Friday, July 17, 2009

Interesting afternoon...

Apparently Wild Child pulled out one of the discontinued cell phones and, as it still had a battery with an ounce of life to it, made some "emergency calls" this morning. Sixteen emergency calls to 911 automatic dialer to be precise.

He was in the bedroom, Jennifer Dad and I were in the barn lancing an abcess on one of the goats. He had a rather creative conversation with the 911 operator apparently, and kept calling. At one point, he said his name was Jupiter.

Do we see more gray hairs on my head over this? no...we see bald patches at this point.

One of the other children came running up as we came in from the barn to tell us Jacob was talking to someone on the cell phone in the bedroom. Nonsense, they are all out of commission. No, he really did talk to someone, and they called him back. Oh-oh...not good that someone called him back.

About that time the dogs start going bonkers in the yard. Someone's coming up the road. No one ever comes up our road. We live past the point of folks coming out our road, kwim? Two guesses as to who pulled in my driveway -- and the first one doesn't count. There sat the county Sheriff. And behind them, a county detective/investigator. Ahhh, the joys of parenthood.

Dewey walked outside for some parental meet and greet; someone told Jacob he was going to jail; Jacob started crying about how he didn't want to live in jail. Just a typical morning in our nuthouse. Dewey and the sheriff and the detective come back inside after some preliminary questions...do you have children? do you have a cell phone? do the children have access to your cell phone?

Normally, I wouldn't have cared one bit. Wild Child could use a little reinforcement scare tactics from time to time to keep him on the straight and narrow. Used to be you could count on a little pulpit pounding, hellfire and brimstone, fires licking your feet Sunday morning scare-you-straight sermons, but these days we just wait on the Sheriff to show up.
However, they sat in here watching the children hunt up the gazillion old cell phones we had from upgrades and tracfone and whatnot servers, and asked about how many children we had, how many bedrooms we have here (hello, it's a trailer, it's sort of obvious when you are in the living room what kind of space we have here...) then the detective noticed my school boards (they do take up the only wall space I have, again, kind of obvious...) and asked if we homeschooled. I said yes we do and have for basically all of their school age.

Well, needless to say, the house was trashed from them digging into everything that didn't move...beds, dressers, closets, etc. and there are papers and bed linens, and clothes and basically a TON OF JUNK tossed about the bedrooms. We looked like a cyclone struck, and here's the long arm of the county sitting here, watching my children tear everything apart, wandering to and fro, noticing we homeschool, and that we have 10 people living in 1400 sq feet and asking nonchalant questions about it all. They were mumbling whispering talking among themselves as they left and we walked them out.

I am gearing up for this to maybe not be over with with this visit. I understand the visit and all to clarify a seemingly prank 911 call and all that, but I just wonder if there won't be more from this. I'm picturing DHS visiting over the distressed living conditions or something. I called HSLDA to ask about some things, but was promptly told the concern today had nothing to do with homeschooling, so they couldn't even offer me thoughts or advice. They gave me some referral names for local attorneys -- however, you don't have to be homeschool-friendly really to be on their referral list, you just have to be a lawyer.

I don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but I am not a big fan of government or state intervention, so I'm a bit on the cautious side. Yeah, paranoid I'm sure you're thinking. I'll start preparing for some different scenarios and we'll just pray for the best (and most quiet) resolution or non-occurrence. Last thing I need is the local whatnot to be overly concerned about my lifestyle and homeschooling and homesteading habits.

5 comments:

FRUGAL DAYCARE MOM said...

Oh boy. Just when life gets where we want it, our over sized government has to make us worry that what we are doing in our own homes is somehow the sin of the nation. Good luck with this, my prayers are with you.

As Simply As We Can said...

Oh my goodness! You poor thing! I don't blame you for the direction your mind is going in - mine would be going in the exact same direction at full speed. I hope nothing at all comes from this. Keep us informed, ok? I'll be praying....

Momzoo said...

I am sure it will turn out fine....

but I would be nervous too.

Anonymous said...

I had a similar experience with the 911 and a curious child years ago. I was living in SC, and while on a pay phone calling collect home to my mom 6 states away, my darling daughter (age 7) decided to call 911 that she learned in school that week. She proceeded to tell the nice dispatcher that I stole her from her father, and she missed him very much.
Now I was oblivious to the conversation...I guess I just thought she was pretending on the other phone. All of a sudden, a cruiser pulls up, and I get off the phone to talk to them. They asked if she was my daughter ... "Yes" (in my mind I am wondering whether I should answer this or not)...did you steal her from her father? "No". Can we see your ID? Pull it out for them. Do you have papers to show you have custody? "No, they are in a box back in NH". Do you have a way to contact her father? "Yes"...hand the nice policeman the phone number, he calls, I talk to ex-hubby after policeman verifies that I have custody...ex is nearly laughing hysterically now.
Needless to say, it was a nerve wracking experience.
I will keep you and the family in prayers, that this turns out to be absolutely nothing, and the officials see the obsurdity of the situation.
Cover your bases, while trying not to get too stressed about it. Maybe there is someone in your church who could assist? References and to you and your hubby's character, the behavior of your children, or even a resident lawyer?
Will be thinking of you all.

Anonymous said...

Hi, Love your blog! I am a foster parent and I see alot of what goes on in the system. I don't mean to scare you or anything, but it would be a good idea to keep everything nice and tidy. Get your school records together too, or proof of school work. If they come back and your house is in good order they will most likely leave you alone. ~di

Jer.6:16

Jeremiah 6:16
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.

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