QUESTIONS & ANSWERS   

We are constantly getting emails from people all over the United States and the world, asking us what to do in certain events, such as a problem child who is getting into trouble or how to get off drugs or what do I do when my child comes home smelling like weed and is high on drugs? One little girl wrote to us because she was concerned about her little friend who had been abused by her stepfather and who also had moved away to another state.
Sometimes because we are so overwhelmed with emails and because we have a small staff to answer our mail, it is impossible to respond to all the emails we get in time but we do strive to answer all emails or at least point the way to someone who can better serve their needs. We have decided to start answering some of your emails here on our front page because a lot of the problems we hear from people are the same problems others are having to deal with and maybe something you read here about what someone else is going through can help you in your own life and get you through a difficult struggle.
A lot of parents who write us tell us about their child who is on drugs and want to know what they can do about it. Part of our program is dealing with drug related problems to be there for parents who are at their wits end. To help them make difficult decisions when it comes to their child, helping them to over come a drug addiction. Read the articles we have already posted here and please do continue to come back again and again to read new emails we received each week with questions and answers. We will constantly be updating this page so you can not only let your voice be heard but also hear what others have to say; knowing you’re not alone in the things you have to deal with on a day to day basis.

Q  I would like to know how to get involved helping to find missing kids, it's been very close to my heart as I experienced an abduction of my child who was 13 at the time. Thank god I got her back although I must say it was traumatic for her and life altering as well for us all. That horrible incident in my life has lead me to want to help others find their loved ones and children most specifically. I am a 43-year-old single mom of 4 kids almost all grown now, thank god, and 2 beautiful grand daughters whom are turning 2yrs old. Please send me any info on how to get involved with this cause, it is something I would love doing and would be very rewarding to me. Thanks, Martha Carrasquillo

A  Helping moms and dads who have lost their children due to child abductions is a noble cause and there are so many ways that people can help. The first thing to do is to make sure your own neighborhood is secure by talking to your neighbors and knowing who lives around you. Start a neighborhood watch and get as many people in your neighborhood involved as you can. Hold community meetings and talk about what is needed to make sure all the kids in your neighborhood are kept safe and protected. Report anything that looks out of place and suspicious to the police. Even if it turns out to be nothing, it's always best to be safe then sorry. Knowing whose kids belong to who in the neighborhood and who has kids and who doesn’t is being a good neighbor. Know what is going on around you. Check out our Safe Neighborhood program it will give you some ideas. Unfortunately 97% of all abductions are due to a domestic dispute between two parents who are fighting for custody of the kids and sometimes one parent will end up running off with the kids to keep the other parent from seeing or having custody of the kids. Or, they are afraid they are going to lose custody or they have already lost custody but refuse to give up the child or children which ever the case may be. Most times the kids are returned within a short time but there are times when the parent simply disappears for years at a time without a trace. You can find a database for these missing parents with kids as well as kids who have been abducted by strangers at www.missingkids.com.
Any information you can provide to help bring these missing kids home is welcomed.

Q  I am new to this website, I find it so interesting when I read all of these articles. I am a mother of two boys but my boys are not with me they are with their father. I worry about their safety, health and well being. I tried to get some help from where the boys live but there is no help for me or for my boys. Their father has been abusing them and still abusing them until this time. He always telling them things that he's not supposed to tell them. It's hurt me so bad when I heard them crying and I can't do anything. It breaks my heart. I want to get my boys back but I don't know what to do. He is holding the boys against me. He is not properly taking care of them. I want him to stop what he is doing to them. I love them more than anything. My life has been unhappy since my sons aren't with me. Please help me to stop the abuse and help my boys to come back to me. I want their life back like it used to when I was the one who was taking care of them from day one. He is holding them even though he can't take care of them. He doesn't like to pay child support and me moving on with my life so he lied about everything and he thinks he can get away with what he's been doing specially to my sons. I don't want my sons to be another abuser one day, they are good boys, they just need a good role model in their lives. Both boys have a weight problem and that is one of my concerns. I worry a lot and its affecting my personal life, I am depressed most of the time. I feel like a failure and helpless because I can't do anything to help them. I hope that you could help me to resolve this for the sake of my sons. I really do appreciate your time. Thank you very much. Looking forward to it. Sincerely yours, Lea

A  There is no reason anyone should feel helpless or that they can't do anything to save their own children when there are so many people out there who want to help you. If there is indeed abuse going on the first people you need to contact is social services and child welfare. They will assign a caseworker to look into the accusations and make it appoint to be sure any kids who have been reported as being abused are taken care of. If you can’t afford a lawyer in a case like this contact us here at Kids Safety Smart and we will do everything we can to activate our resources to help children who are being abused who need our help.