This wonderful picture you are seeing is the last picture I took with my son. It is the day after Mother’s Day which was also my birthday in 2012. I took him to the airport so he can spend the summer with his dad in Florida and he would start school that September back in Brooklyn. But shortly before our scheduled pick up, his father and I could not come to a co-parenting agreement. He wanted our child to move between New York and Florida every 3 years, to which I declined. I believed our child needed a stabile home. Not to pick up his life, change schools, lose friends and a safe sense of security every few years. So I filed for custody here in New York and 3 days later his father filed for custody there in Florida. Shortly after that, my mother told me that my son’s father called her and told her that he would not be dropping my son off to be picked up on the scheduled date. He never called me to tell me that plans changed, so I went to his house directly to pick up our son. I drove all the way from Brooklyn, NY to Niceville, FL. I rang the bell and my son ran to the door and into my arms and asked if we were going home. I told him that we were. I was invited into the house by my son’s grandmother and she locked the door behind me. When my son’s father saw me he instantly got livid and told me that I’m not taking his son anywhere. A physical altercation ensued. The grandmother was pulling my son out of my arms while his father was putting me in a headlock. The grandmother hid my son in another room while my son’s father had me in a full Nelson. I was screaming and screaming for help and my cousin (a corrections officer) heard me from outside. He broke down the door and got my son’s father off of me. I was searching the house for my son and I couldn't find him. My son's father's other family members came running into the house and tried to fight me as well. Finally the police came and took statements as I was being sent to the hospital. One officer came to meet me there and told me that if I didn’t press charges then they won’t. So I didn’t. But the police could not give me my child, they said that this needed to be handled in court. It took the courts 7 months to determine which state had jurisdiction and it was not New York. My son was born in Orlando, FL and lived in the state of Florida a mere 100 more days than in New York. I was given a temporary order of visitation via Face Time, but I could not bring my son to visit me due to an injunction his father filed not allowing my son to leave the state of Florida. So this is how it was for a while, I was waiting to be served papers for the next court date and they never came. I would be just talking to my 3 year old, then my 4 year old…then one day it stopped. I would call on Face Time and no answer.. Send texts; read receipts were on but no answer. I would send emails and no answer. From March 2013 to December 2013. No answer. I didn’t know if my son was ok, if he was up, down, left or right. If he lived at the same address, nothing. I missed his 5th birthday, and I missed Christmas. No Mother’s day, no Thanksgiving, no plain-ol-any-day-of the-week-I-want-to-talk-to-my-son day.

My boyfriend sent an email to my son’s grandmother on my behalf before the Christmas holiday and she called me the day after. She relayed the message of me trying to contact my son and soon after I received a call from him. But before I spoke to him she relayed a message to me. She told me that my son was lashing out with anger because the women in his life had left. (I’m in NY and she along with his aunt and cousins moved to Colorado) Scared, anxious and holding back tears I spoke to my son praying that he isn’t mad with me or thinks that I abandoned him. But when he saw me, he was so happy! And the first thing out his mouth was "Can I come home now?” I told him that I have to talk to Dad first and he walked right over to him and said “Can you talk to Mom because I’m ready to go home.” His dad was not receptive. After speaking to him for the first time since August of 2012 he explained that he doesn’t want to work things out in the best interest of our son. He wants to go through the courts because he is “stuck in a dead-end job to pay legal fees and wants to recoup the money because he can barely take care of our son”. Recoup meaning that I pay his legal fees should he win the case. But it has always been about the money. He also told me that he is seeing a therapist because he thinks he is going insane. I asked him if I could fly down and visit my son and he flat out told me no. He said "I'm not trying to keep you from seeing Johnny, but no, I dont want you to come down here."

Since then I speak to my son every single day and not one has gone by that he doesn’t ask “When am I coming home to New York?” He says that he doesn’t want to see me on the phone anymore, he wants to see me and his brother so he can hug us. He said he doesn’t want to live there anymore because he doesn’t like it and the kids make fun of him. His hair has been dreaded but it is mostly unkempt so he doesn’t look neat and tidy.

My son spends most of his time alone in his room playing video games or watching inappropriate shows like “The Regular Show” on Cartoon Network that is not suitable for 5 year olds. His dad doesn’t read to him and spends time in his “office”. I recently found out that he  plays Call of Duty online on the Playstation. This is how he is spending his free time. 

So, I read him Mickey Mouse books and Dr. Seuss books over Face Time. We sing songs and he gets to spend time with his baby brother who he loves so much. He makes up freestyle songs with his brother’s name in it and sings them to him.

My son is in a home with no love, no personal attention and no family. He is crying out for help and I have to get him out of there. Bring him home to a family that adores him and each other. That cares about his well being, his education, the food he eats and about his dreams and happiness.
I have spoken to a few lawyers in the Destin, FL area and was told that to take my case it would cost me $5,000. So I am reaching out to my friends, my family and to everyone to help raise money to bring my baby home.