I have to pull back from this thread in the name of compassion and my own sanity-which itself will leave me if I cannot practice compassion. For Rayne? Yes, for Rayne. In examining my thoughts, I do want her charged. But more than anything, I want her-yes her-and her remaining children to be safe.
From what I've gleaned from watching her, reading her statements which are all over the board, and reading what others who know her have written on Cherish's support page, my guess is this woman is severely mentally ill. I believe she needs help. That said, however, I absolutely do not think she should be responsible for raising children until she gets that help. So far, she hasn't produced any examples of even an iota of insight which would tell me she would be willing to get help or be amenable to help. Therefore, I personally do not believe she should be raising any children.
Poor Cherish was killed by an awful man, under a perfect storm of circumstances created by the justice system, the family court system, and her own family system.
I've contributed more posts in this case than I have in any since I've joined WS . I keep coming back for more information, only to find myself mired in anger at her mother once again. Even more so than the predator. For the first few days of following the case, the anger felt good, in a weird way. In so many cases we follow, we don't know what happened ever, and keep searching and searching for answers. But in this case, I feel like we have an answer--if Rayne would have done her due diligence as a mother and as a human being, this awful man wouldn't have gotten poor Cherish. And we are right. I think. There is no excuse for what she did. I believe she should be charged with criminal negligence, and I believe her children should be raised by someone who can care for them appropriately.
But I have to maintain my compassion for her as a human being. I'm surely rambling, and my guess is that many of you who long-timers who have put so much time and energy into this board have struggled similarly at one point or another. Rayne is a human being who made a horrible series of mistakes that cost poor Cherish her life. But I cannot make it my place to continually beat her over the head with that opinion.
I can only hope that the people who can help to keep her other children safe from harm step in and do the right thing.
I can only hope that none of this detracts from the case against the who killed poor Cherish.
And I will pray for Rayne that she does have someone in her life to guide her to make the right choices to care for her own mental, physical, and emotional health at this time.