Our DD started school last September and we son hit it off with a family we met at the school gates. Our daughter made friends with their younger daughter, we started seeing each other socially etc.
The couple had been together a couple of years and the mum had two daughters from her previous marriage. The dad was constantly complaining about his elder stepdaughter, who is 14 and has special needs (some sort of autism or ADHD type thing I think, not sure about the specifics) Things like she had a messy room or wasn't polite enough at home. He said things like she was ruining their lives.
She would be sent to her room during adult social gatherings, which I was uncomfortable about but didn't feel it my place to say anything.
Recently the stepdaughter asked to go and live with her biological dad and stepmum. She was vilified very publicly for this decision by her mum and stepdad, and following her change of residency last week, his mum has declared that she will not be having any contact with her daughter again. She has removed her from Facebook and has ebayed her belongings.
I am horrified and don't feel like I want to spend any more time with these people, but I am worried about awkwardness at the school pick up and DD having to see the younger girl every day at school. I feel they have behaved in an abusive way towards a vulnerable child. I have seen no overt signs of them abusing the younger child, but they pride themselves in their "strict" parenting style, and have arbitrary rules at home she had to follow (not being allowed in certain rooms as they are adult only etc)
Any advice?