Quite often, we make assumptions about the people who abuse their children. We assume they were bad people, were abused themselves as children, or otherwise fit into some pre-conceived stereotype. And the thing about stereotypes is that they are frequently true.
But there are times when the story does not fit the mold. Such is the story of Amanda Bishop, who left her two small children in a car whose inner temperature was in the 100s and climbing. The children were observed crying hysterically by a passer-by who called the police. The full story of Ms. Bishop can be found here.
But Ms. Bishop was not out at a nightclub, doing drugs or at her boyfriend's house. She was without childcare and at a job interview. It was her hope to get the job that would help lift her family out of years of poverty in which they had been mired. And while it is certainly never acceptable to leave small children unattended in a car, particularly on a hot day, one can begin to understand the reasons that led Ms. Bishop to this desperate act.
To be sure, there is plenty of cynicism in Family Courts across the country. However, having worked with hundreds and hundreds of families over the years, I have found that there is usually another side to the story. Articulating a parent's side of the story can and often does mean a world of difference in how a parent's abuse or neglect case turns out in the end.
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