Back in 2020, I felt trapped in an abusive marriage. My husband (now ex-husband) was stationed at Vandenberg AFB, far away from my hometown, Lansing, MI.
He insisted that I and our three kids (ages 8, 5, and 1 at the time) -
move out there with him that summer, 2000 miles away from my family, friends, and
support system, because there were rumors of not being able to travel across state lines
in peak COVID. Thinking there still may be something worth saving in our relationship, we made the long drive across the country and found the house on base an absolute
disaster. This man did not do any upkeep or basic cleaning after his own messes in the
year he had been out there without me ,the kids & 2 dogs.. He didn't even take the trash bins to the road each week, instead piling up bags and bags of garbage in the garage.
My moving help stuck around for a few days to help clean up, but after they left, the
abuse resumed. He surprised me with the information of his deployment abroad that fall. I was left alone with three kids, two dogs, and his mess. However, being half a world away
didn't stop his attempts to control and manipulate me. He would demand I answer all of his calls, even when they were in the middle of the night in California. He then called
Child Welfare Services to claim that I was not taking care of myself or the kids right.
CWS visited once and decided the kids needed to be removed right away. They gave me a list of things to do to get my kids back. I did those things, but CWS came back with
more to do, over and over. I just couldn't win with them. The kids bounced from one foster home to another, and the courts stripped parental rights from me and my abuser. My big sister and her family were able to open their home in Michigan to my kids, but the
interstate process{ICPC process } was slow and difficult, and CWS continued to be impossible to please. After twenty-six months in their home, CWS removed my kids from my family and took them back to
California. Now no one here knows what is happening with them.
I have since legally divorced my abuser. I have returned to my hometown [since Midish July 2023 ] and support system.
I am getting my life back on track and I want my kids back. There is a California law that says the kids can ask for my rights back after three years. That time is up. I have also spoke to someone in the CWS office and found out i can get them back I just need to get a attorney . The amount I'm asking for is to cover fees for attorneys in California to fight for me, & flights for me to collect my kids and bring them home if
we win and are reunited.
Thank you for reading :)
However you can help with would be extremely helpful & appreciated ! Rather it be donating or sharing :)
I will post updates and proof as things happen :) .
( Here's a little information on what ICPC is ; The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is a legal law used by Child Welfare Services (CWS) to safely move a foster child across state lines. Your Children's Social Worker (CSW) must complete specific paperwork inside the state's child welfare system to get this move approved )
I have missed out on so many birthdays & holidays with them , they are now 14 , 11 & 7 .
A photo shoot I had done before we were forced to go back to California July 2020
This was Jan 2021 a visit I had with them :)
Another one of my visits with my kids I believe this was June or July 2021
This was Easter 2024 a few weeks before I pretty much lost them for a 2nd time .
This was a day before California came to Michigan and took them back . :(
