When To Call Child Protective Services???????????????????????

                                                     Girls, I know, this is a really heavy topic for a Sunday, but after last week I was faced with this question.  Because I am sorry I did not.

                                                      David and I were having dinner at our usual locale, the Offshore Diner in our neighborhood of Bay Ridge.  I was waiting for him to arrive, so he did not witness what I did.

                                                       To my left, on the last three stools of the fountain, sat a teenaged girl, her mother, and an 8-year-old boy.  The daughter seemed to be watching the other two.  This eventually became obvious, as the boy was doing something that annoyed his mother.  He seemed to be playing on the fountain stool, like many children do--I did it myself, at that age--and in the process kept either knocking into her or somehow hitting her.  She kept yelling "Don't hit me!" as she was trying to eat.  I noticed none of the children were eating, but it was the mother's tone that struck me.  She was being especially abusive verbally to the boy, and it kept up.  She told the daughter to keep an eye on him, and the two withdrew to a nearby booth.  The girl tried to placate her sibling, but he was emotionally hurt, and showed it.  The mother then said, "If you do that again, I will make you fall!"  When I heard that, I reached for my phone to call CPS. I told my server, a familiar face, what I thought, and she did not disagree with me.  But, as I lifted my cell to call, I wondered how long it would take before someone arrived.  They could be out of the restaurant before anything could be done.  Then, amidst her meal, the woman temporarily abandoned the children to go somewhere next-door shopping, for at least half an hour.  She came back, resumed her meal, and they left.  I wondered what this poor boy was in for.

                                                         I wonder, was I wrong in not calling?  I had no notion of who these people were, as I had never seen them before.  Maybe they were not from the neighborhood.  I could give CPS officials a general description, but how much good would that do?  I was tempted to confront the woman when she left the store alone, but I knew that could get me into trouble.

                                                           What should I have done, readers?  Or do, in case something like this happens again?  I did look outside to see if any police were around, but they weren't.

                                                                I still think about that poor boy.  To give credit, he looked robust and healthy, physically.  Emotionally is another matter.

                                                                 One thing for sure, darlings. If, in the near future, I hear about a young boy dying of abuse, I will never forgive myself.

                                                                  This experience will stay with me, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!