Can't come quickly enough this week for LW 1 and 2.

As to LW 3 - the wall eating kid. I think LW does need to speak up. Look at it this way, if the LW found out her friends were forcing their little girl to eat markers and dry wall, she'd be on the phone to social services before the friends' car pulled out of the driveway. If LW suspects these parents are allowing their child to eat potentially toxic substances, that's just as bad because that kid is going to end up just as sick or just as dead. It is possible that the parents are working with doctors about this, and are looking for emotional support but realize how weird this all must sound to the friends so they are unintentionally downplaying it. LW should follow Prudie's advice and make that call to social services if she doesn't get some reasonable response. Children in clear danger are everybody's business.

Likewise w/LW #4 - somebody needs to step in and help MIL now, before she goes into debt and ends up living amongst canyons of newspapers and magazines piled to the ceiling. Future MIL very probably has a mental illness that can be treated. She deserves to have the people who love her (son and future DIL) step up and see that she gets the help she needs.

greensleeves:

It is possible that the parents are working with doctors about this, and are looking for emotional support but realize how weird this all must sound to the friends so they are unintentionally downplaying it. LW should follow Prudie's advice and make that call to social services if she doesn't get some reasonable response. Children in clear danger are everybody's business.

So, a parent shares with his/her friend that their kid is eating markers and drywall. You feel it is appropriate to interrogate the parents about their treatment plan for their child and notify the authorities if you don't get satisfactory responses? Maybe you could also alert social services to any parents who won't show you reciepts for a life jacket when they mention they are taking their kid to the beach. Scary.

jascob:

So, a parent shares with his/her friend that their kid is eating markers and drywall. You feel it is appropriate to interrogate the parents about their treatment plan for their child and notify the authorities if you don't get satisfactory responses? Maybe you could also alert social services to any parents who won't show you reciepts for a life jacket when they mention they are taking their kid to the beach. Scary.

I think you are exaggerating just a little. No, I'm really not that kind of buttinsky. But yeah, if I talked a little more to the parents about this wall eating stuff and my gut told me the kid was in danger, I would speak up. So crucify me.

I wish we lived in a perfect world where kids never suffered because they had bad or neglectful or clueless parents.

I honestly don't understand why the LW didn't ask questions. I mean the parents are there offering up all this detail about their kid eating markers, plaster, and what not. They even mention the fact that the girl has seen a dentist about her teeth. Perfect opportunity to ask questions. "What did the dentist say about your daughter eating plaster and markers?" "Did s/he have any suggestions as to how to get her to stop?" "Did s/he explain why your daughter eats odd things?" "I thought children stopped teething earlier then 7 years?" So on and so forth.

I wrote SHADDAP on Monday and hardly anybody read it. I'm insulted and a bit wounded, to be truthful because I happen to think it was a nicer bit of writing than usual, especially for someone who didn't give it a lot of thought.

As for the drywall nibbling kid... Is this woman a friend or not? If she is a friend, then she has to say something, doesn't she? As in, "Gee Thalia, that's a little odd, don't you think? It sounds like she has something else going on. Why don't you take her to my pediatrician?"

Then send the mom a link to a website or something. I find it hard to believe the doctors that have already seen this kid haven't done anything about it. It could be that she's getting some pretty substandard care. Most dentists know that you can't just yank out baby teeth - they would have put in spacers so that when the permanent teeth come in, they'll be straight.

MessyONE:

I wrote SHADDAP on Monday and hardly anybody read it.

The column that indicates ratings/views for each post isn't terribly accurate. For one thing, someone has to create a user name and sign in for the site to register that they viewed a given post.

Also, ever notice that the number of replies often exceeds the number of views, even when the replies are by many, various members.

Depending on the browser I'm using and the preferences I set up, I'm not logged in most of the time when I read Slate. I can't swear to it, but I'll bet that only 10% or so of the weekly DP readers are "members" who sign-in.

SHADDUP is widely read and much anticipated!

greensleeves:

I think you are exaggerating just a little. No, I'm really not that kind of buttinsky. But yeah, if I talked a little more to the parents about this wall eating stuff and my gut told me the kid was in danger, I would speak up. So crucify me.

I wish we lived in a perfect world where kids never suffered because they had bad or neglectful or clueless parents.

Does speaking up include reporting someone to social services? Because that is what you said you would do. If your friend tells you his/her kid is eating drywall and you want to ask the friend more questions, that is between you and your friend. But you cross the line, imo, when you suggest that you, as a private individual, have some right to inquire and/or your friend has some obligation to answer your inquiries about how they care for child. If your attitude become much more common, I would think parents would just stop talking about their children altogether out of fear of inviting an inquisition. But maybe that's a good thing considering how some parents love to talk about their kids:

Parent: "Hey, look at these photos of my little Bobby playing soccer."

Co-worker: "Hmmm. He looks a little pale and thin. Are you feeding him correctly? Also, I notice he's not wearing shin guards. You did buy him a pair, right? Why isn't he wearing them?"

Parent: "Umm. He seems okay to me, we feed him three times a day. I'm not sure about the shin guards."

Co-worker: "Well, you really should look into it. If I don't see signs of improvement, I'll have to notify social services. Do you have any other kids? Can I see pictures?"

Parent: "Uh . . . no, no more kids. I think I hear my phone ringing, gotta go."

"I wrote SHADDAP on Monday and hardly anybody read it. I'm insulted and a bit wounded,"

By monday there's only a couple of people still reading the fray. And if the letters are particularly stoopid, like last weeks', even those who do hang out here may not want to read any other opinions on the stupidity of the LW's.

Personnally, I look forward to Shaddup or Aunt Messy, as well as a host of other regular Psuedies.

Pink_House:

MessyONE:

I wrote SHADDAP on Monday and hardly anybody read it.

SHADDUP is widely read and much anticipated!

I guess we're chopped liver. <sob>

I guess I could give it a LITTLE thought before Monday...but I do my best thinking at the gym with the I-Pod....really - it's a Zen kinda headspace where I can solve the world's problems...

*Sigh*

Plus I can think of at least one regular poster who was too fucking gutless to beard me on my own thread. Bwahahahahaha!

We have to have SHADDAPs. We just have to.

Let's see, DP's letter come out Thursday morning - of course you can make it to the gym, get all zen-like (personally I have to be in a yoga studio for that, but could be what's on my iPod) and come up with super clever and totally snarky comments by the weekend. C'mon!

I do my best thinking deadheading in the garden. Something about the snip, snip, SNIP! Just saying.

Oh, hell. I'll try for tomorrow afternoon...that's IF I don't get seduced by the prospect of steak frites at the Hop Leaf Tavern, ya know. (Yes, that renowned drinking establishment is my local, I'll buy the first round for anyone who wants to join me.)

What the heck is on your I-Pod? I'm afraid my workout mix runs to the Ramones, The Licked out Tuna Tins, Smashmouth and a bunch of other stuff that would get me roundly kicked out of any yoga class that would let me in in the first place!

Hey Messy, don't forget it is summer and people are on vacation... I always enjoy reading your posts.

Pink_House:

Let's see, DP's letter come out Thursday morning - of course you can make it to the gym, get all zen-like (personally I have to be in a yoga studio for that, but could be what's on my iPod) and come up with super clever and totally snarky comments by the weekend. C'mon!

Messy dosen't know what her clever comments will be till she reads them in someone else's post. Snarky she's good with. That's why they're so fnnn long.