A while back my son, age 5-1/2, told me something brief about being hit by his stepmom at his dad's house. Today my 12 year old daughter said it, and that she is sometimes called dumb @, or much worse. She was clearly bothered and anxious about this stepmom. It seems that as time goes on, both kids are wanting to get away from her more and live with me. I left a quick voice mail for her T again, and he surprised me calling back within 15 minutes. He is definitely concerned. He said that he would call and talk to their father before I took the kids back. Fast forward thru more details as I am running out of time... About a half hour after dropping off the kids back at their dads, I got a voicemail--from my daughter, who never speaks to me on the phone--pretty much denying everything she told me this afternoon. She said the stepmom hit her "a long time ago--like a few months ago..." I know she was prompted (forced) to make the call, plus at the end she had to ask the person in question how to turn off the phone. She said this afternoon that she is afraid that if she tells (her T, a teacher or school counselor, etc), that person will tell and she will get in trouble. I feel like I have broken my daughter's trust! She has gotten in trouble now because I snuck a moment to call her T today. I don't believe the kids will tell me anything anymore.