CPS: it’s no joke

My kids were adopted through the U.S. foster care system, so naturally, their family has a history with Child Protective Services.

When I was waiting for BE to finish her ballet class the other day, one of the other parents was talking about how he and his wife like to sleep in on the weekends, yet his daughters still get up early. He went on to joke that he would probably be getting a call from CPS, simply because he leaves his daughters to play by themselves in the mornings.

I hear jokes like this a lot and it always bothers me. Mostly, I guess, because CPS isn’t something to joke about. Having CPS involved sometimes (not always) results in the separation of families, which I’m sure would horrify most parent who really thought about that possibility. And, usually these parents are claiming that they’ll get in trouble with CPS over something relatively minor. However, abuse and neglect can be involved in CPS cases and these issues are definitely not funny either. How do you feel about CPS jokes and how do you handle them?