I work in Child Protective Services and I am proud to say that.

I love working in a job field that lets me meet kids, talk to families, meet parents and meet people is a job that makes me happy. I love being able to make a difference in the world. I love being able to make a positive change. I love being a nice person to people who may not be treated that way by others. I like having people tell me that they appreciate how hard I work and the great job I do. But it's not always easy. It makes it difficult because I am a parent. I have children. I know what it's like to be a parent. And I know how to tell people what it takes to not lose your children.

Working in a field like I do, I deal with bad home situations, dirty houses, horrible parents, abuse, sexual misconduct and a lot of things I wouldn't wish on others. But through it all, I can say that I know what it's like to be a parent.

The downfall of being a parent is that if you make your neighbor mad, you piss off an ex-wife, ex-girlfriend, ex-husband or someone else you happen to cross paths with, it's as easy as them picking up their phone and calling the agency I work for and filing a complaint. Unfortunately, you cannot always avoid making someone angry. You can't avoid pissing someone off. And you can't avoid going through relationship problems, breakups or custody battles. But you can avoid abusing your kids. You can avoid beating up your children. You can avoid having domestic abuse incidents in front of your children. And most importantly, it's the best way to not lose your children.

If you are doing drugs, you could lose your children. If you are running a meth house, you could lose your children. If you are leaving them at home alone and they are too young, you could lose your children; the list goes on. It's not rocket science. What it's like to be a parent is a difficult thing to explain. There is no rule book. There is no instruction manual. You can't look it up on Google. You can ask your neighbor, your friend or your cousin and each person might give you a different answer. Each person may tell you what they think is right and what they think is wrong. And if you listen to the wrong person, you might lose your children.

I know what it's like to be a parent. It involves a lot of sleepless nights. It involves spending a lot of money. It involves taking care of your children. It involves making sure your kids have clothes. It involves making sure your kids are in school. It means that you put your children first. It means you might not do things you once did. It means your life changes. But it's an amazing feeling. It's something I would never give up. And when I go to work and know that I have to deal with parents physically and sexually abusing their children, improper supervision of their children and deal with other things parents shouldn't do, I just sit and shake my head. I know what it's like to be a parent and I see every day what happens when people lose their children.

If you want to be a successful parent, you need to do a few simple things. Don't do drugs. Don't beat your kids. Don't lock them in closets. Don't sell them to human trafficking. Don't do things you know are wrong when society doesn't think they are right. And most importantly? Love them.

I work in Child Protective Services. For the record, I don't want your kids. I don't want to remove your kids. I don't want to be in court explaining to a judge, a bunch of lawyers and your children why they are being removed and sent to live with some strange person they've never met. I don't want to knock on your door. I don't want to come over with the police and watch you get arrested. I don't want to see your kids live with a grandmother, grandfather or some other family member they've never met.

I know what it's like to be a parent. And when I get up in the morning and go to work? I'm most certainly going to deal with another situation that could possibly impact whether some parent keeps or loses their children. I know what it's like to be a parent. And I have seen what it's like to watch parents lose their children.

Do yourself a favor. Behave. Don't do things you know you shouldn't do. Raise your children. And most importantly? Don't ever put yourself in a position where someone else has to raise them.