Hello, I'm a single mom, and I am really not good at these types of things. I don't even know where to start. My daughter's father has been taking me to court almost every year since 2018 to try and take her from me. Her father has always resided in California. Two years ago, my daughter and I moved to Washington state (from Philadelphia) to try and make visitation easier and less expensive for us both. Her father immediately started taking me to court in CA, basically trying to sue me for moving closer. Last Thanksgiving, our daughter was going for her scheduled visit, and he was supposed to return her on the 1st of December. That didn't happen. He tells me the night before our agreed-upon pickup that he is keeping our daughter.

Long story short, he managed to find every legal loophole to get away with keeping her, and I hit every wall of bad luck and technicalities you could think of.

I spent six weeks out of work in CA doing everything the legal way to try and bring her home. It wasn't until June 3rd of 2025 that her father was finally court-ordered to return her to WA.

Come to find out, the last six months of trying to get her home was the easy part. When she finally came home, she hated me. Her father and his family managed to completely manipulate our 8-year-old daughter. She blamed me for everything.

Since her return, everything has been an adjustment. Her father and I are now having to go to trial, and even after everything, he is still allowed to take her out of state for Thanksgiving again this year. I am behind in all of my bills, rent, car payments, utilities, and constantly growing legal fees. With my daughter's mental health and my own, it is also taking time away from my work.

The amount I would truly need just to get my head above water is more than I could ever ask for, but if anyone is willing to spare a little, it would help and be extremely appreciated.