I am glad there are symbols on the keyboard that can represent any cursing, or otherwise this post could become one endless cursing contest, only attended by your truly.
Just when you think you get some time to breathe, there they are again, with more of their %$^&! There were some things I had to attend to with my eldest daughter's presence or lack thereof in school.
She started at a school, called Youthreach last September after being homeschooled for almost three years.
Youthreach is a place that takes kids that either couldn't function in a regular school setting, because of ADHD or autism for instance or like my daughter's case, because she wanted it for the social contact, since the home education teens are quite rare in our area. However, there are also kids who for some reason were kicked out of school (some for very good reasons) or kids who dropped out at the age of 16 and now regret this.
Either way, there are good kids and there are also bullies (who undoubtedly are also good kids deep inside, but just very insecure). Anyway, she liked it there, met her boyfriend there (who's an absolute darling and adores my girl, so it's all good with me). Lately this has changed. She doesn't feel like going most of the time, but there is no choice in the matter as home education is not an option anymore at this stage, and neither does she want that.

source: pixabay.com

The problem

Long story short, there were a few concerns that I had to discuss with the school head.
The head is a lovely lady who doesn't just sit there in an office but is actively involved with whomever walks through her door. Of course she doesn't have eyes everywhere, so if there are things going on that need to be addressed and the child doesn't do this for whatever reason, the parent needs to step up and do the talking for him or her.
And this is exactly what I did.
I may come to regret it, but in my opinion it was the only right thing to do. Beating up a minor because they are bothering your child is usually frowned upon in Ireland or anywhere, so the alternative is to talk to the school about it.
There has been some jealousy because the boyfriend is now giving attention to his girlfriend and not the swarm of girls that used to hang around him. There is also some disappointment and jealousy because there were more boys who showed interest in her, so they feel ignored and rejected.
As if this wasn't enough, these boys and girls now seem to have one mutual goal: to make my daughter's life a living hell.

source: davidwolfe.com

So as I was talking to the school head, I mentioned the CPS worker, thinking she had already contacted them as they do (and I believe this is normal procedure). When I saw the question mark in her face I realized two things:

1. The CPS worker obviously wasn't doing her job right or doesn't seem to care or both.
2. I pretty much shot myself in the foot, because since a couple of years, anyone who works with children has the duty to report any concerns with CPS.

The next day the school head called me to tell me she had spoken to her. My daughter had some appointments she was supposed to go to and didn't. There was a school trip into the nearest town and instead of attending the appointment, my daughter went there. I thought this was fine, as I didn't want to punish her for something others created by taking something fun from her and with that isolating her.
I thought wrong...

More problems and the CARING CPS worker

The day after, the social worker #%& calls me.
I have to add, that since we came back from Portugal on the 8th of November, I have seen her once a week later.
She was supposed to drop in (as she does) within the next 2 to 3 weeks. The week after I spoke to the family care worker #%& and she assured me that the other #%& would come over either by the end of that week or the following week.
That was 4 weeks ago....FOUR %^&$#@ weeks no word from her, but now all of a sudden, she's all over it.

source: tnlt.com

So I take the call with as much patience as I can muster (I was in the middle of shopping with three kids running around me, so it was hard to stay calm, believe me). How these people always seem to pick a moment which requires all of our attention is a mystery to me. She starts with: "Your daughter had an appointment she was supposed to attend to this morning but she wasn't there." So I explain the school trip to her.
She then replies: "Yes, but she only had permission from you to go, not from the school."
First of all: I don't know why she would need their permission, unless she's done something wrong.
Second of all: No one ever told me the school didn't give permission.
Then the #%*& continues by saying: "She also wasn't there when I arrived to talk to her."
She was indeed going to the school to meet with her, first it was supposed to be after school.
Then she called me to say it was going to be after her own lunch break. (it's really that important that you can't miss your own lunch break, or postpone it).
Shortly after that call, my daughter called me to ask if it was OK if she went with her boyfriend and his mom for Christmas shopping. I explained that the CPS worker was coming to the school to meet her, to which she then replied that she was OK with that, but that they finished at 2 p.m. instead of 3.40 p.m. and it was now 1.30 so she hoped she'd get there soon.
I called the CPS worker back to let her know about the change in hours, but no one answered (so obviously she was taking her lunch very seriously).

