New neighbors endanger their kids

DEAR AMY >> I have serious concerns about new neighbors, who moved in about a year ago. They have two young daughters.

I suspect the mother is an alcoholic. Her actions are putting the girls in danger.

On several occasions I and other neighbors have seen her drive erratically down our street, once with a little girl on her lap holding the steering wheel.

Another time she had left the house and was chugging a bottle of wine outside. She was yelling about how she was free because the girls were alone inside: “Hooray, I'm free...!”

The latest issue was most frightening.

I was walking my dog and one of the little girls was naked and standing in the street.

She was crying, saying that she could not find her mommy.

I took her to her house and searched the home for the mother.

The house was filthy and looked like it had been ransacked. There were no bed sheets on the beds and the kitchen was trashed.

I was scared that something had happened.

I ended up finding the mother curled in a bedroom corner with the second daughter.

After finally waking her, she said that she had the stomach flu and couldn't handle the children.

I offered to bring the girls to my house so she could clean herself up. She refused.

I left the room, but stayed close by in case she took me up on my offer.

I did call her husband and he thanked me for my concern.

The husband has also been visibly drunk in front of the house.

What do I do now? Should I call social services?

I am very concerned for the children's well-being.

— A Concerned Neighbor

DEAR CONCERNED >> You were kind to intervene. But you should have called the police immediately upon finding this little girl, naked and crying in the street.

You could have put your own shirt over her and comforted and calmed her down on the sidewalk while waiting for the police to arrive. This is an extremely frightening situation for a vulnerable child.

Under these circumstances, it's a tough judgment call for you to bring the child back into a house where you've never been and where you don't know what you'll encounter.

Having encountered this horror show, you did your best to be kind, calm, and helpful. A true good Samaritan.

Now that you've seen the inside of this household, you should immediately call your local Department of Child Services, describe the incident, the household, and other frightening things you've witnessed.

These children need immediate protection, and their parents should face legal consequences for their criminal neglect.