In order to gear up for the Sweet 16, I have put together some profiles and matchup previews of Thursday's action. I will hopefully have the same for Friday's games at some point tomorrow! In the meantime, lets enjoy another day of women's hoops and NIT games tomorrow.
Game 1: (3)Kansas State vs (7)Michigan State
Team Profile: (3)Kansas State
KenPom: 21
T-Rank: 23
Major Contributors (usage on at least 24% of possessions): Markquis Nowell, Keyonte Johnson
Kansas State is one of the biggest surprises of the 22-23 CBB season. Their two-headed monster of Nowell and Johnson led Kansas State to 9 quad 1 regular season victories. K-State, despite being one of the shortest high major teams, brings the 17th ranked defense in the nation into this game. The Wildcats like to play an up-tempo style of offense and get their playmakers to the rim. They are a team that relies heavily on points in the paint and point at the line rather than a 3pt centric offense. Kansas State is also 7th in the country in assists per made field goal, making them one of the better passing teams in the country.
Team Profile: (7)Michigan State
KenPom: 25
T-Rank: 24
Major Contributors: AJ Hoggard
Michigan State is a team that has been on deep runs before, including a trip to the Final Four as a 7 seed once. AJ Hoggard has once again been one of the best guards in the Big 10 and the nation. Michigan State is a team that is lethal from three, though they attempt about 5% fewer threes per game than the national average. They play stout defense, but are really bad at forcing turnovers. Michigan State has the single hardest SOS of any team left in the field, this includes three non-conference games against tournament teams. MSU likes to slow the game down and run this offense through Hoggard in the halfcourt.
Game Profile:
Spread: MSU -2
These two teams are very different in their style of play. MSU likes to slow it down, play in the halfcourt, and create open jump shots. Kansas State likes to run and get quick buckets or free throws by driving towards the basket. Look for K-State to make constant runs at the hoop and try to force MSU into turnovers. The key to the game for Michigan State is to keep the ball safe and make their open three point shots. For K-State, they need to force turnovers and get some of these MSU bigs into foul trouble.
Game 2: (4)UConn vs (8)Arkansas
Team Profile: (4)UConn
KenPom: 4
T-Rank: 4
Major Contributors: Adam Sanogo, Donovan Clingan
The UConn Huskies are a lethal 4 seed to say the least. They possess the 3rd best offense in the country led by two behemoths in Sanogo and Clingan. Part of their success is the 2nd best offensive rebounding rate in the country. It provides them with a lot of opportunities for 2nd chance points. Look for UConn to try and play bully ball over their opponents, especially teams that lack size
Team Profile: (8)Arkansas
KenPom: 18
T-Rank: 18
Major Contributors: Nick Smith
While Smith has a lot of draw when healthy, he has been anything but in his freshman season for the Razorbacks. Arkansas’ bread and butter is their defense. They defend the arc incredibly well and utilize their athleticism to create turnovers. They shoot terribly from three, but have so many ways to attack the rim and create layup opportunities for their playmakers
Game Profile:
Spread: UConn -3.5
Arkansas is a tough matchup for anybody with their athleticism. I am looking for them to be aggressive in taking it hard to the rim. Mission number 1 should be to get Sanogo and Clingan in foul trouble. Arkansas also needs to be efficient making their shots and fight hard for defensive boards so rebounds don’t become a huge advantage for UConn. The Huskies meanwhile can spread the floor with two big athletes in the middle. Open threes are going to be hard to come by, so UConn is going to need to use their size to their advantage. Something they have been very good at when it counts. If this game features whistle happy refs, this will really give Arkansas the help they need.
Game 3: (4) Tennessee vs. (9) Florida Atlantic
Team Profile: (4)Tennessee
KenPom: 6
T-Rank: 5
Major Contributors: Olivier Nkamhuoa, Josiah-Jordan Jones
Tennessee has overcome a crushing injury to Zakai Zeigler to find themselves in the 2nd weekend. The Vols bring with them a ferocious defense that is currently ranked #1 in the country. Tennessee refuses to give up easy threes or really any easy buckets for that matter. Offensively, this team has been very up and down as they often rely on 2nd chance points. If Tennessee wants to continue this run, they are going to need Finnish stud, Nkamhuoa, to lead this offense.
Team Profile: (9) Florida Atlantic
KenPom: 22
T-Rank: 31
Major Contributors: Johnell Davis, Alijah Martin
FAU is a very well balanced team. It’s hard to find anything they don’t do well besides consistency in hitting their free throws. With so many ways to win, they have amassed 33 total wins compared to just 3 losses. That being said, they aren’t elite at any one thing either. FAU runs this offense through two outstanding guards in Davis and Martin, both of them are still just sophomores. FAU likes to score from beyond the arc, they have 4 guards that shoot between 37-40% from three. FAU is also one of the shortest teams in D1.
Game Profile:
Spread: Tenn -5
FAU is going to want to score the three ball, but that is extremely hard against a Tennessee team that can flat out dominate the three point line defensively. Tennessee is going to have to get creative to hang with FAU’s ability to score. FAU’s keys to winning this game are going to be maximizing scoring opportunities against a great defense. Meanwhile, Tennessee has to find a way to score enough to beat such a talented and well rounded team
Game 4: (2)UCLA vs (3)Gonzaga
Team Profile: (2) UCLA
KenPom: 3
T-Rank: 3
Major Contributors: Jaime Jaquez, Tyger Campbell
UCLA is an experienced and unbelievably talented team. Led by two seniors, the Bruins are one of the best teams in the nation on both sides of the ball. UCLA excels in turnover differential. They take good care of the ball while forcing the 11th most turnovers in the country. They shoot well from three, but prefer to generate offense inside the arc when possible.
Team Profile (3) Gonzaga
KenPom: 7
T-Rank: 8
Major Contributors: Drew Timme
Gonzaga brings the number 1 offense in the country to this game. They can score inside and out with veteran big man Drew Timme leading the team. Gonzaga plays quickly and has an uncanny ability to generate open looks and opportunities down low for Timme. The Zags have a lot of question marks on defense which despite a historically good offense has held them back from the elite status we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from them.
Game Preview:
Spread: UCLA -2
This very well could be the best game of the Sweet 16. Gonzaga is going to have a hard time defensively, but I’m very excited to see how this offense performs against a very good UCLA team. On the other hand, UCLA absolutely has to get the scoring going in this game or they are at serious risk of ending up down a lot of points. The Bruins do boast a terrific defense though which will need to step up to keep the Zags from lighting up the scoreboard.

