As a protective parent, sometimes you have to stand by helplessly and watch your children get damaged, and there's nothing you can do about it. 

At least 25% of my parenting time is spent dealing with the effects of the neglect my children endure and another 50% dealing with the after effects of trauma. 

I spend hours painstakingly detangling dirty matted hair, cleaning out dirty ears, emptying clogged sinuses, putting band aids on boo-boos, treating sores that have gone untreated and are now infected, treating untreated eczema, throwing out rotten food from lunchboxes, and moldy water bottles, and replacing the shabby dirty clothes they come in with comfortable clean clothes. They come to me with candy and junk food in their lunch, begging for a hot healthy home cooked meal. 

By the end, they are squeaky clean and properly fed, and all I can do is send them back, knowing that I'll have to do it all over again in 2 weeks. Worse, if the issue is pressed, the gaslighting will be brought out in full force. The other is the projection and claims of interfering with his parenting. 

Mom in South Carolina, part I

Read by: Tara
Created in collaboration with: Sublime Life