When Parents Are the Threat

A few months after Chloe's birth, Oksana met with members of Scott's family. She owned up to her past drug use, insisted that she had quit cold turkey and asked for their support. For their part, Oksana and Scott began to establish a caring relationship with their daughter while she lived in a foster home. Oksana visited Chloe regularly, starting with a few hours at her social worker's office and gradually increasing the time until Chloe was spending two nights a week with her parents. "We spent a lot of time cuddling," says Oksana. In February Oksana and Scott regained custody of Chloe, now a 10-month-old toddler. And Chloe's foster parents babysit every two weeks, thus affording Oksana and Scott a much needed break and an additional degree of support.