I’ll preface by apologizing for the wall of text. I also plan on doing zero proofreading.
As someone who has been around since the start, and has seen the game go through changes. I believe we are at a point in which the good is being vastly outweighed by the downright atrocious. I have been gaming for a long while, and I have seen titles I love crumble. Socom, H1Z1, and others that are alive but have strayed far from what I enjoyed.
At this point, the 30 day steam charts are down about 25%, the twitch viewers are down about 50%, and I find myself opting to play other games as well. It’s unfortunate, but I can’t overlook the consistent connection issues, let alone the influx of cheaters. I have had people straight up tell me they are hacking with no fear of repercussions. Hack, ban, new name, repeat. While I can tolerate them to an extent, seeing five in a few hours of gaming is excessive. Then games that I can actually play, half of those have insurmountable connection and stability issues. The larger issue being it doesn’t seem to effect everyone equally. There have been games in which I am fine but I can tell others are experiencing the connectivity issues. That really creates a lot of competitive balance issues. I believe implementing smaller changes more ofter than monthly or bi-monthly larger changes can alleviate backlash, as well as isolate some of the unknown issues that arise after the fact. Talking out of my ass, but just a suggestion.
While I don’t care to get into the SMG blunder, the hydra/LMG meta, crossplay, the matchmaking, long term bugs and glitches in the game, and so on.. at some point it becomes more viable to go back to the season right before the objection meta and build from there. Keep crossplay for player base necessity, but enforce your TOS with your board members or volunteers to clean these cheaters out much quicker. I for one have stated I would volunteer my time to do such. It’s not like they are difficult to spot most the time anyway, but I was instructed there has been a utilization of an algorithm to measure human capabilities versus individuals cheating. Teach a few people and utilize the community to neighborhood watch it.
As for the connection? I don’t understand what the issue is, but I am just hoping the dev team does. I am just a consumer, so I only know as much. It seems like y’all need assistance, and you have a community of diehards that are fighting for existence at this point. Meanwhile, the overall sentiment is very negative at the moment. Help us help you as it’s very possible individuals can identify issues and other possible problems. There are some incredibly intelligent and talented individuals in this community. Some recolors and skins that should be put into the game to highlight those individuals. The groups running competitive tournaments on their own, slickville damn near knows everything about this game. Work with these people. They are all still here.
As for gun balances, cosmetics, tweaks, etc. please put those aside. We will deal with the meta’s and imbalanced gunplay at a later date. Project saint was promised to us and it has been an absolute failure up to this point. We need prioritization and transparency, because the current path for this game is no different than those titles in the first paragraph. It’s hard to play when nothing registers correctly or someone is ruining the game for the rest. Especially the racist pos running around recently.
What makes the game annoying to play vs. what makes the game intolerable?

