Hello and thanks for all the help from this website. About 8 months ago I met this wonderful woman online. At first we were just friends, but eventually we become more. I knew that she had a boyfriend who was extremely emotionally and a few times physically abusive to her. They were not married, but have a nine year old son. I eventually convinced her to leave, and she is now living with her dad. Her and the father have been splitting time with the son, but she has noticed some extreme changes with him.

Ever since she left, he has been completely different. He was always extremely close with his mom, as his dad pretty much didn't pay much attention to him. But when she left, he knows says that she doesn't love him anymore and that she left him. He is always asking for her to come back home even after she has explained to him why she left and that she is happy now. When she has her son, things will be going fine and then all of a sudden when she is gone for even a minute the son will get the phone and call his dad saying that mommy is being mean all day and ignoring me.

I know that the boy's father isn't raising the kid the right way. He lets him stay up past midnight playing video games all night and on weekends he sleeps in past 1. She also believes that the father might be using drugs because he has been acting very oddly. Sometimes he won't give the kid his medicine also.He even told the child that when he thinks mom is ignoring him it is ok for him to trash her room and throw everything on the floor!

Moreover, the child is very against the relationship between his mom and I which I can understand, but this is very hard for both of us. When I bought her a necklace for Christmas her son told her that I was not allowed to buy her things only he can do that. And tonight when she had a picture of us in her room he took the picture and hid it from sight.

She is scared of possibly taking the father to court for custody because she doesn't have any money and she thinks the kid will say he wants to go with his father simply because he lets him stay up all night and doesn't discipline him. I am asking for some advice on this situation, because I really don't know what to do. I have not yet physically met the child but I have talked on the phone with him a few times. He seems like a good kid, but I can tell that his mom leaving the home is having some major effects.

Would you recommend her contacting a lawyer and trying to get custody of the child?

Quote