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I need legal help, please not messages complimenting me on my picture. If you have legal advice, resources to offer, are willing to help me in some way shape or form please send me a private message. I have to survive while going through this, so I've put a pic. on here only so that if anyone out there is willing to help, they can see who I am and possibly meeting see that I am the person righting this.... that this is not bs, this is very serious. I was in a DV shelter, and the worst thing I did was going back, but I did and I cant take that back, bc unfortunately I'm going through life righting in pen not pencil and cant erase the stupid mistakes I have made. I am going to try to enclose, it is very hard for me, I'm not too good with uploading pics, getting this on here was very hard, but I'm now going to try to enclose a picure or more if possible of what they did to me before the shelter, and I hate myself for falling for his bs and going back, I don't know how I could have been so very dumb, obviously if he loved me none of this would have been done to me, and he would not be doing to me what he is now. THANKS IN ADVANCE TO ANYONE WILLING TO OFFER REAL HELP, NOT COMPLIMENTS ON MY PICTURE, I NEED HELP. THANK YOU

First and foremost I want my children, I miss my children ... But am told my children don't want to see speak to or even right to me. In the meantime with all of this going on, I'm living on assistance in a very small amount of just a little over $700 per month, with a housing subsidy for only one person, since the children are not with me, I am expected to provide for 3 people. I am getting no financial support from my still legal husband, and cant seem to find anyone to take my case from legal aid, I'm trying now for 3 yrs. In this time, after them being with him for 3 months he filed for child support and got it, in the amount of $25 per month. I know that is nothing, but on my income its a matter of eating or not eating, paying my gas bill or having it turned off, being able to afford to wash what few cloths I have, or not leaving the house bc I have no cloths to wear that are clean .... HE IS LIVING IN LUXURY, WITH ALL THE MARITAL PROPERTY, PLUS MY NON MARITAL PROPERTY ..... WHEN I WAS IN ARREARS OF $275 HE WANTED ME PUT IN JAIL, I HAVE NOT SEEN MY GIRLS IN 2 YEARS APPROXAMATELY, A LITTLE LONGER NOW ACTUALLY, OR HEARD FROM THEM NOTHING. I HAVE A SMALL SHARE OR RENT TO PAY OF $150, THEN I HAVE ELECTRIC BILL EVERY MONTH, VARIES MONTH TO MONTH, BUT I'D SAY THE AVERAGE OF THE BILL ADDED UP AND DIVIDED BY 12 MONTHS, SUMMER AND WINTER THE AVERAGE IS ABOUT $1,200 PER YEAR. My gas bill average is about $20 a month, I have bare basic tv phone and internet service, all three in one is the cheepest way to go and that is $93 per month, then I have a basic metro pcs cell phone which is $50 a month. What about transportation, one round trip a day is $4.50, and thats only if I'm going to a one fare zone, alot of appointments for doctors, legal resources, court, is a double fare. What about being able to go to the beach in the summer just to have some entereainment, I cant bc that would be $4.50 a day just for carefare and taken away the carefare for the bare necessities like doctors and court. I have no clothes but hand me down, whatever clothes I did have were good enough I never was too particular but for my kids, so I never really bought myself much of anything but sneakers.... but what ever clothes I had including socks are there, shirts, coats, there all there. Whatever money I got when I was approved for ssi around 2007 (retroactive benefits) I put into that house that is under his fathers name, bought him an $1,800 chain he wanted for xmas, and the rest on the kids and a vacation for the summer to camel beach in pennsylvania for the four of us, so that is gone. Whatever I had before I met him, which was a settlement from a injury I got when I was 21 yrs old, it settled as his father bought that house, and with that money I fixed up the house. So now I have no furniture, just daybeds for the kids, thinking they were coming with me, and those were bought with a one shot deal for furniture from social services, 2 old television sets bought for $40 from craigs list, a table my very distant half sister gave