They have no competition so they charge whatever they want for these exams. NBME, FSMB, and ECFMG CEOs are making over a million/year while residents don't even get a decent salary.
Why aren't they doing anything for residents and students? What have they done to improve the system other than increasing exam fees and hiding their mistakes? ECFMG certified this fake Dr. Charles Akoda three times and jeopardized so many hospitals, residency programs, doctors and residents who were ECFMG certified at that time. On January 13, 2012, there was an article how residents cheated on their radiology board exams and how organization didn't take any action.
People are struggling with anxiety, depression, and loss of loved ones but NBME wants to change their exam attempts policy because of exams' integrity but what about their integrity? They added OET and pathways to increase their revenue and wasted one or two year of students' lives to come up with their bs rules so they can make thousands and thousands of dollars to put it in their pockets. Exams are already in English so they don't have to test your British English with OET and why do you have to pay for these pathways when you have already paid for rotations since it's the same damn thing.
These exams don't even predict good clinicians because if they did then there wouldn't be doctors like Dr. Stephen Loyd and Dr. Richard Morgan and there wouldn't be shows like Dr. Death and Our father that are about real doctors and how they ruined patients' lives. There are so many doctors who committed medicaid and medicare fraud. What are they doing to discipline their future doctors as doctors are getting away with it easily while students are stuck with their expensive exams and unfair policies?

State of Instagram Reels In 2023

We kicked off 2023 with some serious announcements from Instagram’s CEO confessing that Instagram pushed more reels than photos. And they will settle things back to normal meaning pushing every single piece of content at the same rate.
After that Meta’s Earning Report 2022 came out, In the statement regarding Instagram. Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that to make people create & watch reels they tried to give new format a boost until 2022. Now, reels can grow on their own.
And that brings us to current state of reels, which is reels aren’t as organic as 2021. But the time spent by Instagram users is increasing, now more than 20% users spend their half of the time on reels tab.
That’s why IG reels needs to be part of your overall Instagram strategy.

State of Tiktok 2023

Changes to Tiktok algorithm are bigger than Instagram reels. Increasing the arguments regarding Tiktok Vs Instagram strategy, here’s what you need to know regarding these changes.
First Tiktok recently announced a new monetisation feature called “Tiktok Series”.
Tiktok believes in quality content & they have mentioned these priorities over and over again. This time with “Tiktok Series” the platform wants creators to create long-form content to make Tiktok users more engaged within the platform.
The creators can charge upto $190 for content series. Your Tiktok series can have upto 80 videos with length of upto 20 minutes.
This new era of paywalled content on Tiktok will bring more engagement & money to creators.
Second TikTok’s Creativity Program aka “Creative Fund 2.0”
The platform introduced a new creator fund called “Tiktok creativity Program” and creators can apply for monetisation of video content. But this time there is a change to help deserving creators make more money.
In creativity program, creators apply for monetisation for a specific Tiktok video and the video has to be over 1 minue length or minimum. Plus, Tiktok will review Originality & creativity of video to consider monetisation.
Final Take, What these changes tell us?
These changes tell us that Tiktok wants original & long-form content to exist on platform. Tiktok was know for trending sounds in 2019-2021 and it still represents that part of social media. But now the platform seeks originality & wants to be a content hub like Youtube.

