Who is watching the babies? #StopChildAbuse
Last month was Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month and I asked several of my blogger friends for stories and posts about their experiences, tips, and advice. There were so many that I just couldn't fit them into one month so I'm bringing you another from Greta at How Was Your Day.
As I sat across the table from him, I heard the crackle of his radio. That familiar look of resignation crossed his face and I knew. It was a call he couldn’t pass off. Not just any call though.
Over the couple of years we were together, I saw that look many times. More times than anyone should.
Whenever there was a child abuse call, they always sent him. Always, if he was on shift. I’m sure it had something to do with being 6-foot-6 and having played football at a major university. Quite the intimidating figure when needed. It also had to do with the fact that he has a way with kids. I always called him The Child Whisperer.
He’d come home and just veg out. I know he was decompressing. After a particularly rough shift, he’d wail away on the heavy bag in the garage. He never talked about it, though. I can only imagine the horrific events he’s seen.
Then he started bringing his work home with him. Literally. There was an infant that there was no place for. So, the baby came home with him. I didn’t even try to convince anyone this was a bad idea, as I knew it didn’t matter. The decisions had already been made.
Of course, this wasn’t the first creature he had “rescued” at work. There had been dogs, rabbits, even a deer in the backyard at one point.
But this. This was a totally and completely different circumstance. And really, I wanted a child.
I had sort of concocted a fantasy that we would just keep this baby and raise him/her. I mean, they gave the child to us! Finders keepers, right? And the parents definitely didn’t deserve to have this child back. Of course, I was told that we wouldn’t have the infant for that long – a week, maybe two – and not to get attached.
Too late! Sure, I kept my distance for a few days. But how can you not get attached?
Those couple weeks turned into a month. Then two, now three months. It was at this point that the court system decided that the parents were capable of caring for their child. I disagreed, of course. They already had their chance.
It was at some point during this that I realized I could never spend my life with this man, no matter how much I loved him. There wasn’t anything he had done wrong, but I knew this wasn’t the only child he’d bring home. I couldn’t bear to go through this again.
No one really seems to think about how these events affect the people who respond to the calls and their families.
Greta is a 20-something West Coast native who is now Midwest based.She blogs over at How Was Your Day? and regularly covers fashion, style, design, food, DIY, and beauty. And anything else that catches her eye. She enjoys product reviews and giveaways. Oh! And pretty, shiny, colorful things. {That's why she and I get along so well ;)}
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