How to Apply for a Protective Order

"What is a protective order Mom?" I was asked the other day. "Why? Do you need one?" "I'm not sure, what is it?" was the quick response. "Well; it is an order issued by a court protecting a person from the actions of another person." "So that little girl we talked about in school could have gotten one, right?" I assumed at this point my son was talking about the little girl whose picture has been splashed all over every newspaper in the country. Nixzmary Brown in case you missed the press is the 7 year old allegedly tortured and beaten to death by her abusive step father in Brooklyn in January. It seems the elementary schools in the area are discussing some of the abuse cases in the news. Not necessarily a bad idea, but my concern is whether at this age the kids are able to distinguish a tushy slap from a beating. I have visions of my office phone ringing off the wall from a rash of 8 year olds who have obtained my card from my son, (he once told his bus driver that he wasn't sure what his Mom did but he knew she told a Judge her problems.) asking for information on obtaining a protective order. I seem to be making light of this but I have mixed feelings on what our school system should be discussing with our kids. Of course, I think children should be educated about abuse, but are the public schools the place for this? Perhaps the adults in charge should just keep their eyes open and do the reporting for the children. No one wants to falsely accuse a parent, especially, but maybe if a few of the adults who had contact with Nixzmary made some calls to the right agency and those adults at the agency actually followed up on the calls, we might have an extra 7 year old still running around. I really don't think we should lay this at the feet of our children. Education and information about strangers is one thing, but asking them to turn in the very people who raise them is beyond the scope of their ability. "No", I responded to his next question; "Judge Judy doesn't handle this type of case."