Grudge Calls to CPS (Child Protective Services)

There are many people, and I use that word, 'many', loosely, as I don't know, nor does anyone else, really, what number it would be, who think it's a good tactic to call CPS on someone who has really ticked them off. It does hurt them, as they are investigated by the government, people who find out ostracize them, they can lose their daycare license or teacher's certificate, if they have one, problems can start in their marriage, and so on. But if the caseworker who visits is having a bad day, or is new and doesn't know as much as another, more experienced caseworker might know about how child protection works, the children get taken away, and put in foster care. Those same people who wouldn't think twice about calling in to make a false allegation think, 'so what?' and make the call.

The problem is that there might not be anything going on that is abusive or neglectful in that family. Then let's say that the kids do get taken away. The parents, yes, they are stunned, hurt, ashamed, and so forth. Their children are gone. But how do the children feel? They have lost everything they hold dear to them, their parents, their toys, their clothes, the little hiding spot in the front room that was all their own, their pets, their friends, and the list goes on and on. The parents get left behind, with all the reminders of their children, the scribble on the wall, the messy bed, the toys in the bedroom, the backyard, the front porch, the shampoo visor in the bathroom, and the school pictures coming in the mail. They hurt, yes, but not as much as their children do. They are adults, and they understand more than what the children will. To be honest, they, most likely, can have more children. Their children cannot get new parents, unless they are adopted. They cannot have a new, clean-slate childhood.