me. What about things like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, feminine products, cleaning supplies, a pair of boots for the winter, a couch to sit on. Yet they will put me in jail if I don't pay him $25 a month, and hes living in LUXURY FOR FREE IN THE HOME OWNED BY HIS FATHER, WITH A WOMAN HE PICKED UP ON MYSPACE FOR HER MONEY, plus wining and dining other woman of his choosing. But he has over $2,000 a month legal income, then theres the money he makes doing things like selling oxyconton 80 mgs. on the side. He has cars, all the latest gadgets, vacations with his girlfriend and my children..... I have to survive, and yet I've been told I did not demonstrate I'm unable to pay, so pay or go to jail. I've been denied spousal support one time so far, now I have some more evidence of what he is getting but am told my best option is a divorce. But with an open custody case no legal aid office will take a divorce. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, I WAS IN THE SHELTER WITH THE KIDS BC AFTER SERVING HIM WITH A FULL PUT OUT OF THE APARTMENT ORDER AND STAY AWAY ORDER FROM ME AND THE KIDS, HE WENT DOWNSTAIRS STAYING WITH BOTH HIS SISTER AND HIS FATHER IN THE BASEMENT. THEY WERE FURIOUS AND WANTED RETALIATION TO SAY THE LEAST. While I was in the common hallway that is the only way to answer to the outside or come or go, his father came up and began verbally attacking me and physically had me cornered and putting poking me in the face with his nails, then his grandaughter by his daughter and her friend got into it, they beat me nearly to death with the order of protection in my hand, with my husband watching, the police waved away the ambulance and arrested me charging me with assault 3. I was very sick all night, woke up in a hospital on a machine was told I had a grand mal seizure and almost died. WELL I HAD A LAWSUITE, I FILED FOR DIVORCE, I GOT INTO THE DV SHELTER, THEN HE BEGGED ME NO DIVORCE, THE KIDS BEGGED ME, HE SAID HE LOVED ME, I WENT BACK I DROPPED LAWSUITE THAT WAS ABOUT TO SETTLE FOR 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS ..... the thing is it was not against the city but his father, so the fathers insurance homeowners was cancelled and their was a lein on the house. At the time, I was very stupid to go back and not realize he didn't love me, he just wanted all criminal charges, and especially LEGAL (THE LAWSUITE) DROPPED, and the divorce dropped, bc in the divorce he had to pay and split up marital property and give me my non marital property. BUT WHAT I DID I CAN'T CHANGE, THE DUMB MISTAKES I MADE I CANT CHANGE ..... WHAT DO I DO FROM HERE TO MAKE IT BETTER, IF YOU HAVE ANY ANSWERS FOR ME, HELP TO OFFER PLEASE SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE. I HAD SOMEONE REPLY ON MY PICTURE AND LIKING IT, I PUT MY PICTURE ON HERE SO ANYONE ABLE WILLING TO HELP, KNOWS WHO I AM, AND IF WE MEET AT SOME POINT YOU WILL SEE IT IS ME, AND HAVE LEGAL DOCUMENTATION TO VERIFY MY SITUATION. I AM A HUMAN BEING IN NEED OF HELP, WHAT EVER I LOOK LIKE IS NOT IMPORTANT TO ME, GETTING HELP IS.

These were taken in the hospital, and I was handcuffed to the bed under arrest, the other picture is of me before this with my 2 girls and their friends, do I just forget I had kids????? PLEASE HELP

My name is Amy, I will be 28 in Nov, I am currently homeless in Illinois and have been for almost a year now. I became homeless when my ex husband and I decided to divorce. The way things ended is not how I planned them to, Never in a million years did i think that he would throw me out to the streets, but to my surprise he did. We have a son together and since our relationship ended he has done nothing but keep me from my only child. I was put in foster care at a young age so i do not have any family to turn to. I have no job right now so I have no way to hire a lawyer to get my son. I spend everyday looking for a job which is almost impossible to find. I know that i have to keep my head up and not give up on life so my child can have his mother back in his life someday. Even when it seems impossible to do, I keep a smile on my face. Maybe through this website I can get some help that i have needed for the past year. Thank you for your time. Please send me a message if you have any advice for me or know of a way to help me.

I need legal help, advice, whatever someone can offer who is in either the brooklyn ny area, Staten Island, or Manhattan. I need a private family court attorney or maybe lawstudent to help me. I cant afford to hire a private attorney, and I'm going through what I'm going through almost 3 years now, If there is a way that you can send me a private message on here, I'd really appreciate it. Because I don't want to put the situation on here, since my ex will see it, and I want my business to be kept private. But I will say this in short, IT HAS TO DO WITH CUSTODY, MARITAL AND NON MARITAL PROPERTY, AND GETTING A LEGAL DIVORCE. I CAN ALSO TELL YOU, USUALLY AS MOST PEOPLE ARE AWARE WHEN THINGS GO WRONG THE MAN HAS TO LEAVE, THE WOMANS PLACE IS IN THE MARITAL HOME WITH HER CHILDREN. I'M BEING PUT IN THE MANS PLACE IN THIS CRAZY SITUATION, I HAD TO LEAVE SIMPLY BECAUSE AT THE AGES OF 4 AND 5 MY HUSBAND BEGGED ME TO GIVE UP MY RENT CONTROLLED APARTMENT AND MOVE INTO A HOME HIS FATHER BOUGHT. I SHOULD NOT HAVE, I TALKED TO HIM ABOUT IT NOT BEING A GOOD IDEA FOR WELL OVER A YEAR, AFTER HIS FATHER ALREADY BOUGHT THE 6 OVER 6 IN STATEN ISLAND. BECAUSE I KNEW ALTHOUGH THE FATHER IS PUTTING MY NAME ON THE LEASE, HIS WHOLE FAMILY SISTER, BROTHER IN LAW HER KIDS THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY THE FATHER, I KNEW THERE WOULD BE A PROBLEM SIMPLY BECAUSE FOR ONE THING I DIDNT FIT IN WITH HIS FAMILY (AND THAT IS SO DETAILED ITS NOTHING I WANT TO PUT ON HERE IN PUBLIC), BUT ANYWAY I DID MAKE THE MISTAKE OF MOVING ABOVE THEM AND PUTTING MONEY INTO THE APARTMENT TO MAKE IT ABSOUTELY AS BEAUTIFUL AS COULD BE, AND SLAVED OVER IT NOT LIKE A TENANT LIKE AN OWNER (no my name was not on the deed) AFTER ALL HE WAS MY HUSBAND AND HIS FATHER OWNED THE HOUSE, SO IT WASNT LIKE A LANDLORD DOING THE WORK WE WERE, AND ALOT WITH MONEY THAT WASNT EVEN MARITAL PROPERTY, A ONE TIME AMOUNT OF MONEY I HAD AND I PUT IT ALL INTO THAT HOUSE, THINKING WE WOULD BE THERE FOR LIFE, AND EVEN IF WE BREAK UP, MY FATHER IN LAW IS NOT GOING TO THROW ME OUT, IT IS ILLEGAL IN ANYCASE. BUT IN MY CASE IT WAS A VIOLENT SITUATION, SO I LEFT ONCE AND WITH THE KIDS HAD A TEMPORARY PLACE TILL WE FOUND AN APARTMENT. BUT I DECIDED TO FORGIVE AND FORGET AND WENT BACK, DROPPED ALL CHARGES INCLUDING A VERY BIG LAWSUITE, AGAIN THINGS DIDNT WORK OUT, HE JUST WANTED ME BACK TO DROP THE LAWSUITE AND THE DIVORCE SO HE WOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT. AGAIN I HAD TO LEAVE, HIS FATHER WANTED ME OUT (AGAIN I WONT GO INTO DETAILS IN PUBLIC). BUT AT WHICH POINT SAFE HORIZONES ACCOMPANIED ME TO GET MY KIDS AND SOME BASIC NECESSITIES, THE KIDS WERE ALREADY GONE AND THE PRECIENT THERE WAS NEVER ANY HELP TO ME. Well I'll cut it short here, now the kids are physically living with him the past 2 and a half years, and I love them more than anything and want my children. But I seem to be getting the run around from the free 18b attorneys, and other free resources available. I dont have the money for a private attorney, the case is in front of not a judge or majistrate, but a referee. I asked my assigned counsel and he says, I DO NOT HAVE A LEGAL RIGHT TO ASK A JUDGE HEAR THE CASE, THAT I DONT GET. IF YOU CAN BE OF ASSISTANCE, THIS IS A VERY COMPLEX SITUATION, IF YOU CAN PRIVATELY MESSAGE ME, ANY HELP I NEED THAT YOU CAN OFFER I'D APPRECIATE, BC I DON'T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THE LEGAL INS AND OUTS OF THE LAW.

