Child Protective Services In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a memoir about a family struggling with poverty, neglect, and instability. The Walls children grew up in an environment of neglect and abuse, with parents who were often drunk and unable to provide for their basic needs. Given the circumstances of their upbringing, the question of whether the Walls children should have been taken away by child protective services is a complex and difficult one. But, with all the evidence provided in The Glass Castle, Rex and Rose Mary Walls should have their children taken away by child protective services.
On the one hand, it's clear that the Walls children were not receiving adequate care from their parents. They were often left to fend for themselves, going without

During these times, Rose Mary never took the blame for her children’s lack of nutrition. “Well,” Mom said, “We should have saved the margarine just in case the gas gets turned back on, Miracles happen, you know.” It was because of my and Lori’s selfishness, she said, that if we had any bread, we’d have to eat it without butter”(pg. 69). Rose Mary deliberately excused herself from blame. The gas had been shut off, no bread was made, yet she still got angry at the kids for eating margarine and butter.
In many cases, child protective services would intervene in situations like this, with the goal of providing a safer and more stable environment for the children. The agency might remove the children from their parents' care and place them with relatives or in foster care, with the hope of eventually reuniting them with their parents once they have addressed their problems. This would be a great option for the Walls children, so they have time to mature and begin dealing with their problems

It's clear from the story that the Walls parents were struggling with their own demons, including alcoholism, mental illness, and poverty. “Dad said he had been chasing Demon for years. By now, Dad said, that old Demon had figured out that it had better not mess with Rex Walls” (pg. 36). The question arises as to whether these factors should be considered when deciding whether to remove children from their parents' care. If poverty, addiction, and mental health issues are to be considered, where is the line to be drawn? At what point do the parents' struggles become so overwhelming that the children's welfare is at risk? These are difficult questions with no easy