Strollerderby

It's hard - sometimes I think about the things that come out of my two and a half year old's mouth and wonder what someone would think if they heard JUST that statement....i.e. - the other day after bonking heads playing ball she kept saying over and over "Daddy hurt me!" My child, who adores the outdoors is already covered with bruises on her knees and scrapes on her arms....

but in the same breath you don't want these things slipping through the cracks....

from the video alone i was not convinced, it was weird i'll admit. but 2 year olds can say some weird things. but if her whole blog account is true, then there is something seriously wrong going on here. If this mother really believes her daughter is being hurt, then i dont blame her for putting this online. if i thought my child were being abused i would do everything i could to stop it.

I get the Mom wanting to protect her daughter, but just imagine that little girl trying to have a relationship with her father if the Mother is wrong. Either way, poor kid.

I believe the dad should  be in jail and he should never be able to be around his daughter again how can somebody do that to a child let along their own child that's just sick

Sherry, really? After seeing this, reading the article, it's very clear that the mother set this guy up. Even the experts and the police say as much. A group of professionals and officials would never support a guy who would do this. With a grainy video, you determine the guy should lose his child? Your opinion on this video should over ride all the professionals that seen this girl?  I can't understand your opinion.  It's black and white what happened.

Small children can be coached on what to say and are very open to suggestion. False memories can be created. If the mother has taught her daughter to say these things and has convinced her that daddy did these things then she's only hurt her case by posting it on the net. If a thourough investigation has been conducted maybe another should be done but I don't believe the child should be taken away if nothing can be proven, in all likelyhood the mother is just vindictive.

I have also saw the videos of the daughter being picked up by her father. He has to rip her from her mothers arms! IMO a child just doesn't act like that when going to visits someone she feels safe with. Coaching or not, there is something more going on there.

This is simply someones opinion without knowing all the facts. The mother wasn't even the one who posted that video. Reguardless of the alleged acts the mother is accusing the father of, doesn't this deserve to be looked in to. Even if it were found not to be true then this little girl is being exploited and that would be worth looking in to. But exploitation is not the big issue here. Just put yourself in the moms shoes. Yes there is a custody battle, but kids that age don't say things like "Daddy's worm tastes yucky". Come on now. I have to wonder if this author knows the father. Why not ask; What if this is true? I know that I don't want to turn on the TV 6 months from now and hear about Aaliyah being killed or put in the hospital from this and know that I was too skeptical to do what I could. This is a child-what happened to people's souls?

This case sure does seem to make people point fingers at anyone who does not immediately side with the mother and call them a friend or family member of the father.  Could it not also be true that there are those who just disagree with the interpretation of the little evidence presented so far?

What matters is someone IS causing this child harm- maybe even both parents.  This is a child whose situation needs to be re-investigated, or just investigated depending on which family you side with.

There have been no charges filed YET.  But this mother is meeting with the DA who handles child abuse cases- we will have to wait to see what comes of that, and which parent is discussed, what charges are brought.  This meeting is scheduled for the day after the next court date. Hopefully visitation for the mother will be restored(it is currently not happening at all because the visitation center has suspended /declined to allow Connie to use their facilities.

I hope this case is fully investigated now!  I just don't see enough to warrant name calling and accusations of the father as a pedophile after no physical evidence has been reported to have been found.  I sure do see enough to warrant a full scale all out investigation for the benefit of this child to determine what needs to be done for her safety and happiness.  

I really don't care about the parents- they can take care of themselves.  Whoever is abusing this child - even if it is both parents to some degree- needs to be held accountable for what is PROVEN to have happened to this defenseless and beautiful little baby.  Then every bit of this story that can be deleted needs to be about this case.  Can you imagine growing up and find all this about yourself and your family in about 10 years???  Including the videos and pictures? poor baby!

I pray for her- screw the rest of these fools.

the best interest of aaliayh is to remove her from her father.He sounds as if he isnt doing his job as a father. Placer county has failed aaliyah and hasnt been helpful to anyone. why this county would hide the fact this little girl is being abused is beyond me. this isa miscarriage of justice.who is going to save aaliayh? does someone need to break the law to keep this child safe?

Actually, after much digging into this case and the history behind it.  There is much unreported by the child's family, and next to nothing about the father's.

My initial reaction was emotional, and in support of the mother.  I now only support the child.  The parents are on their own.  They all go back to court on June 1.

The mom had joint custody until July 2008, when it was changed to supervised visitation only.  In June 2008 there was the taping of the video, the visit the next day to police, followed by a 5 day visitation with the father.  From June 15 to June 23 she was with her mother.  On June 23 there was indeed an MDIC interview.  (multi disciplinary interview center)  Information about this process is available online through placer county as in information about the STEP program.  From the mother's own statement:

July 1 2008

Step at 1 pm

July 3 2008

Court at 1 30 pm. Step took Aaliyah from me.

The Step program since has lost funding as many programs statewide did during the budget crisis in CA.

There are many facts we are not aware of.  That the mother's family believes abuse to be true is not in doubt.  Whether it is, is not proven.  What is clear is this has been a very volatile relationship between the parents for many years.  It needs to continue to be investigated, and I believe it will be.  Courts move slowly, and without physical evidence there will be no arrest just because the mother wants it.  Subjective opinions of family and friends does not put people in jail, or both parents would be.  These families DO NOT like each other at all, and that has been going on for longer that this child's life.

This situation is much more complex and has more than one interpretation possible.   Even my initial opinion was much different watching the full 27 minute video as opposed to the edited down 9 minute one.  All I can say after much surfing for the facts, I am not convinced one way or the other.  I am convinced that this child deserves to be happy and safe.  There is definitely, in my opinion, more here than meets the eye once you remove the initial emotional impressions.

If everyone really knew this girls past!! then maybe questions would be raised about her! I will give you one example: thinking the world was going to end for y2k, so she left the States and went to Jordan...Then came back like, opps...If thinking the world is coming to an end because of that, you def. have some spiders crawling around in you HEAD!!! people get the facts straight before you start rambling!  The only one that needs to be locked up is CONNIE BEDWELL for exploiting this poor little baby like this, cause they found her NOT FIT TO BE A MOTHER!!!! she would say anything or do anything(including saying the dad is doing wrong things) Why did the little one say "MOMMY MAKES ME SAY THOSE THINGS"  she is not right in the head!  

After much more reading about this case, I do not believe this father is abusing this child.  In my opinion this mother and her family will never accept this.  This will leave the court with no option but to terminate the rights of the mother.

There have been investigations, and there have been no findings of abuse.  It is now being said there has even been a California Child Abuse 730 exam that found no evidence of any physical or sexual abuse.  If true, then this mother is wrong, her family is wrong, and the damage to this child has been done by her mother's fears and beliefs.  The damage done to this father's reputation will never be undone.

They return to court June 30.  It will be interesting to see what this new judge decides.  If he rules against the mother, what will she do then?

Does she deserve to lose all visitation and any future access to her child?  How do you all feel about that?