"Apparently our three-year-old, who does not understand the concept of time, had told someone that she hadn’t bathed for five days..."

"... (she had, several times). There were also concerns over the holes in her tights and her 'unseasonal dressing.' The holes were minor and the outfits, granted, were eccentric but the only way to get out the house in the morning was to allow my daughter to dress herself. I clarified that I always included other options in her bag for when she dressed for Christmas in July but it was clear that they had already decided I was inept or neglectful, or both. Following this, after every drop-off I would send an email novella about my daughter’s clothing choices... until one day my paranoia felt too much and I stopped. I still included additional outfit options but I didn’t provide the lengthy explanations — something that returned to haunt me when I didn’t communicate a new obsession my daughter developed with some too-small shoes.... We had been told about four or five 5p-sized bruises on my daughter’s shin that we couldn’t explain.... And, of course, the strange outfits, holey tights and small shoes...."

From "My daughter’s nursery reported us to social services/When bruises were found on our child’s shin it was just the start of a humiliating, harrowing experience" (London Times).