Florida–“A woman in Central Florida who was arrested after telling authorities she went ‘on strike’ and left her teens home alone because they would fight is no longer facing charges in the case. Melissa G. Dean, 33, was charged with child neglect after telling Ocala police and the Department of Children and Families that she leaves her children, ages 17, 16, 14 and 13, home alone.
“According to a charging affidavit, Dean said the children needed to start cleaning up and stop fighting and that she had no control over them. Dean also said she was fed up with being run over in her own home and having no privacy, according to the affidavit.
“Dean told a DCF official that she decided to ‘go on strike’ because no one would help with her children, saying the police and courts would do nothing to help her. Dean, a Walgreens manager, said she spends nights at a friend’s house and would only spend one night per week at her home, the affidavit stated…The state decided not to prosecute because the chances of conviction were too slim…”
I don’t know if the father(s) of these four children abandoned them or were driven out by mom or some combination of both. But I do know one thing–if the dad were there, was a functional person, and was allowed to parent his children without being undermined, the mom wouldn’t be “being run over in her own home” by the kids, and the kids would not be out of control. The story is a nice example of what happens when dads are absent.
Thanks to Peter, a reader, for the story.