In Re Vincent C.

VOGEL (Miriam A.), J.

When two young children were essentially abandoned by their parents and taken into protective custody, their paternal grandmother gave them a home. They lived with her for three years, during which time the Department of Children and Family Services regularly praised the grandmother and the manner in which she cared for the children. When the parents stopped visiting and the children got older, there were behavioral problems and the children were removed from the paternal grandmother's home. She did not contest the case worker's recommendation to place the children elsewhere, but did seek de facto parent status so that she could continue to be heard concerning their care. Her request was denied, for the stated reason that her inability to control the children justified that decision. Reading between the lines, we suspect the petition was denied either because the juvenile court found the grandmother's involvement too time consuming (she attended every hearing and was not shy about expressing her views) or too expensive (because she had not, until then, demanded a lawyer). Whatever the real reason, the record does not support the order. We…