i just don't know what to do. i am getting sick of seeing her kid like this. like i said before she takes care of herself and always looks nice but not her kid. there are many other things that are wrong with this situation too. not just the way she looks.
2007-03-12 05:07:36 · 10 answers · asked by SARAH B 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
My personal opinion...before jumping on the Children's Services bandwagon (unless she is being abused or unless she is in danger) I would advise talking with the mother. Tell her that people have made comments about her daughters appearance and that you feel that she needs to be groomed a little better.
We don't know the full story, but unbrushed hair, and clothes that don't fit, should NOT warrant CPS to be called in. That can ruin a family. Like I said above though...if there is abuse or this child is in danger of any sort, then call.
2007-03-12 05:19:04 · answer #1 · answered by zinntwinnies 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Maybe you can tell the mom what you do for the child while she is there. "I combed her hair today, it had a lot of tangles in it. The best way to avoid too much pain is to brush in down strokes from the bottom up" or "She was pretty smelly today, so I gave her a bath. Giving her a bath everday is okay." IMO, try to keep out judgemental tones, and try to think that she's not doing this intentional-but truly she is clueless and needs some guidance.
2007-03-12 12:25:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well I do know that sometimes it is really hard to get a 3 year old to sit still long enough to brush her hair. I would mabey make a suggestion like hey. I think It would be fun to take (Kyla) fake name to get her hair fixed up. she would look so cute. Shes such a pretty little girl. Wouldnt she be beutiful with a new hair style?? Is the little girl clean? Talk to her about neglect. try and get her to want to be involved in her daughters life. I dont think this Mother is seeing how wonderful it can be to have a little girl. shes young and just wants to have fun. she needs to know how much fun you can have with a toddler. If this little girl is truley being neglected and or abused the im sorry to say that you should call someone. I know how hard that will be. So confusing for the little girl if they decide that they will need to remove her from the home. please only do this if its absolutly nessasary. I think that the little girl will suffer the most from this situation.
2007-03-12 12:37:14 · answer #3 · answered by eightieschick70 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are truly concerned for the safety of this child or any kind of neglect then there's nothing wrong with letting the authorities in on it.
If your taking care of her during the day than it's your job to make sure she's well taken care of. Comb her hair, give her bath's, make sure she's eating well. You say she's never dressed properly so instead of giving the mother the clothes keep them with you and dress her in them when she comes over.
Eventually the mother will catch on. If you confront the mother she may be too offended and stop letting you keep her, that wouldn't be good since your worried about her.
If there's more to the story than it should defiantly be looked into for the sake of the child.
2007-03-12 12:19:01 · answer #4 · answered by Curious J. 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The hardest thing to do is call someone out about their child, but it has to be done. My sister was called about her children. DSS came to my house and asked a thousand questions and it was really hard to be honest. (they ended up in foster care) But now they are so happy and healthy. They are getting care for things that they couldn't before. It's hard at first but after awhile you see it's the best thing. You could just be an anonymous phone call. And whatever you do, be the best friend this little girl needs you to be for her. Good Luck.
2007-03-12 12:38:30 · answer #5 · answered by muzicizlife 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Talk about what else is wrong. Just because a child's cloths are two big or small is not a big deal. I help out in my kindergartners class room and most of the girls need to get their hair brushed. I am glad you are concerned for this child
2007-03-12 14:02:40 · answer #6 · answered by applecrisp 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God Bless You for caring!I don't know maybe the mom is young and needs some help .I would do the same as you are doing.Have you talked to the mom?Tell her that she needs to grow up and take more care of her child.Very sad situation,some people should just not have kids if they do not know how to treat them!Good Luck!!!
2007-03-12 12:17:49 · answer #7 · answered by selma b 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes the best way to help is to report it to authorities. I know it's a hard thing to do, but this child needs a good home. You are very good for trying to help the mom out. You need to think about the child.
2007-03-12 12:14:41 · answer #8 · answered by nic h 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You can contact your local beareau of child welfare or the local police dept.(non-emergency). They both can lead you in the right direction. It would be hard for you to get directly involved w/ the mother. She will get offended and probably brush you off.
2007-03-12 12:14:38 · answer #9 · answered by krispeds 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Maybe you should talk to the mother and it wouldn't hurt to give DSS a call
2007-03-12 12:14:00 · answer #10 · answered by ProudMommy05 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