Tam

This isn't anything new, that much I can tell you. When my parents split up when I was 8 years old, by all rights neither of them should have gotten custody of me and my brother - they both were extremely physically abusive and it came down to my dad getting custody because it was an extremely small town and he was close friends with the judge, so he never even had to show up in court - he was given custody of us and my mom's rights completely stripped away - I had bruises so bad that 3 Drs said I should have been dead but somehow he was convinced my mom had done it to me when it was actually him that had done it. He was reported for child abuse many times but back then, they had to make appointments, they couldn't just come rushing in, so he'd make sure all appointments were made for after bruises had healed. He even convinced the judge somehow that my mom had done some of them when she hadn't been allowed near us for a few years - this is not to say my mom was any better - because lord knows she wasn't, but because he was good friends and party/drinking buddies with the judge, he was always "in the right".

This was in the early 70s... so by all rights and I know this doesn't make it really any better - but at least the GOOD ONES that do their jobs can save a lot more kids than they could when I was growing up -

You are right about it though - these days they have a completely different set of rules - but yet the exact same ones when it comes down to it - they side with whoever can do the most for them personally - or have relationships with, whatever they decide to do and there isn't a damn thing anyone can say or do about it.

And it isn't always the dad's in the wrong - in a great many cases it is the moms but it's just damn near impossible for them to prove a mom unfit than it is a dad and that's what pisses ME the hell off when it comes to the safety and welfare of little kids - it's just sickening.

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