Child neglect

Every story has two sides but when it has to do with child neglect or abuse,I really only see one side:the child's side.
Oh sure,Lillianna acts like I am the most abusive mother when I ask her to please clean up her room. "But Mom....I thought summer vacation was supposed to be fun. How is cleaning my room fun?"

On the rare occasion when I sleep late and Lillianna helps herself to her own breakfast,I feel bad.When I wake up at 8:30am,(since i usually wake up at 5am,8:30am is late for me) I look around at the empty Twinkee wrapper,the remains of Cocoa Puffs in a bowl,3 lollipop wrappers,a popsicle wrapper and a sticky cup of
fruit punch and I think,"Damn! I hope DSS (the department of social services) doesn't get word of this! They'll take my child away."

Luckily,Lillianna will say,"I took my vitamins." Hooray....we're saved.She ate something healthy.My child can stay with me.
The reality is,I can't imagine neglecting or abusing my daughter.

A co-worker of mine has 3 children who are 12,10 and 3.Rumor has it that the 12 and 10 year old have gone to live with their father since they are left home alone every day while their mother works. The 12 year old is in charge of the 3 year old and she resented it so much that she chose not to live there anymore. The 3 year old has a different father than the other two and she may be going to live elsewhere as well.
The mother,from what I have heard,couldn't care less.

This is all told to me second hand by a relative of this mother so I'm not 100% sure of it's accuracy but the story disturbs me.

When Rich told me he was leaving me 4 1/2 years ago,my worst moment was when he had to tell Lillianna. I kept hoping she wouldn't turn around and say,"I want to live with Daddy." I think I would've been institutionalized at that point. Lillianna was only 5 years old but she wanted to live with me and never questioned that that was how it would be.

I'm hoping that if she chooses to go out of state for college in 9 years,I'll be loving and supportive and just let her go without buying a condo near her school so that I can go with her!

I would never be relieved or happy to have my child decide to live elsewhere in her young years. I enjoy raising her and loving her. If anyone ever tried to take Lillianna away from me,they'd have to pry her out of my cold,dead hands!