I've got to say, that actions during a time like this don't necessarily define someone's character.
I know for a fact - more than one of my family members would virtually "shut down" if something tragic like this would happen in our family. They're not public speakers, and grieve quietly in the privacy of their own home. We've had tragic young deaths before, that's exactly what happened.
Yet, we do have family members that are trailblazers - it's a nice mix actually. Yes, there's been friction over the woulda, coulda, shoulda things, but that's family for you.
We do have a similar (slightly different, no lengthy criminal histories) situation in our extended family. Multiple children, two parents semi-competent to take care of them yet they keep having them. (Grandma and grandpa were there to help and give lots of love along the way, but finally had to step back). The house isn't the cleanest, and the children aren't the best dressed,and they have wild haircuts probably given to them by siblings "practicing with scissors".
They have dirty faces, wear a jumble of mixed-up, ill-fitting clothes and sizes, and to all from the outside, the children would seem neglected. They're really not, and those kids have NO IDEA that they're supposed to be unhappy because things aren't like the rest of us think they should be. (myself included) They're wild, smart, uninhibited, and creative and yes they are unconventional.
There were times that there wasn't a lot of food in the house, that's when we as family stepped in. There were loss of jobs, and poor choices (beer vs milk etc...) were made. That's when CPS stepped in, split up the family and mom and dad went to jail. THEN the children were unhappy.
So, I try to keep this in the back of my mind when discussing the situation at hand. A handful of snapshots out of someone's life may not represent things accurately. (literally and figuratively)
I'd like to think that Aliayah and her siblings *might* have been perfectly happy. That there really wasn't anything glaringly obvious that should have been reported to CPS that might have prevented this.
....I keep remembering the story about her pretty pink shoes, and hope against hope she'll have another pair in the future.
Ok, stepping down off my soap box now - :whiteflag: