A Mothers Plea to see her 5 yr old

My son is my world.  I would do anything for him and want only what is best for him.  He is truly my miracle, as I went through two rounds of in-vitro trying to conceive him. 

Unfortunately, my husband and I are in the middle of a divorce.  I never would have thought it would have gotten to where it is now, and I have always put my son first and have done what is best for him.  However, I cannot say that my ex is looking out for my son's best interests. You think that you know somebody and that he would always put our son first, but I have been repeatedly let down – over and over again. 

Last year, my husband, five-year-old son, and I moved to Florida to try to work on our relationship and to get a fresh start.  We tried our best to work on our issues, but realized that our relationship was not working and that we were better off apart. My husband helped me pack up our belongings, and I took our son and moved back to Illinois, where we had always lived and where the only family that my son had ever known lived.  While back in Illinois, I filed for divorce from my husband. 

During our time back in Illinois, I knew that my son missed his father, and we both agreed that our son could go down to Florida for three weeks to visit him and that my husband would send him back.....However, my son never came back.

Now, my ex will barely let me talk to my son and will not let me see him.  I constantly have to send the police to his house to do a “well-being check" just to talk to him for even a minute.  During the past months, my ex has attained a well-known lawyer in the area with financial help from his dad.  They have filed a motion that when I actually do get to talk to my son that I cannot mention “seeing” him in person.  To my absolute amazement, this motion was approved.  I am not sure if the judge understands how detrimental this is to a five-year-old!  I cannot utter the words “I can’t wait to see you!”  This is absolutely heartbreaking, as seeing my son is the only thing that I think about each and every day.

I have been with my son every day since the day he was born.  He is my world.  He is my life.  Being the mother that I am, I sent him down to Florida to visit his father because every child needs both parents, especially when they live in different states and especially when they are going through a divorce.  I still want his father to be a part of his life – even after everything that he has done to us – because I know that is what is best for my son.  My son is always at the forefront of every decision that I make and everything that I do.  I just want to hold my son, see my son, touch my son, kiss my son, hear my son's voice, and support my son through this difficult time.  My ex is taking my entire world away from me.  He is not looking out for the best interest and well-being of our son.

I have the support for my son here in Illinois.  He has a wonderful family who loves him. My parents, step-parents, grandparents, aunt and uncles, and all of his cousins live here in Illinois.  My son is the number one priority for all of them and they will all be a stable, loving support system for him as he grows up.  He was used to seeing them all of the time, and now he never has the opportunity to see them - because my ex will not allow it.  The majority of my ex’s family also resides in Illinois.  The only ones that my ex has in Florida is his dad and stepmom, who honestly have never been a big part of my son's life up to this point (think “some” holiday gatherings).

Unfortunately, this whole process is extremely expensive and currently outside of my and my immediate family's financial reach.  I have a full-time job, and I am working as hard as I possibly can to rebuild a new life for my son and me.  My ex has a very big financial support backing from his father, whose last words to me were, “We will bury you!"  I feel that they have no interest in my son’s well-being.  Their only interest is  winning in court.  So far, my family has spent $18,000 between a lawyer in Illinois and a lawyer in Florida.  That has only gotten me to the point of which state has jurisdiction.  I need a lawyer who will do everything in his/her power to fight for me and my son.  This is going to cost a lot more money.  I need all the financial support I can get to fight for my son and to bring my son back home.

Please share this with as many social outlets as you can.  I am asking for any help that you can give me.  I have always been the person who would give anything that they could to help anyone in need, and now I am that person in need. Please support me in any way that you can.  Any amount will help, nothing is too small, and nothing will go unnoticed.  I appreciate any donation from the bottom of my heart, and please keep my son in your thoughts and prayers.  I truly hope that this gets resolved and that my son is back home where he belongs – with me.

The next court date for my divorce is August 25th and the custody in Florida is still to be determined.  In the meantime I need the funds to build a case for my defense for the custody starting now so we are prepared and I can see my son as soon as possible. If I can not raise the money now I will lose all the rights to see my son.

I will update this page as things go along and please find it in your hearts to help me in this difficult time.