Are you a Mommy? A Daddy? A Grandma? A Grandpa? An Aunt? An Uncle? Someone who has always cared for a child to find that others can swoop in, at any time, and exert their "rights" no matter how the child feels? Did you realize that even though your child is happy someone else can come along and destroy that child's life at their convenience and there is nothing you can do about it? I just learned that. I had no idea that court was a place where truth was a joke and the winner was the one who had the best attorney who told the best story. Our children have NO rights in family court. They don't matter. They don't exist there. I never would have dreamed that was true, but now that I know I'm going to do something about that.
I am just beginning the fight for children's rights. I recently fought in court to protect my child who did not want to go see his abusive father. For my efforts to defend my nine-year-old son's right to say no to abuse, I was arrested for the first time in my life. At 41 years old. My mother, who has been my co-parent for my son's entire life was threatened with 35 years in jail for kidnapping if she did not "deliver" my child to his father to be taken away. And while I was being arrested, my son was being turned over to his father crying, screaming, so upset he was vomitting and begging my mom to please help him. This was in the sheriff's office in a room full of officers. This horror was allowed to happen to my child. I do not call that a legal sysem that is just or fair. I call that the sickest kind of bullying.
There is much more to this story, and it truly is a horror story for my son, my mom, and myself. I will post a longer, more detailed version of the story for those interested. My son, my mother and I all knew if his father got my son that he wouldn't be coming home. We were right. Days before my son was due to come from his visit, his father's lawyer pulled some dirty legal maneuverings and before I could even get my copy in the mail and go down to the courthouse to file an objection the judge had signed the papers making it official. Sound shady? You bet your bottom it is.
My son calls me every day and begs me to please help him. "Please, Mama, please fix this and bring me home. I want to come home please, Mama, PLEASE!" he says as he sobs. There are not words to describe how it makes me feel as a mother to know my child needs my help, my protection, and I cannot give it to him without going to jail for kidnapping. Kidnapping, imagine? This child that I have raised, loved, honored, taught and played with every day of his life. Neither are there any words to describe my son's misery and fear and lonliness or the abuse he is suffering. This is the most devastating situation we have ever experienced.
But I cannot protect my child because in the months since I have been served w the papers about the hearing that passed recently I have called every lawyer, attorney, college law student who even comes close to practicing in my area. I don't have and cannot get counsel because I do not and cannot get my hands on a $2000.00 retainer and $150.00 to $300.00 for each hour that an attorney works. I called legal aid and they said to send them my paperwork, but they couldn't represent us in court. They could only advise me over the telephone. In court we got a half an hour. The judge got approximately 5 to 7, my son's lawyer took at least 20 to muddy the waters with his packs of lies, and I got two to three minutes to answer all of the attorney's allegations before the judge cut me off. I said, "But I didn't even get to answer his allegations! Not even half of them!" She looked me right in the eyes, said, "I know." and pronounced judgement. Please, someone, tell me how that is justice for my child at all? I didn't even get to speak for him! He didn't get representation from a lawyer nor did anyone ever adress the issue of what my child wanted. Murders get lawyers for free. Rapists do, too. What the legal system has taught me is that criminals AND their personal rights are more important than our children are. I will not accept that. I refuse.
Air, trees, animals and water all have rights, laws in place to protect them. And I support that. Our children have none as human beings. So they just get shoved around like so much baggage without feelings as their self-esteem, trust and even mental health are eroded, bit by bit. And I used to wonder why the jails and prisons are so full. Hmm. I'm starting to understand why.
I'm not going to cry and complain about how unfair the legal system is. I'm going to change it. It won't help my son on this "legal" kidnapping he's enduring right now, but it will help little children in the future. I am one mad Mama and I want all of our babies to have a voice and a right to be heard. Do I know how to do that? Get our children legal rights? No, I do not. But i never will if I just sit around crying and accomplishing nothing. I do know that I need your voices. We need to raise OUR voices together for our babies and children. They depend on us for more than food and roofs over their heads. And don't think this judicial rape could never happen to you and your child. You never realize what safety truly feels like until a force you can't fight blasts into your life and wrenches it from you. And you never completely understand the definition of disaster and despair until someone steals your child from you and you can't protect him or her. Don't wait until you know what the hell we're living through feels like to act. Stand w me and lets figure out how to give our children the rights they deserve.