Understanding Instagram Strategy

I’ve advised 1000s of marketers, SMBs & creators that only reason Instagram never dies is because it’s the most personal platform & middle child in the family of Social Media Platforms.
The audiences on Instagram want to see memories, highlights & content from their friends, families & connections. And they discover new creators & businesses based on what Instagram knows about them. And Instagram gets the knowledge from who they follow, what they or the people they follow like. It’s all interconnected.
And that’s different from Tiktok. On Instagram while creating reels, you have to remember to make sure you focus on creating content more valuable for your existing followers.
When you create valuable content for them. You will get better engagement from them and as Instagram’s audience is interconnected & the platform knows the interests through the audience. You will go viral & get more engagement.
Meaning key to a great Instagram reels strategy is focusing on fulfilling your current audience with value to get more engagement from non-followers. To do that, you need to be more focused on understanding your followers how they react to different posts. After that you need to find what other creators & businesses are doing to find what works.
Both of these will help you in creating content within your expertise, without any pressure to jump on trends. Why? As you now understand what strategies & tactics work for your audience better than those Instagram fast growth gurus.

Decoding Tiktok Strategy

Above I mentioned Tiktok is different with context about how Instagram’s audience is interconnected & existing followers make a huge impact on virality.
Tiktok is opposite, People use it to discover new solutions, trends, Ideas & businesses. They aren’t interconnected with most of their friends. Unless Tiktok asks you to connect contacts & 70% people usually don’t follow their friends after connecting their contact lists.
Tiktok users are on Platform for new content discovery. You see content based on what you like, the personal connections doesn’t matter as much as they did on IG.That’s why brands on Tiktok try to create content that targets a broad share of platform. Because people are hear to build new interests, and discover new businesses.
First, Brands try to create content that appeals to 90% of people interested in X topic to go viral or gain exposure.
For example, @Bose on Tiktok create funny reels about their new products to reach most of the audience.
Second, They create educational & focused content to keep the existing followers engaging + connected with their brands.
To explain Take @schick on Tiktok creating story-focused content to make sure the connection between newly gained audience starts building.
Third, Brands try to stay relevant by discussing points that audience mentions in comments. To make people believe they are listening to everyone.
For Example, McDonald’s Tiktok manager replied to a follower who said nobody will read this. This act shows a lot & the screenshot of this comment gathered 13k likes on Twitter.
Showing how engaging in comments can also impact your audience + you can end up gaining more attention on Twitter or reddit.
Packing all this up, Tiktok strategy For Brands & Creators is a mix of broad content to target new followers & insightful content to keep the followers engaged. And engaging is similar to Instagram, It’s important on both platforms.

Instagram Images Vs Tiktok Carousels

In the state of Instagram reels, I mentioned that IG is back to prioritising every single format equally. What does that mean? It means that Instagram Imagery content is here to stay & it is gaining organic reach.
Comparing it to Rival Platform, now we have carousels on Tiktok. And this feature is highly organic when we compare it to Instagram carousels.
Tiktok carousels are an amazing way to post imagery content on platform and you can share more than 10 slides with ability to add sounds. On other hand, You can now add sound to Single images on Instagram but regarding carousels you can only have upto 10 slides with no sound adding feature.
Instagram carousels seem to take a loss here in terms of organic reach & Format freedom. But this format is one of my favourite to build an engaging audience as your audience tend to spend more time consuming your content.

What is this?

Like I did for the first round, I scraped all the comments from every Round of 32 game thread using the PRAW Python wrapper for Reddit's API, and then analyzed them with R. This time, I ended up with a total of 54,886 comments from 16 threads. I came up with a few interesting ways to look at the data, but let me know if you have any other ideas!
Here's the results from the Round of 64: https://old.reddit.com/CollegeBasketball/comments/11utq8b/oc_which_round_of_64_game_thread_had_the_most/

1. Which game thread had the most ref complaints?

I searched each comment for flags like "refs", "rigged", "bullshit call", "refball", etc. that usually indicate a ref complaint. This isn't perfect, because it will include false positives like the rare "the refs are doing a great job!" and exclude contextual / non-flagged things like "that's bullshit", but it gets pretty close. If you have ideas for flags I should search for, please let me know!

CHART: Ref complaint leaderboard

This time the KU vs. Arkansas thread topped the list; I can completely understand why, since that was a classic "ten seconds of actual basketball punctuated by two minutes of free throws and ads" game. It was also a very physical, defense-oriented game, so there was a lot of potential calls / noncalls to complain about for both teams' fans.

2. Game thread timelines

I split each game thread up into ten minute chunks, and counted the number of comments made during each interval from each faction. This results in fun little timeline graphs that show you where the action / excitement spiked, what % of each thread was made up of neutrals, etc. I think they're neat, so I included the top ten most commented-on threads here. Let me know if you want to see any others!

