These appeals involve an order of the juvenile court terminating the mother’s and father’s parental rights to nine-year-old C. A. S. and twelve-year-old C. S. In Case Number A08A0632, the mother appeals the juvenile court’s order. In Case Number A08A0633, the father appeals the juvenile court’s order. Because the cases involve essentially the same set of facts, we have consolidated them for appeal. We note that the mother and father are also the biological parents of two other children, four-year-old A. Q. S. and two-year-old A. Q. S. Their parental rights as to these two children have already been terminated, and that case has not been appealed. The evidence presented at the parental rights termination hearing revealed the following: The mother and father of C. A. S. and C. S. have never been self-supporting and were living with the father’s father at the time the children were taken into protective custody on November 18, 2004 and at the time of trial. The father’s sister took the children for a weekend and noticed that the children exhibited evidence of chronic neglect and possible abuse. They were extremely dirty and had an odor. One of the children complained of burning when she urinated and was red between her legs. The other child would not speak. The father’s sister took both children to a safe house.
The father’s sister testified that over the years she has observed neglect of the children and inappropriate parenting by the mother and father, including such areas as bathing, feeding and clothing. One of the children told her that children at school made fun of her because she smelled bad. On another occasion she observed the mother and father pass one of the children back and forth for over an hour because neither one wanted to change the diaper. She had also seen the mother chew food, spit it out and then feed it to the children. This behavior continued on visits with the children while they were in the custody of the foster parents. The foster mother witnessed the mother repeatedly chewing food and then putting the food in the children’s mouths. The father’s sister had urged the father to take care of his children and tried to talk to the parents about the care of their children, but neither parent understood or changed. She previously reported the mother and father to the Department of Family and Children Services in 1999 and 2000.
