Possible Child Endangerment (539 hits)
Category: NoneRating: -0.23 on 32 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Jenny <jallen8.at.gmu.edu> (View user info) at 2003-11-07 15:44:20 EST
Maybe you guys can help me out here...
I'm troubled by a conversation I overheard today in a restaurant. A restaurant owner was talking to one of her coworkers about an employee here in Crystal City (Arlington, VA outside of DC) who does the cleaning at night. Apparently the lady immigrated from El Salvador(?) with her husband and currently has an infant. The husband works 12 hour days and the wife works here at the mall at night cleaning. They're financially strapped and don't have any relatives in the country so the woman brings the baby with her to work. I realize "you've gotta do what you've gotta do," but apparently she puts the baby in a closet to sleep while she's working until 4AM. That just doesn't seem safe to me and it absolutely breaks my heart that a child would have to live that way. I'd really like to help these people out by helping them find reduced or free child care, but am unsure of how to go about it. I was thinking that maybe a Child Development program through a university would be able to offer free or reduced child care in exchange for observation of the child by the students. It sounds like this family is doing everything they can to support their child so I would hate for them to lose their child in the system.
I realize it's wrong to eavesdrop, but when you hear the words, "baby" and "closet" in the same sentence, it kind of grabs your attention.
Any advice you guys have would be awesome...
Jenny
User Reviews
Submitted by rad1101 (user info) at 2004-12-15 13:34:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Daddy cannot watch the infant during the day because his supervisor at the lawn maintainence company won't let him bring the baby to the job site.
Call fucking CPS already. Deport these people.
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2003-11-08 10:49:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
mercutio,
your last reply had good points, but I could have down with out the patronizing at the end. YOU KNOW I did not mean she was well off, making great money, etc.
Anyway, assuming she is an illegal and taking home subminimum wage pay, then everything you say is correct. (except for i.e. some of the hyperbole used about el salvador)
If not, if they are both making decent wages, then they need to get things in order.
There has to be an explanation as to why she doesnt go with childcare.
Merc, do you think it's cuz she is illegal, or cuz she's cheap? it has to be one of the two, I'm torn, but I am leaning your way.
Thanks for the insight mercutio. Have a good weekend.
insanethemind
Submitted by lucid (user info) at 2003-11-07 19:12:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Buy her a ton of clothes for christmas so there's no room in the closet for the kid?
Submitted by Mercutio (user info) at 2003-11-07 17:34:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Firefly, I'm the antithesis of sexist, I can assure you. The details here are sketchy, since we're really getting a third-generation account of the situation. I understood that the husband was not available during that time. Perhaps I could be mistaken. If I am, I fully support the man taking care of the kid.
Submitted by firefly (user info) at 2003-11-07 17:23:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
she does not have to leaveher baby int he closet. she can leave it with her husband. that is what i would do. are you so sexist that this thought has not occured to you let alone give a response to the idea. i agrre that childcare my not be the most affordable solution, the baby does have a father who can watch him. there is no reason forthat childto be sleeping in a closet. thatis child abuse. and if the father would let his child sleep in a closet instead of watching the baby while the mother works then they should have the child taken away.
Submitted by Mercutio (user info) at 2003-11-07 17:10:19 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
First of all, look into the average pay that illegal workers are getting, Insane.
Secondly, understand that traveling for these people is simply not an option--they don't have access to a car and are usually too poor to buy a bus ticket. If they did, the probably are unaware of anywhere else that would be an improvement.
Finally, look into current babysitting costs, particularly in bigger cities.
I think you'll understand me better when you understand these things. I'm going off of the usual cases--the averages, so to speak. Granted, this woman may have been given a management position with a benevolent employer that realizes her situation and, as a result, drops her bonuses every now and then to help her out. In this state, greed courses through her veins and in a sick attempt to feed her addiction to the latest fashions at Sach's Fifth Avenue, she leaves her kid in a closet so she afford that next pair of shoes.
Maybe you're right.
Submitted by The.Masked.Assailant (user info) at 2003-11-07 17:07:53 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
i love exploiting BROWN-colored people! it's a fuckin hoot
Submitted by The.Masked.Assailant (user info) at 2003-11-07 17:06:09 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
I call bullshit on this post!!!
"Apparently the lady immigrated from El Salvador(?) with her husband and currently has an infant. The husband works 12 hour days"
el savadorians are suppose to work 16 hour days, not 12! either this post is fake or he is one lazy fuckin bastard! the el savadorian that i hired to fix my car worked on it for 3 days in a row, (and i only paid the stupid fuck $20.00). Hell yeah, i kick ass!
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2003-11-07 17:05:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
THANK YOU FIREFLY!
If you scroll down, I believe you will see we are of the same mind, firefly and I.
