What if you had lived with your husband who had a psychotic break while you were 9 months pregnant with your first child, and ever since that moment has been abusive to you and your two children.

What if you spent nine years with him: trying to protect the children from his unstable rages, working full-time to provide for the family as he was not able to; feeding and caring for them alone as he was not willing or able to.

What if, despite your supporting him in trying to keep a job, in getting psychiatric care and medications (for as far as they were able to help), he continuously derided you, physically abused you, isolated you by switching church communities, keeping you distant from family.

What if suddenly and inexplicably he left, for months you heard nothing. And you realized, maybe, MAYBE, there was a chance for you and your daughter and son to be free of his rule, to live in true peace, and fully love each other.

Months later, you receive court papers naming you as the Respondent in divorce proceedings. And so it begins. It SHOULD be the way out.

But now you are three years in, and you can see that he is determined to destroy you. That he is able to charm people to make it seem like he wants the children, but he does not, they are pawns in his revenge on you. You, and they, should be subservient to his command. Period.

You remember that it has always been this way, since his first psychiatric episode. Any time anyone expresses any joy he moves to quash it. Anyone else's personal need is nothing unless sanctioned by him. He cannot stand that you love the children and that they love you.

He cannot stand that they can no longer love him (though of course, as children, they LONG to be ABLE to love him and to be a true family). He cannot see his role in their fear. He cannot accept that his order cannot create love, respect and closeness.

If he cannot be happy, he will make damn sure YOU and the CHILDREN will not be either. His brother is rich, puts him on his payroll so it looks like he can keep a full-time job, and pays for his lawyer. He and the lawyer start a true campaign of destruction.

He files motion after motion, requiring you to compile mountains of information. The judge in the case appoints a Guardian ad litem (GAL), whose job is to research the details of the case, collect evidence, interview witnesses, and report to the court, ON BEHALF OF THE CHILDREN.

He works his charm on the GAL, she is immediately convinced that HE has been wronged. She does not talk to you. You send her a huge amount of evidence of his abuse: written communications, videos, medical records; you send her a list of witnesses for her to interview.

She replies with one sentence. Of the list of 8 witnesses she calls only one and doesn't include any testimony in her report. She includes none of the evidence you have given. The role of GAL is supposed to serve as evidence provider and counselor to the judge. She provides NONE.

Her recommendation to the judge is that the father has not had the OPPORTUNITY to have a relationship with his kids, due to their unnatural attachment to you, their mother, and your undue influence. She says the idea of their abuse has been planted in them by YOU.

The judge has been hostile to you all along, and continues to be so. Sometimes you have a lawyer to help you, but most times you have to try to fight them yourself. You submit evidence into the online court documents, thinking that at LEAST you can get them on the record.

Now he and the GAL start another mode of attack. They have somehow discovered that you, financially desperate to care for the kids and fund this lawsuit, have been trying to raise funds through your twitter presence, which you normally use for your work and also socially.

He realizes that he cannot allow you to have any defenses. He starts surveilling you on twitter. He sees you post an expose giving deeper description of your situation, and he sets the GAL to investigate this. He files a motion to have your twitter presence removed.

You have a series of hearings: the judge will not allow you to fully question him or the GAL, cuts you off when you speak, denies your motions for a time extension to prepare, will not review the evidence. He accepts anything the GAL says.The GAL wants her money, files a motion.

A final trial is planned for 6 months in the future. But in the meantime, he rules on all the outstanding motions. It is an unbelievable blow. You can't believe it. You and the children are RIGHT BACK IN IT. Like you never got free.

Keep in mind, it is the time of corona virus. It is EVERYWHERE, and constantly getting more dangerous. You filed a motion to temporarily keep him from having visitation with the kids in the state that he'd moved to (back home with his parents, and his rich brother.

The CDC, the state governments including the courts, have issued all kinds of orders since the start of the virus, trying to protect citizens, advising NO traveling, NO mixing of households, KEEPING distance, WEARING masks, etc.

The judge order completely disregards ALL sense. He ordered that the kids live alternately, a month with him, a month with you. A MONTH, LIVING WITH HIM, THEIR ABUSER, ALONE. He's found a way to keep you from protecting them. He wants to hurt you, he knows where your heart is.

He, of course, rarely wears a mask. He lives in a state that is drowning in covid, in the county with the second highest incidence of cases. He is living with his parents and his rich brother and HIS kids have also moved in. The likelihood of their catching it increased hugely.

And though he didn't manage to get you fully off twitter, he is still stalking you there, and you dare not post, dare not SCREAM TO THE WORLD, as you are DYING to, of what is happening, and BEG for help to get them back, to protect them from this insanity.

At the beginning of December, you and the children get your Christmas tree and decorate it. You exchange gifts, you sing songs, you take joyful pictures. You hold each other. You weep together. And then, you are forced to allow him to take them.

They are there with him now. It is Christmas. It is your first time without your children for more than a couple of days in their whole lives, never mind at Christmas. You cannot protect them. You cannot stop your mind, your heart. You try to keep faith, you love them, and hope.

And there IS hope. There are your friends, who are sharing your story for you. There is the fantastic lawyer you have found, who has a plan of attack.

But fantastic lawyers are expensive, and he needs to make a move IMMEDIATELY that will cost 20 thousand dollars.

If you can, help my dear friend, to try change the trajectory of their story, BEFORE tragedy is irreversible. SHARE this as far and wide as you can, GIVE as much, as often as you are able.
#FightingForThem
GoFundMe  https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-this-mother-and-her-children
Cashapp:
http://cash.me/$fightingforthem