I SIMPLY HAVE AN 18B ATTORNEY TELLING ME OH, JUST LET THE KIDS STAY THERE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THEY WANT IS TO STAY THERE WITH THEIR FRIENDS, THERE'S MORE TO THEIR WELL BEING THAN FRIENDS. BECAUSE AS I'VE ALWAYS RAISED THEM TO KNOW WHEN THE PARTY IS OVER AND THERES NO ONE PROVIDING EVERYTHING FOR FREE, YOU DON'T GET TO SAY NOW I WANT WHAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS WORKED THEIR ENTIRE LIVES FOR, AND THEN WHERE WILL THEY BE. I JUST WANT TO BE THEIR MOTHER AGAIN AND GUIDE THEM AND LOVE THEM, I NEED SOMEONE WILLING TO HELP. THANKS

At this point in my life every thing seems mixed up and up side down. I'm in a court battle with my ex over our 15 month old son. I haven't seen my baby in six months. I was stupid and nieve enough to give him custody of the baby when he was born. I believed him when he said it would makes things easier. We were already separated when the baby was born. Our agreement was to co-parent with the father's home at his mom and dad's the primary residence. With in days of us going to the court house to sign the papers his whole personality flipped. When I contacted the courts they said there was nothing that could be done except for me to take him to court over it. I still wasn't ready to beleive the father of my only child who I had loved for ten years was capable of taking our child away from me. For nine long months I endured the disrespect and inhumanity of him and his mother just to get to see my son. All the while hoping and praying he'd realize what he was doing not to me, but our son was wrong and he'd change. Eventually it came to light his Mother was the mastermind behind my torment. It was no secret through our ten year relationship that she HATED me. On more than one occasion she made it clear that she felt I was not good enough to be minggling with her family because mine didn't have the money hers did. Even with knowing her feelings I couldn't and still can't understand how that is a good enough reason to tear apart a mother and child. What's even worse that my ex allows her to carry on this way. It all boils down to him getting what he wants. As long as he doesn't allow me around the baby without her being there he can live there rent and bill free with his new girlfriend and her three year old daughter. I swear I feel like my whole life has turned into a bad lifetime movie. It's been six months and the court process is still slowly moving on. I have been in front of the Jugde for ten minutes twice since October and I'm still in the same boat as I was then. At the last hearing it was trial for my visitation. As my ex also hit ME with child support I didn't have the money to get a lawyer. With the help of my money no doubt he did have one. And to be honest I didn't feel that I even needed one. It seems pretty cut and dry to me, but the judge couldn't come up with a decision on the bench. He told us that he'd have the verdict in the mail as soon as possible. What I got in the mail was not a verdict but a letter from a loca; lawyer stating that she had been apointed my son's Guardian de Litem and she would be conducting a full investigation to give the court her opinion of what is in the best interest of the child. WHAT? How is it possibly in my son's best interest to be keep away from a good loving mother who wants and misses him? While I do my best not to be, I feel myself becoming more and more jaded. I have almost no family both my parents are dead. When my ex and I got together, I had one good friend. Also I was young and happily made all his friends mine to. After the break up even though I was friends with them for ten years they felt their loyalties lied with him. I would be very grateful for any feed back from any one with a kind word or experience with something like this.

