After an incident in which he nearly burned down the house, I was compelled to call Child
At the time, I couldn’t fully appreciate the depth of her feeling, but I often thought about
her and her family after I did have my own children. Although my decision to involve Child
Protective Services would have been the same, the ways in which I’d have worked with this young
mother would have been more nuanced and collaborative, less prescriptive in telling her what
“works” or doesn’t “work” with kids. At the time, however, and in my childless naivet´ e, I was
very focused on teaching her behavioral child management skills, and was less empathic with
her personal needs and plight than I would be today.