Barbara has a daughter, age 11, who she lost custody of due to abuse and neglect. Barbara had several cases of neglect brought upon her in Georgia in four different counties from 1994. She moved frequently and many times, didn't follow the case plan set forth for her by the state, and so many years went by, with her children being abused and neglected. On August 10 her 6 1/2 year old daughter Christina died of strangulation by the mini blind cord of her bedroom window. When the police arrived at the home, Barbara was intoxicated, and was found to have speed in her system as well. The home was described as "filthy." Her 11 year old daughter Jessica, and Jessica's half brother Christian, age 4, were removed from the home and placed into foster care. Both children had severe cases of head lice. (to the point of having scabs and sores) Jessica had missed between 6-7 weeks of school each year from 1st grade on, and in when placed into foster care, was found to only have a 2nd grade reading level.
Jessica's father had been looking for her for 2 years at this point, but the Georgia Child Protective Services Dept. Found some paperwork in Barbara's home that listed his address and phone number, and called him right away. Jerry was granted full legal and physical custody of Jessica, and her brother was placed with other family members.
Barbara was ordered to pay $40.00 a week in support, but has not paid a penny. What is worse, is that she has not called her daughter once in 3 months time. Jessica still loves her mother, and leaves messages for her to please call, but her mother never returns her calls. There are many people who say that Jessica is better off not talking to or seeing her mother, but a child loves their parents no matter what, and through all the hardships, Jessica still has love for her mother. It would be so easy, as Jessica's step mother, to say that I am glad that her mother stays away, but on the contrary, I am the one who see's this little angels sad face every time she goes to the mail box hoping for a letter, only to find none. And I am the one who comforts her at bedtime, when yet another day has passed with no call from her mother. This is hurting Jessica badly, and it hurts me to see her so disappointed and confused. The child support is one thing, but the worse kind of dead beat mother, is one who shrugs off her own child as if she no longer exsists... I, as a woman, and mother myself, can't fathom it... This young lady, Miss Jessica, is innocent, and does not deserve this kind of hurt... This kind of hurt that no mother should give a child.
To make things worse, we found out that Barbara put two different phones in Jessica's name and social security number, and never paid the bills. They have been taken to collection, and Jessica, only 11 years old, has a bad credit report! We called the phone company, and they said we can persue fraud charges.
My son is also eleven, and he can't understand most of how this could possibly be happening either. I told him, just because women give birth, that doesn't necessarily make them a Mother.
I know that all I can do, is give Jessica tons of love and support, and always be here for her. She will never, even for a second, doubt that she is loved and wanted in our home. I can never take the place of her real mother, but, to tell you the truth, I would never want to be compared to her anyhow.
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