I have been following a story in the news in Houston since the new year in which a mother left her six children, ranging in age from 16 to 1, alone for a month while she traveled to Nigeria to meet a man she met on the internet. The family had relocated to Houston from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

The mother had told her 15-year-old daughter that she would return in a month and gave her the family's Lone Star Card, which is the name of the card in Texas that is funded for food stamps. However, the card contained no money. The authorities were called when the daughter wrecked the family van in the garage. The children claim that their aunt was supposed to travel from New Orleans to care for them, but the aunt told authorities she did not have the money to get to Houston.

The children were removed from the home and put in foster care while authorities attempted to locate their mother. The mother had told other family members and her children that she would return in a month. After the children were removed from the home, the mother contacted authorities and told them that she had not abandoned her children and that she thought they were in the care of relatives. When she finally returned to Houston, she was arrested and charged with child endangerment and child abandonment. She is currently in jail in Houston. Her court hearing is today.

This story is so sad on so many levels. These children spent the holidays trying to survive, living in what's been reported as horrible living conditions, with no money and no one to take care of them. They are now in foster care and will probably not be able to stay together as a family. What always upsets me the most about these stories is that there's really no good solution in these situations. Children are pulled out of a bad situation when Child Protective Services gets involved, and spend months or even years in a court system and foster care. This is the best option for them and definitely better than the one they had. When I hear stories like this, I always hope that the children are safe and encouraged to finish school and go on to succeed in spite of their circumstances.

Meanwhile, I hope the mother felt her trip to marry her internet boyfriend was worth it. I have no sympathy whatsoever for anyone who endangers their children for selfish reasons, and what she did couldn't be more selfish.