Losing Battle?

[proeder1]

Thanks for the advice.  I'm so frustrated.  The caseworker finally called and I told her that I was very upset with the situation.  I reminded her that I had told her Mom could not be trusted with over-night visitation and she agreed that the situation was unacceptable.  She said she would call Mom and see what was going on.  I told her I would not release the boys to her for overnights until Child Protective Services found out what was going on.

She called me back and said she talked to Mom and told her that the overnight situation was unacceptable "until CPS could run a background check on Jay".  She said Mom told her that she would take them to her mother's house for all visitation and overnights until the background check was done.  I said I didn't believe this.  She's already lied in order to get overnight visitation and then took them to some guy's house when she got them.  I asked the caseworker why she was even getting overnights after what she had done.  The caseworker said I should probably call the boys other grandmother when Mom has overnights "just to reassure myself that they were okay".  I'm feeling ballistic!  I told the caseworker that Mom has a history of running off with the kids and then abandoning them in the care of her "friends".  She once disappeared for 2 months and we found out later that she had gone to a homeless shelter and, since they didn't have room for the kids, the kids had spent two months in an orphanage.  During that whole nightmare, we had the police looking for Mom and the kids and the police were being told by the homeless shelter that they would not release the names of people in their facility.  Mom got away with all of this by telling the shelter that she was "abused".  As soon as she got tired of playing her games, she shows back up begging my son to take her back and saying she was "out of her mind" on drugs.  This is a pattern with her and I don't understand why CPS is so concerned with her getting visitation when she has lied to them time after time.  Custody itself is another whole ballgame.  It seems to me that CPS is bending over backwards to "help her get her life back on track and give her every opportunity to be a mother to her children"  In the meantime, here's my son, doing everything in his power to get custody and not even getting a pat on the back from CPS.  

[proeder1]

Just wanted to take a minute to say "Thanks" to those who are trying to help.  I'm a nice, kid-oriented, high school teacher and never thought I'd have to deal with this kind of issue.  I get to feeling so depressed and helpless and I didn't know who to talk to about custody and the "system".  My friends are my friends and I know they care about me but they must be SO sick of hearing about all of this.  It seems to consume me.  Now I feel like I have a place to vent and get advice.  Again, Thanks!