While I was composing a post about how I can call CPS and tell them what's going on and they'll determine whether it's severe enough for intervention, I heard yelling outside and the mom had found the son and was dragging him up the front steps and then kicked him through the front door into the house.

I called the police. I can't stop crying.

You did the right thing.

{{{Tep}}}

That's so awful. I'm glad you called.

OMG, Steph, that's awful. I am so sorry - for you and for those poor kids. God.

I'm glad you called. Many hugs to you and the neighbor kid.

I'm so glad you called. Thank you.

Steph, I am very glad you called. And as amych said, many hugs to you and the neighbor kid.

Ugh Steph, I'm so sorry

The police came really quickly, relatively speaking. It took about 5 minutes for the mom to answer the door. I was almost about to go out the door and tell the police that I've been watching and she damn well didn't leave. But she eventually answered the door.

The police talked to her through the open front door, so I opened my door and listened as well as I could. I caught a lot of the mom saying things like the boy runs away, he throws rocks, etc., and the police asking him "Why did you do all that?"

And then I remembered the time the mom called the police ON her son, because he threw a rock at her car, and now I worry that I just added to the boy's trauma by sending the police after him again. Or at least that's how it probably seems to him.

I know the police are trained in how to question parents accused of abuse, and so they were probably doing everything they could in accordance with that. But now I just worry that the poor kid is more traumatized.

Fortunately I have therapy tomorrow morning. I'll ask my therapist if I should follow up with a phone call to CPS. I just hate this.

Teppy, I'm sorry this is causing such inner turmoil for you. You ARE doing the right thing. No one deserves to be treated like that, let alone a kid.