Bruises And Abuse On My Son

I had a hard time thinking about writing this, but not at THIS visit, but the last one, I noticed marks all over my son's body. The monitor saw them as well and called in the social worker who was dismissive about them.

It could have been Holly, Pablo, or the babysitter (daycare), but I felt I just knew, it was the babysitter. My son's nails were unkempt and long and ragged as usual, and I cut them and his toenails too, in that visit. This visit is the one where I noticed how thin he was and he refused to eat unless I fed him by hand. So I fed him. If my son needs comfort, he will get it, and he will become stronger of his own accord, at his own pace. I wish I had noticed the bruising earlier.

I feel some knew this was happening. Someone had their eyes and ears on my son, and knew I needed to go back, to protect my son. I know people knew. And when I called the babysitter, he was sobbing hysterically and screaming bloody murder and the babysitter did nothing about it. He wasn't moving either, my son, as if he'd been confined somewhere. His voice stayed in one place and he was hysterical. It took all my willpower not to drive up there and rescue him.

I made a complaint and told CPS and CASA and begged someone to go out and check on my son.

I then, last visit, was changing his diaper and saw the marks. He had 9 very small and round bruises on one leg. Half of them were old and half new, like this had been a pattern. On his other leg, there were two. I don't know why so many on one leg alone. His right leg. But you could see the pattern, and they were all like marks from fingers pressing hard. The police I talked to thought from diaper changes, but I don't know. Why just one leg? So much more than the other? One of the bruises was in the back of his leg, on his calf, and he's not just backing into things hitting himself on something perfectly round.

Not only that, on one arm, by the shoulder, he had an oblong shaped mark of burst blood vessels, like when you get a hickey and this woman who was on a jury for child abuse said to me it sounded like he had been badly pinched. And what she said fit exactly what I was talking about. It wasn't just a pinch but there were small scratches near the pinch mark, as if it had been nails.

I believe it was an adult but I don't know who for sure.

After I showed this to Michelle and she dismissed it, saying she'd bring it up to the Avilas but nothing more, I went to police.

But even though I had photos on a camera and wrote out a statement, no one went out like I thought they would. I was told, they were going out to take their own photos the very next day.

The officer saw the photos on my camera AND he had my statement. He told me to send him the photos, but I didn't know I had to actually SEND them to have these guys go out there in a timely manner. He had seen the photos and could have made his own witness statement.

But maybe I don't know the rules of evidence? If he's been more careful, for good reason, I respect that. It would be a step up from what I've seen with CPS...someone following rules of evidentiary procedure.

Today, for the FIRST time, my son was reticent going to me and leaving Holly. He was sleepy still and had woken up and wanted the comfort more. I knew though, as his mother, I knew something was DIFFERENT for my son in the last few days. I said to Holly, "Did he spend more time with you guys and out of daycare this week?" and she said yes. She said they'd spent more time together and taken him to the Parade, which he was really excited about.

I feel my son has been neglected, out of my care. He is a survivor and a charming and delightful boy. But he has been through a lot, unnecessarily. His shoes are still too small for his feet. I have to buy him new shoes.

I could tell, this visit, that in just the last 5 days, my son has put on weight. It sounds strange, but I could SEE it. Someone decided to sit with him and either feed him or he was happier. His bruises were almost gone as well. Nothing new. He had a very small mark of burst blood vessels on his tummy but it was very small.

My dear, sweet, miraculous boy...This one is star-bright. He is beautiful in every way and I know him as if the insides of my body, my every organ, had been tattooed with his name. I bear the marks of my son, in every cell of my body.

Someone saw these marks on my son, and no one called police or alerted CPS. It was his mother who did.

Right after I called police, thank you God, I was standing at Radioshack and this stranger to me, but a blond woman, kept looking at me and nodding her head, and said to me, several times, "THANK you". My intuition tells me she was thanking me for calling police about my son. I know, how do I know? but I know. I just know, like I know these other things about other people sometimes.

I was not sad or upset that my son, for once, didn't want to leave Holly. It said to me, that he had been better cared for in the last week. And she said he'd been out of daycare more and that she was quitting packing (work) soon. For the season only though.

I still don't know who, for sure, was abusing my son. I think the babysitter was abusing my son and that the Avila's were sort of neglecting him, by not paying attention to his needs.

He needs his mother, but I am thankful they spent more time with him this last week. When Holly left the room, he didn't cry. He's never cried. He's happy being with me. But he was hysterical and sobbing when he was left at the babysitter's and the Avilas were not listening to my son or looking out for him, when he had these marks on his body.

Someone I used to know, knew. He was trying to help me get back there because he knew my son was being abused. I didn't know why the haste, when I was trying to take care of things to ensure I wasn't defamed any further, but he knew. I saw the panic and alarm in his eyes, and the inability to tell me what he knew. Why though, didn't those who knew, step in?

This has been dismissively written off as "bruises from playing". Sorry, but that many brusies, old and new, in perfectly circular patterns with the circles close to eachother like a finger's width away, is not from playing. The one on his calf is not from playing. The pinch on his arm was not from playing.

My son used to cry when Holly left, because he was bonded to her. When he was thrown into this shitty FT "daycare" with this hideoous woman who I already hate, he wanted to be anywhere but that hell.

I hope someone puts out investigative measures to catch her and haul her in. She takes care of other children as well.

Not only that, I appreciate the Avila's paying more attention to my son this week, but he NEVER should have been thrown into a FT daycare and CPS and the Avilas didn't consult me at ALL regarding my son's needs.

Not at all.

At the hands of CPS and the Avilas, my son has been abused and neglected, for the first time in his life.

It is a very sad commentary on the state of affairs.