I'm afraid of what's going to happen.

I have a sister-in-law. who has a 9 year old son.  He was borned  with a waterhead.  The doctor told her that he was
borned with the surving part of his brain.  Now he is 9 years old
and is said through the family that all he has is a under
developed brain stem.  For a boy who can talk,walk,laugh,tease,
has imagination. She will not putt him in school to help him
develop his full potiential in life.  He has some retardation
but she still will not work with him to develop his full potiental in life.  We have offered to help him to put him in a school district where we live.  She said no. She is currently home schooling him and not teaching him anything.  I know because she lives with her mom and her mom calls to complain that she never has the time to work with him. I'm afraid that when the grandma dies that he will be place in a nursing home.
What should I do.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

If this child is being poorly served by his mom, it is incumbent on relatives and friends to intervent and take the bull by the horn. This might mean calling the situation to the attention of the local child protection agency. Parents should be the primary decision-makers for thewir children, and public agencies should involve themselves only when their services are voluntarily sought or when issues of abuse or neglect are involved. In this instance, in spite of her good intentions and the love she probably has for her son, the mom is not acting in the child's best interest.

[SPIKE]

Thanks for responding for the question that I posted.  I have tried to go through child protection agency and they told me it was the school's responbility.  The school told me to call the child protection agency.  The child protection agency told me it is the school's responbility to contact the children protection agency. That the child is not being taught.  I feel like I have been getting the run around with the school district and child protection agency.  I have gotten the child protection agency to visit the home because at that time.  He had 6 rotten teeth and couldn't eat without pain.  I found out through the grandma that they showed up and said she kept a clean house.  That she was a good mom.  The next day he had 6 permantly teeth pulled and spend a week in the hospital because of his teeth.  His shutt went bad.  I have been battling with this since he's been 6 and a half years old.  Could you recommend somebody who I can contact.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

If you want to indicate where the child lives (city/town and state, perhaps I or one of the readers of the Forum will have a particular suggestion.

[SPIKE]

Salem Missouri  Thank you

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

While you're probably already familiar with this resource, it's nonetheless appropriate: it's the Dent County Division of Family Services (part of the Sate of Missouri's Department of Social Services). It's located at 800 Highway 32 West; P.O. Box 490; Salem; Tel. [phone].