Railbugfreak,
I hope you will stop by again to talk with us. How are you, your wife, and your family are holding up throughout all of this? I am hoping that you can (or are willing to) answer a question I have about DSS contacting EB while you were with her. Did she keep information from you about being reported to DSS or did you know she had been referred to DSS in 7 different counties when the older children were younger?
It has been mentioned that DSS was often called in retaliation against another friend or family member, but in seven different counties? It has been reported that numerous referrals have been made on EB, and I was wondering what your understanding of what the nature of the referrals were. For instance, physical abuse (ie: black eyes or bruises), or neglect (not feeding, bathing or providing for the child's needs) or something like lack of supervision. I am not asking for specifics if you don't feel like sharing them - only the type of referrals that you were aware of (if any).
I understand if you don't feel comfortable sharing this information, and am not trying to be disrespectful - only to better understand EB. I will be the first person to say that I totally understand how manipulative people can be - and I think EB is a master manipulator.