You Can Do What on Craigslist?

 I found something extremely disturbing tonight on Craigslist. I sometimes browse Craigslist out of boredom. I saw that they had forums that I had never seen before. I clicked on the parenting forum and I was totally horrified. It makes me sick writing about it, but I felt like I had to share. I went to the parenting forum because I am a single mom and I don’t have a lot of friends that live in my area. All of my friends are amazing, they just live in other parts of the country or the world. I guess that’s part of being a blogger. First I want to say, that I don’t really like Craigslist. I don’t buy or sell things on it. I don’t do much on it but browse. Noah is asleep because he is sick. I am not sure why I crawled in the bowels of Craigslist. I thought I would see normal parenting problems and people looking for advice. I thought maybe I could lend an ear, I mean I am a moderator on a parenting website and all. I am pretty good at giving advice when someone is looking for it.  I knew there were people advertising getting women pregnant on Craigslist but this is a whole kind of disgusting....

So, I click on it and start browsing. I keep seeing posts about people who are looking for babies to adopt. Maybe they are looking for a good agency or some guidance from others who have been through the process. Then I see it, I am pretty tired, so I thought I saw what I did, I rubbed my eyes and looked again. My heart sank. There are PEOPLE OFFERING CHILDREN UP FOR ADOPTION ON CRAIGSLIST. There’s a lot of them too. It’s so sad and sick that people would do this kind of thing. I am all for adoption when it is done the right way. I am sure adoption is expensive with all the legal fees and lawyers but still Craigslist? That’s really dangerous. You have no idea who these people are. They could pretend to be a loving and happy family and they really aren’t. They could do horrible things and be horrible people. I don’t understand it. Why would you just give your child to someone who answers an online ad? This cannot be legal. It surely isn’t sane. As I am reading these ads… cause let’s face it, that’s what they are ADS, for these unwanted children, I am crying. I am thinking about all those children who are victims of child trafficking. These little kids who did nothing wrong, and here they are being given away like a piece of furniture on Craigslist. I also wonder if this is some kind of scam that people are running. What is the whole process? Does money change hands? Are these kids safe? Are they being abused? Are they hungry? 

This person posts a lot!

What is Craigslist thinking by allowing this to be on there? Don’t they moderate it? Apparently not because there’s posts from 2011, so I guess the forums have been around a lot longer. It’s a horrible thing what is going on. Come on Craigslist, didn’t you learn anything from The Craigslist Killer? I would rather see people hooking up than kids being dropped off at God knows where with God knows who. It’s deplorable.  It’s disgusting. It’s WRONG.  I also think of Silvia Likens, a 16 year old who was brutally murdered 50 years ago.  She was staying with a family with her sister and she was murdered and tortured. How can this happen? We live in a society where we have options, but Craigslist should not be one of them. 

Then I saw this ad…. I threw up in my mouth. This poor 12 year old boy has behavior problems and possibly some form of Autism. I am not qualified to say either way, but his mom or maybe his mom’s boyfriend wanted to get rid of him on Craigslist. We have children, we love them, we take care of them, we nurture them, and it’s our job. We shouldn’t just give them up to anyone who wants them. Then there’s a follow up post.

 19 days after the person posted, someone else posted the boy has a good home. NINETEEN DAYS! What the hell is wrong with people? I am not going to say I know what it’s like to be in their shoes, because I don’t, but there’s help out there. If you decide it’s too much, please get help. Go through the proper channels and at least protect your child and watch out for them.

Where are these children ending up? Why is Craigslist allowing this? Are these children slipping through the cracks? Why has no one noticed?

This has to STOP right now! We need to take a stand for these children.

Should You Buy your Teen a Car?

Buying a teen their first car can be fun or very stressful. I watch a lot of court shows and quite often there are parents on the show that purchased their child a car or helped them. Of course the deal didn’t work out the way they hoped so they were in court. I know that this is a common thing for parents and children to experience when they buy from a private person, even more now with sites like Craigslist. Before you would sometimes see cars parked in parking lots with a for sale sign on them. You would call them and check out the car. Now it is easier to be scammed or to get a car for your teen that is unsafe because there is so much easier to find cars. My sister’s first car was a Sterling. Let me tell you that before she owned one I had never heard of Sterling cars. I knew it was British and I knew that it was really hard to find parts for. I am not sure why my dad bought her this car, but it ended up meeting a tragic end shortly after my sister received it. My sister was quite accident prone. They were never really serious accidents.  There was something about a lake but those details are still unknown to me. I think it rolled in to a lake? My sister is the perfect example why you shouldn’t buy a teen a brand new car.  A good used one is your best bet. How can you protect yourself though? Buying a car is a huge purchase. You really need to do your due diligence and make sure you get a good deal and a safe car for your child to drive.  

Check out my post about what to consider when buying your teen a used car.

I Need a Used Car

I am going to be in the market for a new car soon. Buying a car is a very serious deal. It is usually a large purchase and requires a lot of thought and shopping around. You have to be smart about it. You don’t want to be swindled or land on The People’s Court. When you are making a big purchase or any purchase for that matter I know to grab the nearest roll of toilet paper and crayon and get a receipt. I know that cash does not leave this hand without a receipt going in other hand. It is crucial to protect yourself and avoid sites like Craigslist, which you know I don’t use to buy anything. It is pretty risky in my opinion. I will definitely check out dealerships when I am ready to make my purchase. It will take me some time to figure out what exactly I want. Since I am a mom safety is something I think about a lot. I want to keep my precious son safe while we are running errands and traveling. I have some concerns about the safety of the cars on Craigslist because it’s not regulated by anyone. You are also opening yourself up for being a victim of a scam or someone could take advantage of you. Cars are supposed to last a long time so it is vital to not to be careless. It’s not like picking out an outfit. I love to travel so traveling will be done in this new car. I have family all over and I would like to spend more time in 2015 with my loved ones who are only an hour or two away. We have such busy lives, we don’t spend as much time together anymore. Since I have had my health problems, it makes me really think about them. We live in an area where there is pretty much anything you could want within twenty miles away, but traveling in a car is a must. I want Noah to have memories of car travel when he is young.

Be sure to see what you need to consider when buying a used car, it could save you from a lot of stress and grief.