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Is this abuse/neglect?

caitlinj's picture

A mother leaves her 15 year old daughter home alone for weeks at a time so she can visit her boyfriend who lives thousands of miles away. Daughter is failing school and struggling with her classes even though she attends school regularly. Her mother left her with some money (not a lot)and groceries before she left but nothing healthy, few fresh fruits and veggies or produces, mostly things like cereal and ramen. Her older brother (19)comes and visits occasionally but he is too busy with work, school and his girlfriend to have much time to spend with his sister. The mother rarely calls to talk to her daughter but will occasionally to tell her daughter she isn’t coming home when she said she was and is staying for another week. The mother also badmouthed her daughter to her boyfriend because she feels insecure and as if her daughter is a threat.

icanteven's picture

In some places, it is not legal to leave a teen that age by themselves for an extended time like that (days on end, I mean). I would check local laws. It is not right, of course, but it may go farther than that, and even be illegal.

fairyo's picture

Yes

Areyou's picture

Check your county child protection laws. You can easily find them using google.

ProbablyAlreadyInsane's picture

Whether it's illegal or not. Is it morally wrong is the biggest thing... To which I'm giving that an absolute yes... 

I see it as neglect, which to me is a form of child abuse... Sad

justmakingthebest's picture

My question is that if this is your SO's kid- Why hasn't he picked her up?? I would go over with a sherriff and pick her up. This is not right.

Letti.R's picture

Whoever is doing this should be reported to the police for neglect/abuse.
What kind of sick person does this to a child,  and others standby knowing this is happening?

Exjuliemccoy's picture

*Sigh* Yes Caitlin, it is and you know it. But I'll play along anyway.

BM left YSD14 home alone for several weeks while she visited her bf/sugar daddy a few states away. It was summer time, so no school, and YSD was completely unsupervised. My DH was a cop at the time. Yes, he could have notified the police in her jurisdiction. I wish he had, but instead he filed for emergency custody. BM got off scot free, and we ended up with her hardbroke kid. 

You should report this situation to Child Protective Services. It can be done annonymously.

SteppedOut's picture

Some people have no business being parents. She is one of them.

Whoever's child this is, I hope you report it...before more weeks go by. 

Ugh. I would report it if I knew it was 2 days.