I left an abusive marriage, albeit after trying to fix things for a long time.  I moved out with my 16 yo son.  Upon going to court, my ex even admitted to using drugs, losing his job and not being there for the past several years as he lived in another town and the judge gave him primary custody.  He says half truths in court, he has our son tell half truths, I have no option to rebut this stuff and I keep being treated like I'm the one who didn't obey the law, like I'm a terrible mother, when I did everything, sacrificied everything to do what was right for our kids while my husband apparently was out spending money on drugs.  Now, I'm faced with paying child support for being a good mother.  I'm faced with only seeing my son on the 2nd and 4th weekends of the month.  I didn't do anything wrong other than take the physical, emotional and ethical abuse to try to keep a family together and now I'm the victim again.  I can't find a support group to talk to.  I have a lawyer and he's doing his best but the judge takes everything my lying ex tells her as gospel.  She can't see that our son is being manipulated by the things my ex says, she admonishes me for doing things I'm not doing and when I took proof to court that my son is failing in 3 classes in his 1 st semester of junior year in high school since he's been with his dad, I'm the bad person cause I didn't get hold of this information before and tell someone.  How do you keep dealing with such pain and abuse without blowing up?  How can I get someone who will fight for me?  for what is right, for the truth?  I'm being penalized because I told the truth and obeyed the law.  What is wrong with this country and its legal system.  My 16yo son is being taught that lying, using drugs and cheating the system is the way to do things instead of being with me where I can teach him good moral values.  I hurt so badly and can't explain this to anyone who can do anything about it.

Im a mother of two tring to get my kids back, my ex husband is in the military and has all the means provided for him for free, so therefor its making it hard for me to get them back because i have to pay for everything out of my pocket. I recently found out i have cancer and have no insurance to get treatment. Lost my job due to surgery for the cancer and i cant seem to find work. moving forward to getting my kids back is just not working, i  just keep falling into an even bigger hole. im Not tring to make you feel sorry for me or tring to take money i didnt earn from anyone, just need ideas on how i can make money fast and long term.

Does anyone know where I can find information on how I can get attorney help to fight my exhusband for my rights?

Or...I will do fund raisers to get the money up- does anyone have any ideas of legal fundraisers that I can do to get up the ,000?  No shame here, just looking to save my kids from a bad man.

I'm a single mother of three fighting for my babies.  I allowed my exhusband to run me through the ringer for years, when I finally left he tricked me into making him Primary Custodian of our wonderful three children.  I had to move away for work in this terrible economy and now he won't send them to me for the summers and every other holiday.  I need to fight him but can't do it without an attorney.  The attorney's retainer fee is ,000!  What do I do?  Where do I go?  I am barely making /hr and am working on my degree.  I can barely pay my bills. 

I need my children!  I need to fight my exhusband!  Please lead me in the right direction.

I let my mother keep my kids for the summer and she turned around and got custody of them i have 3 wonderful kids i miss them so much i have to go back and forth to court in upstate new york and i leave in Maryland lawyer that is working with feels it is impossible to get my kids back but i will never give up if anyone could find it in there heart to help in anyway i would truly appreciate.Thank you

What an a-hole! This morning (Thursday, New Years Eve)I received a civil summons from my estranged husband. He is bringing me to court for 'permanent custody' of our daughter, Willow, after a 7 year-long relationship of addiction, violence and slavery. How dare him. I have always watched Willow. He drank, I watched her. He worked, always me and her. He slept on the couch after arugments, I lay in the bed with her. I still breast feed her at night. Willow also has a sister, Selena, my oldest who is nine years old. Will a judge allow her to be seperated from her sister? I prayed for years that my husband would get help. Detox, counseling, whatever, will the system take her from me and give her to him. I think not.

When my self-esteem was shattered by him and after my baby brother's suicide in 2007 the only thing I held on to were my children. I know that I have my faults and that I may be a little crazy sometimes, but there are few things that I am damned good at and the first one is being an awesome mother. I guess he will play the Bi-Polar card (an unfortunate thorn in my side) that he always seems to do when arugments arise. I am a new woman after leaving him and I will not be broken by this. God give me the strength. I am an awesome woman and mother. Hear me roar

I'm divorced, self-employed single mom, one child (Elementary School), currently living in FL. Accepted job offer for east coast, moved cross country only to hear that employer is bankrupt shortly after.

