Polygamists, Predators, and Prevaricators: Part One
Published May 15, 2008
The intent is not to demean the foster care system, but in many areas the caseworkers are overloaded, the agencies understaffed, and children fall through the cracks of the system. Some foster homes are loving and caring, and some are not. Others are just as abusive, if not more so, than the families they were taken from.
Additionally, foster care is traumatic because children are frequently moved from family to family. These children are never certain that they will be able to sleep in their own bed and they live in constant fear of being forced to move yet again. Scot and Wexler state, "Foster care is an extremely toxic intervention that should be used sparingly and in small doses."
Polygamy is not the issue, but child sexual abuse is. Each child at the YFZ Ranch should have been evaluated on a case-by-case basis before removing all babies, preschoolers, and kids en mass from the ranch. Wexler and Scot suggest the children and their mothers be reunited and then treated as refugees until this mess is sorted out.
If a child has not been abused but is taken from a non-offending parent, the psychological effects are so detrimental for the child that they can last a lifetime. Trust and abandonment become huge issues for these children. The long-term effects are far reaching. No one can have a functional, healthy relationship if they are unable to trust. Trust is learned early in life and at home.
Since the mothers were unable to protect their children and prevent their removal, what kind of a message is sent to the child about the safety of the world? It goes deeper, though. Once the child believes no one can be trusted and nothing is permanent, they may begin to act out or cut themselves off from their feelings and the world.
A good indicator of how the children are doing is to examine their play. Yes, the social service workers shared the news that the children were playing. Please do not misunderstand this to mean they have adjusted to their new surroundings. Children make sense of their world through play, which is natural and normal.
To determine how they are doing, it is important to examine what and how they are playing. Traumatic events are frequently re-enacted during play and drawing. Sleeping patterns also need to be monitored for nightmares, bed-wetting (if they have already been potty-trained), or difficulty falling asleep. Eating habits, behaviors, and grades in school should all be noted. Only then will it become clearer how the children of YFZ Ranch are coping and adjusting.
- Polygamists, Predators, and Prevaricators: Part One
- Published: May 15, 2008
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Culture
- Filed Under: Culture: Crime and Court, Culture: Family and Relationships, Culture: Religion, Culture: Society, Politics: Law and Rights
- Writer: Dr. Juliann Mitchell, PhD
- Dr. Juliann Mitchell, PhD's BC Writer page
- Dr. Juliann Mitchell, PhD's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
Sam, thank you for your comments and question. To answer your question is speculative on my part but I believe the mothers of the YFZ Ranch are grieving tremendously. Their children have been taken away and there is great uncertainty if they will ever be returned. Also the mothers lives seemed to have been focused on taking care of the children Now that their roles of caregivers have been eliminated I cannot imagine how they structure their days and nights. Depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, loss of self-esteem, blame, shame, sadness, guilt, worthlessness, etc, and the list of negative emotions could go on and on for what they could be experiencing. Their anguish was real from the interviews I saw on the television. Just as the children have been severely traumatized so have the mothers.
Thank you for taking note of the op ed column Johana Scot and I wrote for the Star-Telegram.
As you may know, 11 mental health professionals, sent in by the state of Texas itself after the raid have spoken out, horrified by what they saw.
One of them said this about how the children played, after their mothers were taken from them:
"Children were grabbing toys from others and using the toys as play weapons against each other and their 'captors.' In my estimation they were acting out their fear and anger"
Links to all of the statements can be found on the Blog at www.nccpr.org
--Richard Wexler
Executive Director
National Coalition for Child Protection Reform
I agree - simply placing them in foster care is not the happy ending to the story. And I wondered as you state you did, above, how the extremity and suddenness of the 'confiscation' of the children affected them. From their point of view, they were snatched out of their homes and away from everything and everyone they knew. That had to be traumatic.
Whether or not the change is beneficial long term, I think only King Solomon could answer.
Richard,
Thank you so much for your comments and for the op-ed piece you and Johana Scot wrote in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
I am not at all surprised at the chidren's play behaviors. This is a horrible situation for everyone and the children are the innocent victims of a system that has failed them and continues to do so.
Juliann
Brandy,
Time will tell how this has affected and impacted the children. This situation has been so traumatic for both the children and their mothers. I suspect it is going to take years to sort out and the children once again are victimized.
There is no happy ending for these children. The girls are kept in ignorance. Both boys and girls are taught to lie.
Any time any segment of the population is oppressed, there can be no true happiness.
Purple Tigress,
This really is a travesty for all the children involved.
Juliann
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Dr. Mitchell, the entire situation is terrible. Whether you agree or disagree with polygamy, one should abide by the laws of the land they live in. The state of Texas has made of mess of everything. I hope the way things were handled will not alter the outcome for the mothers and their children. I love the refugee
idea. How do you think the mothers are coping?