Devastated Mother Shows ‘The Kind Of Mom’ She Is After Losing Custody Of Her 3 Kids
All she wants is to be with her kids.
KieferPix / Shutterstock Few things are stronger than the bond between a mother and her children. This is true of Sam, a mom living in northern Virginia. Sam loves her kids very much, but now, due to a series of heartbreaking circumstances, she is left trying to bring them home to be with her again.
A few months ago, Sam began posting videos to TikTok under the username @whydoesntshejustleave chronicling her journey. Sam claimed that she was a victim of domestic violence and that her ex-husband abused her.
In her videos, she shared her story, telling viewers about her experiences surrounding everything from her first pregnancy to holiday traditions. This was initially done as a plea for help.
Sam said that she chose to leave her ex-husband and run away with her children.
She said she was left homeless and without her possessions, forced to stay with friends. She started a GoFundMe to help her family and raise money for a lawyer so she could retain custody of her children.
All of this came crashing down just days ago as Sam shared some heartbreaking news with her followers: 'We lost.'
“He got full physical custody of all 3 children,” she shared with her followers. “It’s supervised visitation, so I have to go to church on Sundays to see the kiddos for three hours.” Sam alleged that she was unable to get any help from legal aid.
A few weeks ago, she posted a video in which she filmed herself trying to call legal aid, but her call went straight to voicemail. She said this happened twice, and the one time she was able to get through, they hung up on her.
According to Sam, the reason she lost custody was that she transferred the kids to different schools twice while they were in the process of running from her abusive ex-husband. She said she did this because they were moving to different places, but the court saw it as “irresponsible.”
Sam felt that the trial was unfair. “It was an ambush,” she said. “I feel like they decided what was going to happen before I ever walked in there.”
She is heartbroken and unsure of what to do next. “These kids have never, ever been without me,” she said. She cannot imagine what she will do without them.
Now, Sam is sharing a new video to help her make the case for regaining custody of her children.
In the video, Sam shared glimpses of her approach to motherhood with the text “the kind of mom I am” over the video. It shows her sewing scrunchies, crocheting stuffed animals, baking bread, playing outside, and celebrating birthdays.
Sam wants the world to know that she is doing all that she can to be a good mom who is always there for her kids.
Sam explained that continuing to fight for her children would require more money which she does not have.
She addressed the allegations made against her by her ex-husband, saying, “I’m not on drugs. I don’t have a criminal history. My only history was as a mom.”
Ultimately, Sam vowed that she would not let her ex-husband win. “I was married for 13 years to an absolute monster,” she said. “He tore me down as low as a person can get, and I don’t plan on staying there.”
For victims of domestic violence, the stakes are high when it comes to the kids. More often than not, money becomes the ammunition in the battle for custody.
There are resources available, however. And Sam cannot and should not think she is without support and help.
For more information, resources, legal advice, and relevant links, visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline. For anyone struggling from domestic abuse, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or, if you’re unable to speak safely, text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.