CHART: Game thread timelines

I really enjoy the graphs for the upsets here; it's pretty funny how you can see the KU / Bama / Houston flairs entering and exiting the thread as the games' outcomes became clear (for example, us KU flairs clearly all left to go re-watch 2022 highlights toward the end). And props to Kentucky fans for seemingly sticking it out until the bitter end!

3. Word clouds

I can also generate word clouds from the data! Here are some fun ones:

WORD CLOUD: Full dataset, most used words

WORD CLOUD: Ref complaints only

WORD CLOUD: Arkansas vs. Kansas: KU flairs only and Arkansas flairs only

WORD CLOUD: FDU vs. FAU

I can take requests on these as well if anyone has any!

4. Leaderboards

And finally, it's time to see who is winning the real March Madness -- posting on reddit.

Top Commenting Teams

Rank	Primary Flair	Total Comments	Unique Users	Comments per User	Avg. Score
#1	Michigan State Spartans	3,572	350	10.21	3.70
#2	Kentucky Wildcats	3,050	261	11.69	2.99
#3	Indiana Hoosiers	2,363	243	9.72	3.56
#4	Kansas Jayhawks	2,250	220	10.23	3.37
#5	Maryland Terrapins	2,094	160	13.09	3.84
#6	Tennessee Volunteers	1,555	162	9.60	3.00
#7	North Carolina Tar Heels	1,446	150	9.64	3.36
#8	Alabama Crimson Tide	1,384	154	8.99	2.47
#9	Duke Blue Devils	1,346	149	9.03	3.16
#10	Arkansas Razorbacks	1,319	136	9.70	3.23

Just like Indiana flairs had a field day with the Round of 64, it looks like MSU fans ran wild over /CollegeBasketball these past two days, taking the #1 spot by over 500 comments. The three blue blood losers make up 2nd through 4th place this round, and our friendly preseason #1 team, UNC, makes a surprise appearance at #7.

Top Ref Complainer Teams (min. 250 comments total in data)

Rank	Primary Flair	Total Comments	N Ref Complaints	% Ref Complaints
#1	Arkansas Razorbacks	1,319	118	8.95%
#2	Kansas Jayhawks	2,250	195	8.67%
#3	Michigan State Spartans	3,572	286	8.01%
#4	Marquette Golden Eagles	544	42	7.72%
#5	Virginia Cavaliers	289	22	7.61%
#6	Iowa State Cyclones	255	19	7.45%
#7	Duke Blue Devils	1,346	99	7.36%
#8	Houston Cougars	1,235	90	7.29%
#9	Baylor Bears	676	49	7.25%
#10	Michigan Wolverines	823	59	7.17%

The Jayhawks and the Razorbacks were in a virtual tie here, which, again, makes plenty of sense. I think this actually vindicates my view that the officiating was god-awful and annoying to watch for both teams. The fact that MSU and Marquette fans are on this list is also no surprise, given how that game went. I do wonder why UVA and Michigan are on here, but I guess that comes down to the 250 comment threshold more than anything else.

Top individual commenters

Rank	Commentor	Flair	Total Comments	Avg. Score	Min. Score	Max. Score	Threads Visited
#1	Ghost-of-Moravia	Maryland Terrapins	260	4.08	-7	19	12
#2	michaellomeli	Ohio State Buckeyes	235	3.89	-2	20	9
#3	Sirrenderthe69th	Tennessee Volunteers	198	2.82	-3	30	12
#4	That_One_Pancake	Penn State Nittany Lions	191	4.51	-10	27	11
#5	Kodyaufan2	Auburn Tigers	179	3.01	1	26	9
#6	JayMoney2424	Michigan State Spartans	178	3.29	-3	25	10
#7	indreams159	Fairleigh Dickinson Knights	177	4.01	-3	26	14
#8	Kardinale	Louisville Cardinals	165	3.49	0	19	13
#9	bcocfbhp	Villanova Wildcats	159	2.36	0	10	13
#10	iDestr0ya	Buffalo Bulls	152	2.70	-2	13	13

This is a completely different top 10 from the round of 64, which I wasn't expecting! None of the 10 people from last time made it, with fancycheesus, elgenie, and ddottay landing just outside at #11, #12, and #15 respectively. I was expecting to see the same group of "power users" throughout the tournament, so now I'm very curious to see who will end up on top once I combine all the rounds into one dataset.

