Chapter 15 - Child welfare investigates me too
I disliked this part.
Which meant it was probably necessary.
Child protective services did not limit its questions to Claire.
They asked:
Where was Ethan?
How much did he travel?
What supervision arrangements existed?
Did he know?
Should he have known?
Had Lily complained?
What did he do?
I wanted to say:
I rescued her.
That does not answer earlier questions.
My travel records showed:
Forty-nine overnight trips in the prior twelve months.
Twenty-eight business.
Eight conferences.
Six investor retreats.
Seven personal or mixed.
Too many?
Not automatically.
Children can have traveling parents.
The problem was communication and authority.
When I traveled, Claire often became de facto household parent.
Not legal guardian.
No written scope.
I assumed.
Staff assumed.
Lily assumed.
Claire expanded.
CPS did not remove Lily from me.
My mother stayed in the house for several weeks.
A professional child caregiver, Jenna Brooks, became primary during work hours.
Claire barred from contact under temporary protective order.
CPS required a safety plan.
No undisclosed caregiver changes.
No punishment involving food restriction beyond ordinary dessert limits.
No isolation in locked rooms.
No use of deceased-parent possessions as discipline.
That last sentence looked absurd in official paperwork.
It existed because adults had made it necessary.
The caseworker told me:
“We are not saying you abused Lily.”
“I know.”
“We are saying your oversight failed.”
That hurt.
“Is that in the report?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
She stared.
“You want it there?”
“No. But if true, remove it and we learn nothing.”
May you like
That was the moment I stopped trying to win the investigation and started trying to deserve the next year.
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