This is the kind of story that shouldn't happen in America, but does. It is the kind of story that leaves families feeling angry, frightened and vulnerable. 

          And, it could happen to anyone.

          It begins with a Davis couple I'll call Rick and Karen Taylor, although those are pseudonyms. The Taylors head a blended family consisting of two children each from previous marriages. By all accounts, the Taylors are remarkable parents in ways you don't see nearly enough of these days.

          In letters written to a Yolo County judge, people who care about the Taylors describe Karen as a strong, patient, smart, warm and deeply devoted mother. Rick is described repeatedly as a nurturing, calm and responsible father who spends a lot of time with his children. There are stories of camping trips, a community garden and children's plays in the common grassy area of their neighborhood. (Rick built the stage.) One after another, the letters express admiration for how the couple and their ex-spouses share the children without the vindictive ugliness that defines too many such relationships.

          There are 65 of these letters - written by college deans, department chairs, teachers, a research scientist, attorneys, a nurse, foster parents, a clinical social worker - the list goes on and on. Let me try to explain why:

          In July 1993, the Taylors learned their 4 3/4-year-old son had engaged in some sexual play with another 4-year-old in the neighborhood. The Taylors were upset at first, but realized this behavior had to do with childhood curiosity, not sex. The parents of both boys talked to their sons, telling them that interest in one's body is natural, but it isn't OK to touch someone else's body or to touch themselves publicly.

          A year later, in July, the Taylors' younger son, 3, initiated a similar sex game at his preschool. A teacher asked where he'd learned this. He said Mommy taught him. Maybe he was trying to validate his behavior. Maybe he didn't want to get his older brother in trouble. The Taylors don't know.

          In any case, a police officer and child-welfare worker were waiting for Karen Taylor when she arrived to pick up her children at school that day. 

          "My 5-year-old was hysterical," she recalled. " . . . The 3-year-old wouldn't even look at me."

          Two days later - without interviewing her husband, visiting the household or checking out their explanations - authorities hauled the Taylors' four children off to a shelter.

          The Taylors know child abuse is a serious problem, but say nothing in the investigation supports any abuse allegations. In fact, if anyone is damaging their children, they say it is the authorities who've repeatedly "interrogated" their children, implying the Taylors have lots of family secrets that needed to be told. The children insisted there aren't any.

          The Taylors say the entire case rests on turning the truth upside down. For instance, Child Protective Services, the county agency charged with investigating and making recommendations to the court, says the children spoke of secrets. "Sure, they said we don't have any," Karen said.
They also accuse her of "being in denial," she said. "Why shouldn't I be denying it if nothing happened?"

          CPS also came to the conclusion she condones inappropriate sexual play. 

          "What I said was that I do not condone it, but I thought it was natural for children to be interested in their bodies. For goodness sake, we're talking about a 3-year-old child," she explained.

          She said nowhere in the transcripts do the children say their parents have touched them inappropriately. "Never, ever, ever did they say that." Likewise, charges were never filed by police who investigated the allegations.

          Meanwhile, the Taylors maintain that CPS has made recommendations without fully investigating the situation. And yet the case persists. The Taylor children have been in protective custody since July, unable even to spend time away with grandparents; he's the former mayor of a Bay Area town.

          Besides feeling wronged and pained, the Taylors are angry. They allege that CPS has unjustly and maliciously stacked the deck against them to save face.

          Social service authorities, who cannot discuss individual cases because of confidentiality laws, say CPS' job is "to substantiate our allegations based on what we've found out in investigations."

          If that is true, or if the investigation is incomplete, how does the process allow authorities to admit it when they err?

          The Taylors and other parents who feel they've been falsely accused will protest at the Yolo County Courthouse Monday morning to draw attention to their plight.

          Meanwhile, the Taylor children will not see Rick and Karen on Christmas Day. The Taylors face a mid-January court date and were afraid to rock the boat by asking a second time to see their children on Christmas.

          The first request went unanswered.

DIANA GRIEGO ERWIN'S column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Write her at P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, 95852, or call (916) 321-1057. 


All content © 1994 SACRAMENTO BEE and may not be republished without permission.