FUBAR

I just have to rant for a second because it involves the deaths of two small boys.  Buckle up because I am pissed beyond words, so here goes.  Why in this world would our Court system or CPS, allow a father (or mother) ANY access to their children if they have a documented past history of any kind of abuse, and most especially straight out of Rehab?  I'm talking physical, mental, spiritual, substances, etc.  The man who killed two out of three of his children yesterday had exactly that past history, and he was allowed unsupervised visits with his children.  Never mind he was embroiled in a nasty split from his wife, and was known to have physically abused her.  Sooooo...anybody surprised here that he killed his own kids? Apparently his relatives were.  The Police??  Nah...they see it all the time.  And so do we.  On TV, in the paper, etc. 

My point here is, when are we going to STOP worrying about the rights of adults--especially violent drugged out ones--and concentrate on the rights of CHILDREN.  Do they not deserve to be protected from a crazed, violent, father?  My God, there are three of them and one of him, but because he's an adult, and I use that term loosely, his rights super cede three other people's?  This is the kind of stuff that goes on daily, that makes me truly nuts.  I get it that some people with an addictive past can get in to recovery, and remain there.  But have you seen the statistics on that?  It's less than 10% and hovers more around 5-6%. 

It's one thing to stand back and boo-hoo over the loss of two little boys, how sad it all is, how wrong, how insane, etc., and then turn right around and see it happen all over again.  And frankly, that's exactly what our system allows.  In my book, if you have made repeated choices in your life that show you are unstable, YOU DON'T GET YOUR KIDS, alone, ever.  And, you're gonna get patted down first, every time, before you are around them.  Then you and other adults (?) who are in your same shoes, can play on a police protected play ground for an hour.   It's going to be years before you get anything more than that, if ever.   You have to show up the day before to be drug tested and if you flunk, no kids for you.  You'll also be required to attend parenting classes once a week.  You don't come, no kids for you.  If you have a restraining order against you, based on documented violence, forget it.  No kids for you.  In my system, you don't have any rights.  You lost yours when you screwed up.  My system is based on the old Action-Consequence theory.  And there's no redemption.  Screw up, pay up.  Period.

Someone has got to protect these precious little people.  They cannot advocate for themselves.  And until that day comes, just plan on seeing a lot more of yesterdays news.