Battered and bruised

I was spoken to by 2 separate parents this morning about their children. Both of whom had been in accidents over the weekend and ended up with visible injuries ... a badly bruised chin & a battered nose. Both wanted to stress that the children had had accidents and it was nothing to do with them. Isn't that sad? That a parent has to stress that this was an accident, because otherwise I / one of my colleagues is going to believe that the child was hurt by the parent. But I do understand the reasons behind it. The failings in the system that allowed the death of Victoria Climbie should not be allowed to happen again ... but the parents who came to speak to me yesterday are not the ones I am concerned about.

But there is one! One who I speak to our Family Liasion Officer about every week. One who who drops her 3 year old on her own, cold, dirty and often unfed in the playground, instead of bringing her to our door. One who leaves her littlest tot (18 months old) alone in the car outside school to collect her three other children. She who is suing Social Services because they wont give her respite care away from her children. What other family gets respite care for their children if there are no major special needs involved?? God she makes my blood boil!!

I spoke to the little girl with the bruised chin *winces ... it's a corker* I'm so glad we're not doing school photos this side of Christmas!

Me ~ What happened Emily?

Emily ~ I fell off the window sill!

Me ~ But what were you doing on the window sill?

Emily ~ Flying!

Ok ... so what do you say to a 3 year old with imagination? I looked at mum and raised my eyebrows and we laughed. I'm going to put pillows on the floor under the windows in the nursery just in case :o)