It all started when my neighbor, a mother of six, dropped her kids at my doorstep and assured me she would be back on Sunday. I had always been the kind of person who would say no to taking care of someone else’s children, but this time, I was tricked into it.

She had a history of talking the neighbors into babysitting for her, and I had fallen for it before. But not this time. When she came knocking on my door again, I pretended I wasn’t home. She persisted and knocked harder until I had no choice but to answer. She quickly mumbled a few sentences about being back on Sunday, and before I could respond, she ran off and jumped into a taxi.

Suddenly, I found myself with six children in my house, unsure of what to do. I texted the mother, reminding her that I expected her to pick up her kids within 40 minutes or else I would have to call Child Services. She didn’t respond to my text, so I called her and said the same thing. To my surprise, she claimed to be out of town and unable to return in such a short amount of time.

Desperate for a solution, she suggested dropping the kids off at another neighbor’s house, Jennifer, who was 68 years old and in fragile health. I told her that if she wasn’t here within 10 minutes, I would take the kids to the local council, and they would decide if she was fit to be their mother. She responded with angry words and told me I would regret it. That’s when I felt like she was baiting me.

In that moment, I made the difficult decision to call Child Services. I sent her a text letting her know that I had done it. She called me back, furious, and claimed she was halfway to Blackpool and threatened to harm me if it was true. To prove my point, I sent her a video of Child Services picking up the children. The police were present too, as they always accompany Child Services in case any criminal activity is involved. They asked a lot of questions about the mother.

Although I am convinced that I did the right thing, my spouse, who had been in foster care as a child, was furious with me for separating the mother from her children. He believed that I didn’t give her enough time to come and pick up her kids before involving Child Services. He even said that I should have never taken the kids in the first place and should have followed the mother’s instructions by putting them in a cab or leaving them with Jennifer.

His words hit me hard. I couldn’t sleep, and he left for work without even talking to me. Now I’m considering going back to Child Services and admitting that I may have overreacted or misunderstood the situation. I want to find a way to make it up to the children and get them out of foster care. I had no idea how challenging it could be for children in the system.

What are your thoughts on this situation?