After taking my child temporarily out of school (abusive teacher), and unknowingly missing a hearing regarding the underlying truancy issue, I was charged with a 2nd degree misdemeanor and my child is now in foster care. BTW, I didn't even have/had a parking ticket. My background is squeaky clean so far.

Battling the State of FL to regain back custody for my only child, I am now (almost 3 months into the process) at a point where I lost my housing, spent all my savings, can't find a job (I'm not a Citizen) and struggle to keep everything together.

And the crux of it all is: With $4,000 I could immediately take care of all legal issues (that's the lowest priced attorney that I found that is capable of handling my case). And if I could find a job that allows me enough time for all the appointments I have to take care of (court, child visitations, case management agency, evaluations, attorney meetings, etc.) I would be able to dig myself out from this hole. And with another $1800 I could manage to obtain new housing so that my traumatized child can be reunited with me.

If anybody here has any helpful ideas that I didn't try yet, please feel free to share. I desperately need to get my child back, nothing else matters more. And in order to get it done I need:

  *  Room or Small Apartment (for at least 3 months), either rent free or in exchange for my work

  *  $4,000 to pay the attorney (the current PD is creating one problem after another)

  *  ANY job offer (as long as I will be able to arrange my work hours around the mandatory appointments I have to take care of I'm willing to work ANYwhere) 

  *  Dental Work with deferred payment (or a payment plan that I can manage)

Let me know if you have any tips that I can implement. I would appreciate it very much. Thank you! 

fighting for full custody of my 2 kids!

I need help with a court case. I am due to be in court again after New Years for child support, but I cannot afford an attorney.  I need to have $1500 for the second week of January to give to the courts to stay out of jail.  I need money to buy my son a Christmas Present.  I am not here begging.  I am willing to pay back the monies on a schedule.   I have been going through for four years in a custody case.  I am a Children's Minister.  I only see my son every other week for 11 hrs.  I can't take him home or on vacation.  I haven't spent a Christmas with him in 4 years, this will be the 5th.   My ex's family knows the judges and has manipulated me.  I am getting ready to hire an parent's right advocacy group, but I need immediate financial help. 

God will openly reward you for any help you give.  Be encouraged and blessed. 

two of my children came down with salminalla posioning one years ago through no fault of our own my step mother had my children taken and i now pay 1800 dollars month for child support. i am three weeks a way from getting them back. Not only do i pay that i have to keep up a four bedroom home for them,pay 40 dollars a week for testing and food in the house for them. my house payment is 2 months be behind and both of our cars broke down. My step mothers best friend works for the dcs and everytime we do everything they come up with something else for us to do which costs more money. we have been fighting for one year now and about to lose everything. they are our heart and soul they want to come home so bad but if we lose our home they will not let them. also we have to travel 40 miles one way to see them .my husband and i have been married for 10yrs and i have had the same job for 14 yrs and my husband has worked in a tire factory for several years. Now the goverment takes everything and we have to choose to pay water electric and food or the house payment and it should not be that way. we need help and this has destoryed our credit. please

