Recently my daugther had two friends to sleep over - call them Bee and Doll. Bee is in my kid's class. Doll is seven - a grade up from the other two. Doll is someone who stays with Bee and her mom every day after school as her mother works - i had never met her  mother at that time. Bee's mom arranged for the sleepover. During the weekend i found out that Doll's mother was abroad for the weekend and would have left Doll at home with her 12 year old brother. I was quite shocked by this. But i knew if you report it you bring in services and her mother is a single parent and an economic migrant who probably does not have a work permit. And how would that help Doll?

We just had Doll to stay over this weekend again. THe kid is starved of affection - and has a constant cold and inadequate clothes - and has never seen her dad and rarely sees her mom. I met her mom this weekend and i don't think she is a bad person - in fact i think she is close to break point - but has completely lost sight of her daughter. The kids and i baked a cake and went to the zoo and Doll had never done either before! It breaks my heart. Tonight Bee's mom had a bust up with Doll's mom - as Bee and Doll fight a lot - and Doll cannnot go to Bee's place after school any more. I called Doll's mom to say she can come here after school but met some polite resistance.

What on earth should i do? I am really worried about that little kid. All i can think about is how she kept coming up and putting her arms around me or standing quiet and close to me - like trying to absorb some mother warmth.