Random fun facts:

• Most toxic thread: This one is kind of tricky this time. The thread with the greatest number of downvoted comments was Duke vs. Tennessee (617 downvoted / 7,248 total = 8.51%), but the one with the greatest percentage was Maryland vs. Alabama (446 / 3,795 = 11.8%). Both were plenty toxic in their own way, so I'll let you decide which was worse.
  
• Most 'fuck's per Comment: This time the Baylor Bears took first place, with 9.32% of all Baylor fans' comments containing some form of the word "fuck". Classic Baptists, am I right? Second place was Ohio State for some reason -- they took first place in the first round, so I guess OSU fans are just particularly potty-mouthed?
  
• /CollegeBasketball's most used words: The #1 most common word in this round's dataset was "lol" -- here's the rest of the top 10:
  

Word	Instances
lol	2,515
team	2,183
refs	2,132
foul	2,053
call	1,448
play	1,360
time	1,355
half	1,304
fucking	1,219
fuck	1,205

Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you have any other requests / suggestions!

The saga is ongoing. Lots of updates. Lots of flowery language. Cheerleading.
I'll post the 32 OP posts in comments so save you all going through the whole thread if you're not MN members. Eta - couldn't add as a comment so here's the longest post ever.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4756410-he-has-run-off-with-the-kids-advice-needed-and-handhold
The saga is ongoing.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4756410-he-has-run-off-with-the-kids-advice-needed-and-handhold
He has run off with the kids, advice needed and handhold 32 replies Iamworthit · 05/03/2023 09:30
Posting for traffic. Apologies, its long.
Some might remember my previous threads. Basically I separated from my controlling ex in February. Things moved really quickly. And I managed to find a house. I moved out on Thursday. Instead of taking the kids out whilst I moved to make it less distressing for them which we had previously agreed, he stayed and made me take all my stuff out in front of them, and put it into the front garden. My friend and her children came over to help load her car up with my stuff. As awful as it was I stayed strong for the kids, they were excited about the new house, their new bedrooms and where choosing which toys to bring as well as playing with their friends in the front garden. Once my stuff was out (not much, he refused i take any furniture), he demanded my keys back, demanded the kids go inside, and literally pulled my 4 year old away from me, she was screaming and crying. He slammed the door in my face and shut the curtains. In hindsight I should have called the police then, believe me I realise that now. However i was trying to cause as least stress as possible. Due to previous advice on here I have recorded him on multiple occasions. I recorded the children Thursday morning whilst they were playing whilst I was moving my stuff out. You can see my stuff in the front garden and the kids happy and playing. When he took my daughter off me and put the other two inside and slammed the door on me, I started recording then too. You can clearly see and hear my daughter screaming behind the door , (part frosted glass door) and him pulling her as she's holding onto the front door handle from the inside. You can also hear him say you will see mummy tomorrow. Him and I had agreed that they would come to my new house on Friday morning whilst he goes to work. He has been using my past mental health against me, (see previous threads, I will try to link,) since I told him I wanted to separate, he wanted me to provide him a letter from a medical professional saying im sane 🙄. My cpn is dicharging me next week, so he will have that on paper - i know i dont have to do that but I will send him a copy because i have nothing to hide. On Thursday afternoon he phones me asking when will I be giving him half the child benefit. I tell him I am arranging mediation and we can discuss it there as he keeps ranting at me down the phone. So, Friday morning comes around. I message to double check what time he is dropping them over. I get back one message saying the kids are safe, I'm not taking any calls. He then ignores my texts and calls. I got round to his house and the car is gone, the curtains are drawn. He has done a runner with the kids! I phoned police and social services. As we have only just separated there is no child arrangements order in place. I'm absoloutely heartbroken. I've never known pain like it. They are 1, 4 and 6. They spend the majority of the time with me. Nearly 4 years ago he built and insulated a shed in the bottom of the garden. He has slept out there 99% of the time since. Leaving me to do all night time childcare since then. The girls who are 4 and 6 sleep in the bedroom next to me, the 4 year old wakes almost every night and comes and spends the rest of the night with me. My one year old has been in my bed since birth, what must my poor babies be thinking? He also works part time where I have the children on my own. The 4 and 6 year old are homeschooled. I take them to all activities and clubs and play dates etc. I know this is 100% about control, that he is using the children to try to break me so that his "she's an unstable mother" claims come true. I am 100% confident in my ability to parent my children. I