Hello. My name is Patrick. I am a single father with 2 kids. My youngest is 5 and a half years old and the one this is all about. Her mother has not been in the picture for approximately 4 years (we broke up before she turned 2). She has had brief and sporadic contact in all that span. Suddenly she decided she wants to come back and be THE parent after abandoning her child. Our daughter doesnt even know her or recognize her anymore. And after my pushback, she became very aggressive and began threatening us. So now we have a custody case and needing emergency funds for a lawyer and other legal fees. I would normally not resort to something like this, but I need to win this case for my daughter. My measly 45k a year is too much for low income support programs but not enough to save on my own in such a short time without completely compromising my other bills like house, car, and power bills etc. I'll do anything for my daughter. Her mother is not only an unorganized mess (she never has a stable place to stay and can't hold a job), but also violent and unhinged. She was incredibly abusive when we were together and has only come back to prove that she still hasnt fixed or improved her erratic and dangerous behavior. Taking our daughter away from what is now her established home and family would only alienate her in an incredibly important time of her life and development.