Share your stories. Sign the petition. Share advice or anything you'd like. Let's just get started and we'll learn as we go. Children have the same amount of feelings we adults have. They're so intelligent and precious. Our American government calls our children our future then stomps them beneath their heels like roaches in a court of law. Let us please fix that.
A link my fellow crusaders might find of interest
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Children's+Rights
I am just beginning the fight for children's rights. I recently fought in court to protect my child who did not want to go see his abusive father. For my efforts to defend my nine-year-old son's right to say no to abuse, I was arrested for the first time in my life. At 41 years old. My mother, who has been my co-parent for my son's entire life was threatened with 35 years in jail for kidnapping if she did not "deliver" my child to his father to be taken away. And while I was being arrested, my son was being turned over to his father crying, screaming, so upset he was vomitting and begging my mom to please help him. This was in the sheriff's office in a room full of officers. This horror was allowed to happen to my child. I do not call that a legal sysem that is just or fair. I call that the sickest kind of bullying.
There is much more to this story, and it truly is a horror story for my son, my mom, and myself. I will post a longer, more detailed version of the story for those interested. My son, my mother and I all knew if his father got my son that he wouldn't be coming home. We were right. Days before my son was due to come from his visit, his father's lawyer pulled some dirty legal maneuverings and before I could even get my copy in the mail and go down to the courthouse to file an objection the judge had signed the papers making it official. Sound shady? You bet your bottom it is.
My son calls me every day and begs me to please help him. "Please, Mama, please fix this and bring me home. I want to come home please, Mama, PLEASE!" he says as he sobs. There are not words to describe how it makes me feel as a mother to know my child needs my help, my protection, and I cannot give it to him without going to jail for kidnapping. Kidnapping, imagine? This child that I have raised, loved, honored, taught and played with every day of his life. Neither are there any words to describe my son's misery and fear and lonliness or the abuse he is suffering. This is the most devastating situation we have ever experienced.
But I cannot protect my child because in the months since I have been served w the papers about the hearing that passed recently I have called every lawyer, attorney, college law student who even comes close to practicing in my area. I don't have and cannot get counsel because I do not and cannot get my hands on a $2000.00 retainer and $150.00 to $300.00 for each hour that an attorney works. I called legal aid and they said to send them my paperwork, but they couldn't represent us in court. They could only advise me over the telephone. In court we got a half an hour. The judge got approximately 5 to 7, my son's lawyer took at least 20 to muddy the waters with his packs of lies, and I got two to three minutes to answer all of the attorney's allegations before the judge cut me off. I said, "But I didn't even get to answer his allegations! Not even half of them!" She looked me right in the eyes, said, "I know." and pronounced judgement. Please, someone, tell me how that is justice for my child at all? I didn't even get to speak for him! He didn't get representation from a lawyer nor did anyone ever adress the issue of what my child wanted. Murders get lawyers for free. Rapists do, too. What the legal system has taught me is that criminals AND their personal rights are more important than our children are. I will not accept that. I refuse.
Air, trees, animals and water all have rights, laws in place to protect them. And I support that. Our children have none as human beings. So they just get shoved around like so much baggage without feelings as their self-esteem, trust and even mental health are eroded, bit by bit. And I used to wonder why the jails and prisons are so full. Hmm. I'm starting to understand why.
I'm not going to cry and complain about how unfair the legal system is. I'm going to change it. It won't help my son on this "legal" kidnapping he's enduring right now, but it will help little children in the future. I am one mad Mama and I want all of our babies to have a voice and a right to be heard. Do I know how to do that? Get our children legal rights? No, I do not. But i never will if I just sit around crying and accomplishing nothing. I do know that I need your voices. We need to raise OUR voices together for our babies and children. They depend on us for more than food and roofs over their heads. And don't think this judicial rape could never happen to you and your child. You never realize what safety truly feels like until a force you can't fight blasts into your life and wrenches it from you. And you never completely understand the definition of disaster and despair until someone steals your child from you and you can't protect him or her. Don't wait until you know what the hell we're living through feels like to act. Stand w me and lets figure out how to give our children the rights they deserve.
Share your stories. Sign the petition. Share advice or anything you'd like. Let's just get started and we'll learn as we go. Children have the same amount of feelings we adults have. They're so intelligent and precious. Our American government calls our children our future then stomps them beneath their heels like roaches in a court of law. Let us please fix that.
A link my fellow crusaders might find of interest
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Children's+Rights