Have a great weekend one and all. I'm outta here!
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2003-11-07 17:04:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
First. I didn't say she was a bitch, but referred to her as "the bitch." I concede that seems a little harsh.
Second. How do you know she is being paid less than minimum wage? Even the poster does not know if she is illegal or not, which is what you implying when you speak of subminimum wages .
Believe me, I know enough of El Salvador to picture where she came from, so you can spare me the hurrah.
If crystal city is such an expensive place, why live there?
I live in Tallahassee, Fl. The cost of living here isn't bad.
No, I don't have children. I did a little private babysitting as a 14 year old, and I charged about $2.50 an hour. Some kids that are my neighbors still charge prices that low, so professional baby care centers are NOT their only option.
Look Mercutio, I agree with what you are saying. Why are you making such an effort to invalidate my thoughts?
Submitted by The.Masked.Assailant (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:58:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
why dont they just kill the fuckin baby? then they could work less hours and have more money to spend; plus no one would be subjected to the horrors of sleeping in the dark!
Submitted by firefly (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:58:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
can't
Submitted by firefly (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:58:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
why can thehusbandwatch the baby during the day?
Submitted by Mercutio (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:55:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
What set me off more than anything was your automatic assumption that she was a "bitch", Insanethemind. Do you mind if I ask you where you live? What's the cost of living like there?
There was a relatively successful woman journalist in New York that recently did a study on surviving on minimum wage. She essentially threw all the money she had into a savings account and started from scratch--nowhere to live, no job, and, on all her applications, no formal education or experience. This journalist--an intelligent, well-spoken woman--could not get a job outside of food service. She ended up waitressing and with the money she made from the job, tried to get an apartment, and afford the basics needs (food, clothing, heat, etc.). At the end of what I remember being a month and a half, she could no longer afford her rent.
You're missing an essential, key point here, Insane--that these people are not making anything near minimum wage. There are no authorities for this kind of practice and demand for third-world labor is low--basically, there's more people than there is work. I'd be suprised if this woman was making more than a waitress did before tips--somewhere in the $2.00-$2.25/hour range. No overtime, no breaks, and nothing but the best from her.
Her husband is most likely in a similar situation. Let's say, that between the both of them, they're putting in 80 hours/week. Now let's say that they make, together, $5.00/hour. That comes out to about $1600/month between the both of them. Rental of even a one bedroom apartment with utilities in Crystal City will easily cost them half of that. next, let's be conservative and say that they spend $450 on clothes and food every month. Finally, throw in the cost of diapers and baby formula, and you're going to find that they have around $300/month.
I don't know if you've ever had children, Insane, but childcare for an infant, particularly during those hours, for five days a week, is going to cost you upwards of $1000/month. It simply doesn't work. The math doesn't jive.
And El Salvador, outside of the bigger cities, really isn't that nice of a place to live. Despite the 80% literacy rate, the country is still riddled with poverty due to a pretty corrupt government. More recently, toxic dumping by larger corporations (thanks to NAFTA) has polluted a large percentage of the groundwater in the country, which typically nails those outside of the bigger cities.
Submitted by reallybored (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:46:31 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Why is it that everytime somebody mentions a south american country and an illegal immigrant every says crap like this
"In an effort to get their children away from oppressive regimes, tortuous warlords, or prospective prostitution,"
Folks. Get out more often. The world is a not a pit of hell with American as the glowing hand of god. Fucking idiots.
Submitted by JEA823 (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:39:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
j0andre:
I realize I was looking for an opinion...and I got one. But is turning the other cheek really advice in a situation where an innocent child is concerned?
Submitted by j0andre1 (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:35:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
"Any advice you guys have would be awesome..."
I guess not THAT awesome...
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:33:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
These people are putting more effort into making good for themselves than most Americans do in a lifetime of work. In an effort to get their children away from oppressive regimes, tortuous warlords, or prospective prostitution, these people are coming to America and using every cent they have to make their way in this world. And here you are telling her that she has no excuse to not have that child in healthcare.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You really need to relax. She can afford childcare, simple as that.
Also, El Salvador isn't as bad as you make it out to be.
haha this part made me smile : "It's not even a choice for them--this is a no-brainer. The real choices are things like diapers or formula this week? Bills or clothes? Food or heat?"
if she's working full time and her husband is pulling 12 hour shifts, TRUST ME, they can afford all the things you just mentioned. As for nighttime childcare, I don't know what's availible, but how expensive can it possibly be?
Oh, and didn't the poster say that her husband is working days, and she nights? Hmm, what's the logical assumption.
Why are you being such an asshole, mercutio?
Submitted by JEA823 (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:26:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
That's fucking bullshit. What if you were that child? Would you want people to "mind [their] own business?" Attitudes like that are why this world's as fucked up as it is...nobody fucking gives a shit about anyone but themselves. Inaction is the cancer of the soul...you should be shot.
