As soon as I was finished being sentenced, my ankle monitor was removed. The Judge told me that I could go back to my house. The restraining order that the State placed on me, was modified so that I could be around my ex. I thought it was over...."thought" being the key word...
As I previously wrote, my ex was back and forth about wanting to be with me. On the day of my sentencing, he wanted to be with me. It was after I was released that he took me for a drive with our son in the car. I was so glad to see and be with my precious, little baby boy. I had agreed to stay with my friend for a little while longer while my ex and I worked things out.
It was while we were on the road, that my ex received a call on his cel phone. It was Social Services. This is the second time they would enter my life (the first time being when I got home from the hospital, for which they dropped their investigation). They told my ex, and then me, that they filed a civil lawsuit against me which indicated that I was not allowed to be anywhere near my son. Nobody from Social Services served me any papers, or let me know what they were doing in advance...no, they dropped it on me "like a bomb". They told me over the phone that I needed to get away from my son immediately.
I was crying. I told them what the Judge said, about me being able to go to my house, and that I could be around my son. They didn't care.
I remember that I did get to read "Green Eggs and Ham" to my baby boy in the SUV. Oh how he would laugh and giggle when I would read it to him because of all of the expression I'd put in to it, while reading to him.
Social Services....I really have my feelings about them. The more I write about my story, the more you'll see why. My ex was upset about their civil lawsuit against me. At least at that time, he was.....or he appeared to be. I truly do believe that my ex was upset.
So no, it wasn't over. My criminal case was over, but things were just getting started with that civil lawsuit. Little did I know what Social Services was about to put me through. Their reasoning for their lawsuit? Because my son was in the house during that day. Eventhough my son was safe on that day, and my son was unaware of the fight since he was downstairs strapped safely in his new swing which was playing music as it rocked him, and my ex and I were upstairs.
But you see, since my son was in the house at the time of the fight, Social Services came after me. Forget the fact that I was pinned down to our bed during our fight....Social Services came down on me since I was arrested for Domestic Violence. It didn't matter that my son was unaware of what happened. It didn't matter that I never once harmed my son. It didn't matter that I was and still am a loving mother who would do anything for my son....nothing mattered.
I think it is sad how there are so many children who are being abused, yet Social Services does nothing about it. And then there's me...a mother who is a GREAT mother to my son...loving, nurturing, and patient....and I get in to a fight with my ex, and they came after me like I was a horrible and abusive mother.
What I did to my ex was wrong. I admit it. I regret it. But I have NEVER hurt my son, nor would I. Yet the way they would treat me...and little did I know how long my "battle" with Social Services would last.
In my opinion, there is something wrong with the system. I was seeing a therapist at the time who my therapist herself, once worked for Social Services. My therapist informed me that the people in Social Services are often young, and it's their first real job, and they get on a power trip. Even my therapist couldn't believe what they were doing to me.
So I had planned on staying with my friend for a little longer, while my ex and I worked things out (eventhough I was allowed by the Judge to go back to my house), but now, once again, thanks to Social Services, I was FORCED to stay away.
I couldn't believe what was going on. Little did I know about the long road ahead of me against Social Services.
