What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Tn
I turned 18 in the summer. I have lived with my “mother” for as long as I can remember. As soon as I turned 18, I moved several states away to live with my father because my mother is emotionally/physically abusive. She took me out of school (where I had been doing well) when I was 12 and put me into a sort of home school (one where you do most of the work at home, then go to the “school” to take a test. She only put me back into school because Child services had come and made her.). When Child services had come, I remember we had to lie about everything in order for them not to take us. In the following years after DCS had come, I found her to be extremely physically abusive. She has beaten me with an oven handle; made a hole in the wall with my body; and had me against the wall choking me, not to mention other things. All these things happened before I was 18. There were witnesses, but I never reported anything because I didn’t know what would happen to my little brother and sister. I’ve heard a lot of bad stories about foster kids/kids in “the system”; and, unlike me, I’m not sure if living with their fathers would be better (they’re both alcoholics).
Now that I am out from under her authority, I constantly worry about my brother (who is about 13 and Autistic, and who I saw thrown across the floor by her before) and sister (who is 9). I know that she has taken my sister out of school (with no alternative, she’s just been out of school for 2 months doing nothing), and often leaves her home alone with a 40-something schizophrenic who is also mentally retarded (she is my mother’s sister who she started taking care of because she no longer has the $800 +/month from my child support). Apparently, it’s my sister’s job to watch her while everyone else is gone. She even has to go to the bathroom with her. She has a menagerie of expensive show animals that she spends hundreds/thousands on, but refuses to buy her children very basic things. My other aunt had to send my brother and my schizophrenic aunt food because my brother was constantly complaining about being hungry, and my schizophrenic aunt had gotten sick from eating out of the garbage. My other aunt also buys my brother and sister clothes/shoes because my mother doesn’t. All of this isn’t even the worst my mother has to offer, I just don’t want to sit here and write a book (just yet). She’s smuggled people over from Mexico, sold bootleg liquor, and abandoned 4 other children who are all grown now (but who she denies having ever given birth to). She is known to the rest of the family as a big problem, but always manages to avoid being found out (by the authorities, I mean) as the monster that she is. My question is what can I do about it all? I really just want to have custody of my brother and sister. My father knows the situation, and has agreed to help me with them even though they’re not his. I feel like I missed an opportunity by not reporting the physical abuse, but like I said, I was more afraid of what might happen than by what was already happening. Does it help that I had witnesses to a couple of the instances? When she was choking and biting me, my brother, sister, and niece saw. When she was beating me with an oven handle and smothering me with her 400+ pound frame, my stepdad (her husband, who is actually an illegal alien) actually made her stop and pulled me up from the floor. By the way, all of this takes place in TN (except where I live now, which is NY). Any help appreciated.
I turned 18 in the summer. I have lived with my “mother” for as long as I can remember. As soon as I turned 18, I moved several states away to live with my father because my mother is emotionally/physically abusive. She took me out of school (where I had been doing well) when I was 12 and put me into a sort of home school (one where you do most of the work at home, then go to the “school” to take a test. She only put me back into school because Child services had come and made her.). When Child services had come, I remember we had to lie about everything in order for them not to take us. In the following years after DCS had come, I found her to be extremely physically abusive. She has beaten me with an oven handle; made a hole in the wall with my body; and had me against the wall choking me, not to mention other things. All these things happened before I was 18. There were witnesses, but I never reported anything because I didn’t know what would happen to my little brother and sister. I’ve heard a lot of bad stories about foster kids/kids in “the system”; and, unlike me, I’m not sure if living with their fathers would be better (they’re both alcoholics).
Now that I am out from under her authority, I constantly worry about my brother (who is about 13 and Autistic, and who I saw thrown across the floor by her before) and sister (who is 9). I know that she has taken my sister out of school (with no alternative, she’s just been out of school for 2 months doing nothing), and often leaves her home alone with a 40-something schizophrenic who is also mentally retarded (she is my mother’s sister who she started taking care of because she no longer has the $800 +/month from my child support). Apparently, it’s my sister’s job to watch her while everyone else is gone. She even has to go to the bathroom with her. She has a menagerie of expensive show animals that she spends hundreds/thousands on, but refuses to buy her children very basic things. My other aunt had to send my brother and my schizophrenic aunt food because my brother was constantly complaining about being hungry, and my schizophrenic aunt had gotten sick from eating out of the garbage. My other aunt also buys my brother and sister clothes/shoes because my mother doesn’t. All of this isn’t even the worst my mother has to offer, I just don’t want to sit here and write a book (just yet). She’s smuggled people over from Mexico, sold bootleg liquor, and abandoned 4 other children who are all grown now (but who she denies having ever given birth to). She is known to the rest of the family as a big problem, but always manages to avoid being found out (by the authorities, I mean) as the monster that she is. My question is what can I do about it all? I really just want to have custody of my brother and sister. My father knows the situation, and has agreed to help me with them even though they’re not his. I feel like I missed an opportunity by not reporting the physical abuse, but like I said, I was more afraid of what might happen than by what was already happening. Does it help that I had witnesses to a couple of the instances? When she was choking and biting me, my brother, sister, and niece saw. When she was beating me with an oven handle and smothering me with her 400+ pound frame, my stepdad (her husband, who is actually an illegal alien) actually made her stop and pulled me up from the floor. By the way, all of this takes place in TN (except where I live now, which is NY). Any help appreciated.