Becoming a mother has always been my dream and goal in life.  My dream was realized with the birth of my beautiful daughter this past February.  I feel like my life has finally become what I had always hoped for, but I feel that my blessings have come at a price to others in my family.   My parents have moved (with my two younger brothers) away from their beautiful Wisconsin home to a small two-bedroom apartment next to me in a lower-income neighborhood in Los Angeles.  They struggle, barely making it paycheck to paycheck simply because I could not afford quality childcare for my daughter.  My mother currently homeschools my brothers and watches my daughter while I work full time.  My dad took a lower paying job with no health insurance that he hates---but he doesn't complain.  They have sacrficed so much for me and now I find that their home will soon be in foreclosure.  They have not been able to sell it, as the market is quite slow right now.  Their rent here is actually more than their mortgage payment.  The hardest thing they have had to leave behind though has not been the house....it's my sister and her children.  She also just had a baby (her 6th actually), and none of us have been able to meet him.  My sister is going through a divorce that can only be described as horrific.  It's enough to make even the most religious person lose a little faith.  Just weeks before the divroce began, my sister called and texted on several occasions about being beaten by her husband.  She even sent picture messages of the bruises covering her body.  Her husband would beat her and then tell her that if she ever went to the police, he would tell the police that she abused him and have her children taken away.  She told him she wanted a divorce and he disappeared for a few days with their youngest son.  We later found out that he stayed in a battered womens shelter.  He quickly went to each and every lawyer within the area and claimed that he feared for his life and the children's. Each time my sister tried to speak with a lawyer, they told her since they had already spoken to the husband, they could not work with her.  Those that would, wanted a significant amount of money as a holding fee.  My parents took everything they could in cash advances on credit cards to pay a holding fee.  That money has already run out and the lawyer won't even talk to my sister without another $1000 up front.  It feels like a dream as I am writing.  I just don't know how things are going the way they are...it's so surreal.  The judge is friends with the husbands lawyer and they can be heard joking around in the halls after each hearing.  The laws seem to keep bending in his favor and my sister's lawyer already admitted that she has no hope.  Wisconsin law almost always favors the father.  He has admitted to hurting the children---actually creating a child's-body sized hole in their wall at one point from slamming their son's back into it--he was 3 years old at the time.  When this did come up in court, the judged ruled it: child discipline.  SERIOUSLY?! How is that possible????  I mean, there has to be SOMEONE in that court system that wouldn't keep children in that situation!  It's just no use....he is such a great manipulator and smooth-talker that he could convince a blind man he needs glasses.  My sister is a stay at home mother with 6 children and yet he has gotten the court to demand she pay child support.  He is not required to work as he is "disabled".  I use the quotations because there is nothing physically disabled abouhim.  He was injured while in the Marines and has recieved disablility for years.  He used to boast about how athletic he really is.  He cheats the government.  He has two other children from previous marriages...one he gave up rights to and the other (a son) he didn't see for several years because of his terrible relationship with the mother.   Oddly enough, during the divorce, he reached out to her and asked to see this son.  His son came to stay with him and suddenly the mother is dead---an apparent suicide.  Her body was found near the mailbox....an odd place to go when you have just poisoned yourself.  Worse, two of my sister's youngest are running around the house saying "Mommy Audra killed herself" and choking their stuff animals asking, "Are you ready to die now?".  Why would you ever say to a 2 year old  and 4 year old that someone killed themselves?  Isn't it sufficient enough to say that they went to heaven, or simply died?  The sad thing is there is nothing we or anyone can do.  The last text message I receivedfrom my sister said, "The stress is taking over me. I just can't take it anymore.  I seriously want to die sometimes.  I don't have enough money to win my kids. lies, cheats, has money, and will get my children. I tell the truth, have no money, and lose my kids."  The sad thing is, she's right.

I look back at what I have been writing and rambling about and it just blows me away.  It seems like a laundry list of "poor me" and "poor her" to try to get help....but I can tell you through the tears I am crying right now is that it is not.  In fact, there is SO MUCH MORE I could add, but I just can't anymore.  The truth is, I don't expect anyone to actually help out.  The people with the heart a desire to help are always those who suffer themselves....they understand, but because of their suffering, have nothing to give but support.  There might have been a glimpse of hope in me when I started but as I write and am reminded of what is actually happening, I realize that not only have I lost faith, I have none left.  This is just a way for me to vent and cry and vent and cry and vent and cry.....I've got to get it out somehow.

I am a single father of 3. I receive no assistance from their mother. I have been taking care of their needs every day since the middle of April. I am trying to gain full custody - I cannot afford a lawyer, so I am going to attempt to do it on my own. I would also like to know if there are any programs that I would qualify for. I am able to make ends meet. Barely. No extra money for clothes, no extra money to make car repairs. No money for Christmas. I'm not looking for a handout, just a hand up. Any advice would be most appreciated. I would also be willing to do extra work go make a little extra money. I am a computer geek.