Ugh...quick vent, feel free to ignore >.<

[verdandi]

I've mentioned once or twice how my husband and I have custody issues with my stepdaughter's mother who's completely unfit to be a mother. 

So Saturday afternoon my stepdaughter told me her mother had given her a shot on Thursday morning.  This kid doesn't have any medical needs that require at-home shots, so what her mother did was unnecessary, illegal, and scary.  So we took her to the ER to have a toxicology screening, and for her to talk to some doctors and get this recorded officially.  Since it had been 2 1/2 days, her screening came back clear and they couldn't even see a puncture wound, but the injection site is bruised and had a scratch.

Of course this counts as child abuse, so children's services had to get involved, and so we had a caseworker come to our house on Monday to talk to us and my kid.  The mother has been in the hospital since Thursday afternoon, and no one would tell my kid or us why.  They've since alluded that it has something to do with her prescription drug addiction [that was supposedly a thing of the past].

I've been so focused on my daughter that I haven't been able to even THINK about Transcendence the last few days.  And then today her grandmother picked her up to take her back to her other house, and we won't see her until Sunday.  Her mom isn't currently there now, but I still feel lost, like she's out of my reach and I can't protect her while she's there. 

I was so ready to jump into catching up here after she left, but then found myself with the drive to do NOTHING except play Otome games and sleep.  And then I feel bad because I'm shirking responsibility.  BAH.  But Otome games are fun, I'm finding.  Nice distraction.

I just needed to get this off my chest.  I'll feel better tomorrow, when I have a fresh chance to be productive.

[Angel~]

Oh, don't worry about it Dani, your responsibility for your stepdaughter comes first! It's terrible that her mother did that to her! It is logical that you need some time to recover from the shock, so please do.

Feel free to rant any time.
*huggles*

[`Roze`]

Awh! That is just aweful! What a terrible mother. :( Hopefully things can get worked out where she doesn't get to see her under supervision or something.

And don't feel bad! Your real life responsibilities come first. I can help out with trainees for as long as you like 

Feel better soon~
*Group hug*

[verdandi]

Thank you both! It means a lot.  Her grandmother is taking care of her right now while her mother is in the "hospital" (we're pretty sure it's rehab), and forgot to pick her up from school today, so I had to go get her.

SUCH A MESS.  So much for being productive.  Tomorrow...tomorrow...I'll drown my worries in work!!! 

[Jess]

oh my dandi sounds like u have a lot on your plate

[Vauxhall]

Ooooooh, that's terrible, Ver! I'm glad your daughter's results came back clean.

And I hope you can get that mother off your back in the near future... She sounds like a lot of trouble. Er... Why is she even allowed near the kid if she's so unfit? D:

But yeah, your RL duties as a mum is definitely more important than us. Don't feel guilty at any rate!

[verdandi]

Er... Why is she even allowed near the kid if she's so unfit? D:

Because our state has an official policy to keep children with their mothers at all costs.  Even the police admit that a mom has to try to physically harm her children for them to be taken away, or leave them alone or not feed them for days at a time.  It has to be extreme for the state system to part kids with their moms, which is terrible because my husband is a really good dad but he gets shafted just for being a man.

[Angel~]

It's so unfair that the mother gets all these undeserved chances, while both your husband and you are much better for her.

[Vauxhall]

Wow, that sucks big time.
The injection counts as physical harm though...? :O

[verdandi]

The injection counts as physical harm though...? :O

Possibly, but since the toxicology screening came back clear and the puncture wound was no longer visible (this being 2 1/2 days later), we can't PROVE that she injected her with anything.  My kid does say that as soon as she did it, her mother scratched over it (thus the scratch marks), I assume to hide the puncture.

But that fact that we can't prove it was indeed a shot hurts us.  However, a month ago there was a case opened with children's services for my kid's older half sister at that house, and though we don't know the details, the two cases in one house with that mom in such a short period DO help us a bit.

[Vauxhall]

Interesting. You couldn't have taken a picture? You did say it bruised, right?
Also, man. I hope you win full custody of your daughter soon...
I can imagine how traumatised the kid probably is... > .> Injected by her biological mum... @.@ Scary thought.

[verdandi]

Interesting. You couldn't have taken a picture? You did say it bruised, right?

We did, and the doctor saw it himself and noted it, but it's just a bruise & scratch; an actual puncture mark would be much better proof.

Also, man. I hope you win full custody of your daughter soon...

Thanks! Our court date is in March, though.    Waiting is the worst...

I can imagine how traumatised the kid probably is... > .> Injected by her biological mum... @.@ Scary thought.

LOL NOPE! She kind of saw it as an adventure.  She excitedly told me the next day, "I GOT TO PEE IN A HAT!!" It was really a bedpan, but they told her it was a hat and she, in classic 5-year-old fashion, found that enormously amusing.

[Vauxhall]

LOL. Kids. xD All's well that ends well I guess.

But that's interesting though. I didn't know scratching an injection spot would make the puncture disappear... *notes down for future shots*
Good luck with your case.

[Angel~]

I hope you win full custody Dani!

[verdandi]

Thank you!!

@ Vaux: it covered it up.  The hole can't be seen when the surrounding skin is broken, right?

[Vauxhall]

Wait... HOW BAD WAS THE SCRATCH? O_O
All I imagined was red scratch marks...
This is child abuse or something.

[verdandi]

Wait... HOW BAD WAS THE SCRATCH? O_O
All I imagined was red scratch marks...
This is child abuse or something.

It was shallow but wide, like when you scratch an itchy spot too much.  Wide enough to cover the surface of where the tiny puncture had been, and since it was 2 1/2 days later (morning Thurs. to evening Sat.), that tiny hole had also had some time to heal up.

And yes, this does count as child abuse.  What we have to see is if our idiotic children's services considers it bad enough abuse to remove the child from the home.  It's so unlikely that we don't even hope for it.  Our hope is just that it helps us get full custody in March.

[Vauxhall]

Frick. That's so screwed up. @__@
'merica, mate. Asjdflajfdfjasflk.

[Pau]

Ack! Would dat person even be called a "mother"!?  Ganbatte dandii! Strip dat title off her b4 she kills d poor kid T.T

[Angel~]

Ugh, she is such a terrible mother! And I can't believe that child services won't take her away from that household!

[verdandi]

'merica, mate. Asjdflajfdfjasflk.

ROFL  Exactly.