At 4 pm (!) she called me....
About that meeting and her school trip and the meeting with her that she missed.
At the time I had no idea what time she actually went down to see her, but later I found out it was 2.30 and my daughter told me that she really didn't feel like hanging around to meet her when she'd expected her sooner.
I can only agree with this! And she will hear this too.
Anyway, she went on to complain about that, partly blaming me and partly blaming the girl, without ever taking responsibility herself.
So if I get it right, I need to isolate my daughter from all activities outside of school, just because now, after 4 weeks suddenly this woman feels the need to talk to her?
$%#&&^ ((&^^&(($#@!!! FUCK YOU! (sorry, I couldn't refrain myself...I didn't say that to her though, don't worry)
She then asked me if I registered with a family doctor yet, since we moved here.
I told her that this was on my to-do list, but I wanted to 'shop around' and not just register with the first that comes up.
Besides this, since we only saw our old doctor once in three years and that was 3 years ago, when I registered with her, it wasn't number 1 on my priority list (and I'd forget sometimes, for above reason).

source: tlnt.com

She then tried to put a guilt trip on me by saying that if something were to happen, we could go to the hospital referred by the new doctor. I told her that I'm pretty sure that this was even possible if we were still registered with the old one.
The doctor in our town isn't taking new patients, so I had to find another.
She told me to hold on and called me back 5 minutes later....
A doctor in another neighbouring town still took patients, so I could send them the form....
AHA! So now these people also decide which doctor I should have?
In the name of peace, I went along with it, knowing that I can always change later.
Anyway she continued to tell me that she was concerned about my daughter and that if she didn't talk to anyone then how could anyone help her?
Well NEWSFLASH: first of all, there is no one more concerned about her than I am. In fact, I worry about all my kids from the day they were born and this will probably continue till I die.
Second of all: YOU were SO $#%^&@ concerned that you had to wait until the end of your lunch break to go meet her....
Yeah, it really sounds like I'm the bad guy here who doesn't give a damn and you're Mother $#%^&< Teresa!

source: blog.saint.org

And it doesn't end here

The conversation almost ended, not because I wanted to get rid of her, but because it was already past 4 pm and that's the time these people go home, so just imagine they'd work only one minute longer than required.
It shows their involvement with the people they 'care' for. I said almost, because she wasn't done yet.
She then told me that she was going to be moved to another town soon and that she would drop down to me to introduce her replacement in the new year....
Speaking of a bombshell...
How stupid could I be to think that this was almost over?
She went on to apologize for this, that she had no say over it, because it was her superiors who made that call.
Which makes me wonder.
Was she fired? Or moved because she didn't do her job right? Or was this just another way to keep their clutches dug into me even longer?
I told her that this news didn't exactly make me a happy snapper. But she assured me that nothing would change, that she understood that it is hard on me because I just got to know her and trust her. YEAH RIGHT!!!
She added that the new lady was very nice....(are they ever? really?)
So that's what you get just before Christmas...a bombshell like that to give me extra worries...
What will the next one be like? It, of course, can go two ways:
She either doesn't see any purpose in hanging around us for much longer and will (like was planned with the other) close the file.
OR...She's going to hang onto her (new?) job for dear life by making mine a living hell and continuing this for longer.
The care worker and the case worker both assured me that our file was to be closed soon and NOW THIS???
All kinds of crazy things are going through my head now.
WHAT IF that one sees a speckle of dust on the fridge from a mile away and makes this into an issue?
WHAT IF the new $#%^ hates animals altogether and bans my dogs from the house as well?
WHAT IF, she absolutely hates people that live any way different than ordinary? Like homeschooling?
ALL this is running through my head and more. It's something that will keep me worried, during Christmas and everything else, until I meet the woman and probably after that too. I wonder: Do they do this on purpose?
In the hope that I will lose my cool or WHAT is it?

Well, I guess this is their way of saying: