I wonder how many of us would be "whistle blowers" if we suspected child neglect or abuse in our neighborhoods or communities? I don't think I could tattle on someone without knowing the circumstances of their daily lives or understanding the reason for something that I might witness even if it bothered me. By her own admission, Deborah feels entitled to her "adult" time that includes drinking, perhaps to excess, a couple of times weekly. If she's sitting outdoors on the front stoop, there must be neighbors or passersby that have seen her in an inebriated state on occasion. If any of these neighbors were approached by LE, would they have offered information about DB's drinking? I doubt that I could even if I thought that she might be putting her children in danger.
Several years ago, some former neighbors (two doors down on our side of the street) were well-known for big parties in their home or outdoors on their backyard patio. These neighbors had one child who was pre-school age at the time, but there was no way for us to know whether he was at home during one of their late-night bashes. The drinking and noise went on into the wee hours keeping DH and I awake and forcing us to close our bedroom window. We kept saying to one another, "If this doesn't stop soon, we should call the police", but we didn't. Alas! Suddenly, the noise ceased. I went to the front of the house and noticed a police car parked across the street from their house. Cars soon began leaving the neighborhood. I guess other neighbors were as fed up with the noisy party as we were and did something about it.
If you have suspicions about behaviors of parents that might place their children in harms way, would you be able to blow the whistle on them? Do we have a moral responsibility to report adult behaviors if we think children might be in danger? If we choose to say nothing, are we acting as enablers for possible abuse or neglect of little ones? Guess I'll be thinking about this while I'm running errands today. Later...
