Here I was, party of one very happily divorced. One person, one income, and one very demanding job in Public Safety then along comes this precious little boy that completely stole my heart the moment I held him at 2 months old. I never saw myself getting custody of and raising a grandchild until that very thing came true in October 2017. I wasn’t there at his birth. I was sent a photo by group text message saying, “He’s here Y’all”. He and his mother, my daughter, were living in a terrible situation. After being attacked by the supposed baby daddy she made the call to me begging for help. His family had kicked her and the baby out in the rain. So, Nana, to the rescue I bring them home. No formula to drink, very few clothes, very few diapers, with an abused and narcotics addicted mother. The look of salvation in his eyes along with the presence of devastation in her was heartbreaking yet fueling the motivation to save them.
Am I telling your story as well? Without going into detail, very bad decisions were made on her and the supposed father’s part. South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) became involved, and the baby was placed immediately into my custody via Kinship Care and a safety plan. Several death threats and kidnapping threats were made against my family by the supposed father. At that moment I decided to hire an attorney to take my child permanently to keep him safe from harm. There was no second guessing my decision. I have family close by and had plenty of help taking care of and protecting him. Now mind you, dealing with DSS is a nightmare. I’m not sure how it was or will be for you in your state but geez I hope you have quicker results.
In South Carolina, I was told and have experienced this firsthand, nothing is permanent regarding the safety plan or Kinship Care plan until ordered by a judge. Some cases take years to be settled in family court. I was fortunate that I was able to retain an attorney that was willing to act so quickly to file a motion with family court. I always feared his mother would show up and demand to take him away with her. I was given full custody of him on July 16, 2019, with my daughter’s agreement. The supposed baby daddy refused to comply with court procedures and was absent from every meeting. Almost seven years later and he rarely sees his mother. I have a permanent no contact order in place for Mr. No Show.