Submitted by marc01 (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:24:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
also if it si a janito closet it probally isnt a 4X4 room with the lighs out . mostlikly it has a bit of space and if it is a BABY then more than likely it si sleeping most iof the time anyway. now if it was a 2 or 3 or older child then i would say yes it is a problem. however a baby who is sleeping most of the time (other than the every 4 hours it wakes up to eat) i dotn think much harm can come. and yes i agree they are doing what they can to make themselves better. but i do think they shoulld be in the country legally and paying their damn taxes just like me or they should be sent back.
Submitted by j0andre1 (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:21:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Mind your own business.
That would be the best thing to do.
Submitted by Mercutio (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:13:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Pardon me...childcare.
Submitted by Mercutio (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:12:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
There's no reason that they can't afford healthcare?
Let's take your typical illegal alien--most of them migrate here with little or no warning beforehand. After they've signed up with a smuggler, it's merely a waiting process--a process that could take days, weeks, or even years. Now, let's take that same immigrant and put them in Crystal City, Virginia--a relatively upper-class suburb of Washington D.C. that has very little low-cost housing. Finally, pair this with the job oppurtunities accessible to most illegals--mostly hotels, restaurants, and other low-level commerce work. Keep in mind that most of these people have no idea that minimum wage laws exist and, even if they did, they wouldn't apply to the illegal immigrants.
Now look at their financial situation. Frankly, putting a child in the closet is an effort to hide it from her boss so she doesn't get fired while still remaining close enough to it to take care of it. It's not even a choice for them--this is a no-brainer. The real choices are things like diapers or formula this week? Bills or clothes? Food or heat?
Frankly, there are no other options. These people are putting more effort into making good for themselves than most Americans do in a lifetime of work. In an effort to get their children away from oppressive regimes, tortuous warlords, or prospective prostitution, these people are coming to America and using every cent they have to make their way in this world. And here you are telling her that she has no excuse to not have that child in healthcare.
It's a nightshift job, dumbass. A working middle-class family would have a hard time paying for nightly day care for their children, much less an infant. Get a grip on reality and realize that this woman is doing something respectable in an effort to get her child out of an endless loop of fear, violence, and poverty. Get a grasp on the world outside of your own and maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to halfway conceive of what this "bitch" is going through.
Submitted by JEA823 (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:08:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Actually, I left out a detail...
I also heard the restaurant owner say that she offered her a job at her other business in DC, but there was no way she could bring her baby along to work so she turned it down.
It does sound a bit unreasonable that they can't afford the bare minimum of child care...obviously I don't know who this woman is so I can't really get anymore details.
What I do know is that I want to help anyway I can so that's why I'm posting this...
Submitted by sam_el (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:05:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Mrs. Krabappel and Principal Skinner were in the closet making babies and I saw one of the babies and the baby looked at me.
Did that get your attention?
Submitted by reallybored (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:05:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Illegal Immigrant woes.....didnt i write a post with a smiliar title?
When it comes to illegals i have word, Depor-fucking-tation. Bye-bye. Lets give that child-care money to real Americans. Or people who have come to this country legally. Fuck the illegals.
And the scary part is im a democrat! Mu hahahaha!
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2003-11-07 16:01:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
sorry the (-2) was for mercutio.
her being an illegal is besides the point, my oh so sensitive friend. There is no excuse for something like that.
Besides, did I not originaly say EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID? except I called her a bitch?
get over yourself
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2003-11-07 15:58:47 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
I'm somewhat educated.
Stop being an asshole.
Also, I don't care WHAT her situation is, the child doesn't belong in a closet.
I absolutely refuse to believe that they cannot afford childcare.
Submitted by Mercutio (user info) at 2003-11-07 15:54:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Insanethemind--you have absolutely no fucking concept of the situation she's in. There are a lot of details omitted here and, frankly, her getting caught would result in the deportation of her and her child. Get a goddam education before you form an opinion, halfwit.
Submitted by Mercutio (user info) at 2003-11-07 15:52:43 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Good luck--most free child care is distributed by the state or federal government, which means that the woman's name will have to go on their books. If she's an illegal (which I bet she is), she can't give out her name to an institution like that. The best thing you could do is find an independent baby-sitter who would be willing to do some non-profit work. At that hour of the day, I doubt it.
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2003-11-07 15:51:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
tell the bitch she better start affording childcare, because jail/deportation would be a lot worse and she also wouldn't have the kid anymore.
Submitted by slyphter (user info) at 2003-11-07 15:51:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Call child services on her. I'm sure they have a rule about no babies in closets. Slap the couple shitless for having kids without being able to take care of them.