Blogs by Deborah K. Frontiera
Fighting CPS
4/20/2015 6:44:51 AM
The purpose of this blog has been to provide updates on some of the cases I reported in my book (Fighting CPS: Guilty Until Proven Innocent of Child Protective Services Charges ISBN 9-780-9800061-6-2) that had not been resolved when the book went to press, and to report other cases where CPS is not working up to par. I’d also like to hear about cases in which Child Protective Services did the right thing so those cases can serve as examples of what should be done. Occasionally, I will report helpful tips and web sites with advice on fighting CPS. To comment on this blog, or to tell your story, email Deborah Frontiera at frontiera.fightingcps.deborah.gmail.com
BONNIE FULLER, another blogger out there, had this to say about the case of the Maryland “free range” parents. The posts on Face Book and other similar social media have a LOT to say about this couple, on both sides of the issue. I pulled this from Bonnie Fuller’s post as it makes a lot of sense. The way I see it, too many people REACT to any issue before they really THINK about it. As a result, there is very little common sense left in this world.
I have not quoted the Fuller post in its entirety, just what I consider some main points:
. . . The Meitivs went into a panic when their children didn’t return home from the park at an agreed-to 6-6:30 PM at night. They say that they weren’t notified until around 8:00 PM that the police had their children in custody. And they weren’t allowed to retrieve their children from Child Protective Services until 10:30 that night.
There’s no excuse for the Maryland law enforcement not to notify the Meitivs that the police had their kids. That’s ridiculous and an abuse of power. The Meitivs have every right to be outraged by this.
However, the Meitivs and their innocent children have now found themselves in the midst of a war with “authorities”, and the only victims are going to be little Rafi and Dvora. . . .
For those who haven’t heard of “free range parenting” — I only found out about the concept recently — it’s a parenting movement that seeks to give children the skills to be self-reliant. The “Free Range” kids and Parents Bill of Rights posted on the Free-Range website created by Lenore Skenazy states that “children have the right to some unsupervised time, and parents have the right to give it to them without getting arrested.” Lenore has also written a book about how to raise “Free Range Kids” and had her own reality show, World’s Worst Mom, on the Discovery Life Channel until 2012. . . .
A two-month investigation launched after that incident, by CPS found the Meitivs “responsible for unsubstantiated child” neglect. Then, while the Meitivs were gearing up to fight this ruling, their children were picked up again at the park.
Now their children are back at home after the latest incident in which their parents signed another “safety plan” for CPS, again promising not to leave them unattended.
Of course, I totally get why the Meitivs are furious with the interference of police and CPS into what they believe is the right parenting for their children.
They are convinced that they aren’t putting their children at risk of being abducted or being hit by cars when they cross streets alone. Crime is at a “50 year low” and the risk of child abduction by strangers is “very low”, according to the Free Range Kids website. . . .
However, other local parents ARE worried about the Meitiv children’s safety, specifically about intersections with three or four lanes of traffic in each direction, which they must cross to get to that park. “This is not just a walk home from a neighborhood park,” a neighbor emailed KJ Dell’Antonia, who writes the Motherlode blog on nytimes.com. Two of the intersections “have recently been audited for safety improvements,” as Dell’Antonia reports in the article.
The huge question for the Meitivs is, are they going to fight for their ‘free range’ principles against Maryland’s Child Protective Services, and risk losing their children, or are they going to “supervise” their children more than they believe is necessary, and hold their fight until their children are older? . . .
No child should be unnecessarily put through this ordeal. And this is after they already thought that their father would be arrested when CPS came to their home. They have also been pulled out of class at school and interviewed by CPS investigators.
Poor Rafi and Dvora. Talk about being given responsibility at a young age. Their parents have unintentionally ended up giving them far, far too much responsibility, especially Rafi. At 10, he has been asked to be the protective parent to his younger sister in all these highly stressful situations.
Danielle Meitiv’s Facebook page is full of outraged posts about what has happened. There are lots of comments from “free range” supporters, and she’s posted many articles supporting free range parenting. She is clearly on a mission, but it’s a political mission championing their rights to “free range parent”. . . .
I believe it’s time for the Meitivs to do one thing and one thing only: put the safety and security of their own two young children first.
That means give up the war for now. Do NOT, under any more circumstances, risk having your two precious children removed from your care. Your children must be so afraid that they will be taken away from you. They should not have to live with that fear.
Being able to walk to the park unsupervised is not worth what could happen at this point.
No, it’s not fair. CPS should be concerned with parents who truly are neglectful or abusive. But that doesn’t matter. Only your children feeling safe and secure should matter now. So don’t give the neighbors, police or CPS any more reasons to interfere with your family.
When your children are too old to need “supervision” on the neighborhood streets, then pick up your battle for other “free range” parents. Usually a change in attitude takes a long time — it doesn’t happen overnight. But until that time, stand down from the free range parenting battlefield and keep your family together.
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