All this talk about false allegations of abuse has brought up so many fond memories. One of the readers asked how many times I had been accused? So I thought I would try and remember those momentous occasions.


The first time was when we still lived in Indiana. Amy was a preschooler. She played the victim quite effectively. I can’t even remember what the complaint was specifically, or even how it evolved. I think we received a call from social services but it died pretty fast. But of course, it was scary and very stressful.


Another time we were at a Boy Scout event for Kyle and Amy was playing her role to the hilt. We were “reported” to the person in charge of the camp and once again had to plead our case. How embarrassing, frustrating, and aggravating!


We moved to Kansas when Amy was in Kindergarten and Tommy was in second grade. It didn’t take the school long to decide we were terrible parents. We were hotlined because Tommy wore shorts in January. (Might have something to do with the fact that he stole other family member’s clothes from the laundry room, eventually acquiring his own laundry basket, which he filled with dirty clothes but never made available for washing… thereby running out of pants and resorting to shorts…) We were hotlined because Tommy rode the school bus and the other kids rode in the van. (Might have something to do with the objectionable behavior that occurred every morning as we were preparing to leave, thereby relieving Tommy of the privilege of riding in the family car and instead having to travel to school in that big yellow vehicle that pulled up daily in front of our home. Funny, I never remember reading or seeing anything that stipulated ALL your kids must ride the bus or NONE of your kids can ride the bus. I do know Tommy disembarked with a very woebegone expression, thereby convincing the principal that I was, of course, a terrible parent.) We were hotlined because Tommy did chin-ups at home, on the advice of the therapist—to “put energy back into the family.” We got yet more heat because Tommy spent a weekend picking up rocks… even though HE could have EASILY CHOSEN to complete this task much sooner.


One of the many times that the therapist was called by social services who were constantly trying to bring us down, I was sitting in his office! I heard his side of the conversation and I couldn’t believe how much trouble he was having in convincing them we were not horrible people.


I once had 7 high school staff members ambush me and bring me to tears over our handling of the internationally adopted teen girl who lived with us for 6 months. They said they “knew what we were experiencing because they had dealt with foreign exchange students!” (No kidding, I couldn’t have made that up… it is too ludicrous!) They chastised me severely for denying her phone privileges for a week because she refused to take any messages or be responsible about her phone usage. (This was after numerous warnings, of course.) “One day would be better” they told me. I don’t remember asking them how to parent… This is the same girl who “made advances” at Kyle but that was not relevant …


I have even more great stories to tell. Stay tuned!