am 100% confident that there is no issue with me, infact I've never felt stronger, my mh has never been better. That's why I knew I had to leave, because I knew I could be a strong single mother to my beautiful babies and I didn't want them witnessing his toxic behaviour any more. I will not have my children growing up thinking his behaviour is acceptable. I have a solicitors appointment Monday morning at 9am. All services have been informed, mediation is booked for 2 weeks time. I have phoned the police 4 times since Friday, who advise its a civil matter. I have spoken to social services who have said I'm doing everything right and have contacted every one I need to. I have even contacted universal credit. I believe part of the reason he has taken the children is because he won't receive the child element of universal credit anymore. He has Been begging for half the child benefit which thankfully is in my name. I was receiving pip due to my previous mental health issues, and he claimed carers element in universal credit. Obviously now I've moved out, and said he isn't my carer since we split, he doesn't get that anymore. He was only having to work part time because of this, despite claiming to be my carer, I was doing the vast majority of child care and household chores, whilst he slept in the shed so his sleep wasn't disturbed.
I have never felt pain like this. Being away from my children and wondering what they must be thinking, why they aren't seeing me, what he's filled their heads with is breaking my heart. I know and I will be strong and get through this short time until the courts decide on child arrangements. I'm also realistic about the fact that he could keep them until that date, in which case it could be at least a month before I see them again. Even when I had pnd 4 years ago, I went to a mbu with my daughter, they knew it was imperative that she be with me. I did end up being sectioned but my medication was adjusted and I made a rapid recovery. I was allowed to leave early from the section and even then all my children were allowed to visit me in the family room next to the unit as everyone knew how important it was they and I have regular contact. I was never a danger to my children, I just felt that I wasn't good enough to be their mother. However I've worked hard on myself, I am fully recovered. I engaged in all therapy, took the medication properly and came off it under their advice. I look after myself because I know that to be a good mother to my kids I need to be good to myself. I since have had my 1 year old and there's been no issues at all. Infact as 'my carer' he never once phoned any services or teams on me with any concerns regarding my mental health in an extremely long time, years, So there is also evidence of this.
I have my furniture being delivered today, the girls Bunk beds and sofa, tables etc. I will make this house a special and safe home for my babies, where they feel respected and loved.
I'm sorry for the huge post. Please if anyone has any more advice on what I can do, Or any questions for the solicitor appointment tomorrow I would so appreciate it. I need all the support and advice I can get. Thankyou
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Iamworthit · 05/03/2023 10:52
NEmama · 05/03/2023 09:46
Stay strong. Are his family involved? Would ex mil speak to him . Awful situation for you op x
Nope, no one is answering or responding. I have absoloutely no idea where they have gone. My guess is he's spoken to a solicitor and they've told him he is legally with in his rights to take the kids as he has parental responsibility and there is no court order in place
Go to post Iamworthit · 05/03/2023 14:48
Dartsplayer · 05/03/2023 14:43
Unfortunately, having gone through the same thing with a family member, this is correct and there is nothing the police can do.
@Iamworthit you need to download a C100 form and submit it to your local family Court for an emergency hearing to have the children returned to your care as soon as possible. This group were invaluable in guiding us through the process from the children being taken to getting a Child Arrangement Order in place. You sound like you are doing everything right
www.facebook.com/groups/488124058749486/?ref=share
Show quote history I have my solicitor appt Tomorrow. Will she do that?
Go to post Iamworthit · 05/03/2023 23:08
CalamityClam · 05/03/2023 10:19
Hold tight. My ex did the same thing. I had to leave without them. The DCs were safe with him even though I knew he was an absolute controlling TWAT - I knew they’d be upset, but I knew they’d be safe. I did everything you’re doing, determined to have it sorted legally so he couldn’t do it again, even if it meant waiting to see them. Believe me, the novelty will soon wear off for him when he realises he’s stuck with the kids and you’re as free as a bird.
It resolved for me quite quickly- within a couple of weeks. We shared care going forward. The DCs are adults now and have a very distant relationship with their dad.
So reassuring to speak to someone who has been through this and there was a positive outcome. I haven't spoken to them at all or seen them since Thursday morning, this is the longest its been. I'm assuming he has gone to his parents over an hour away. The police managed to get hold of him today and will be doing a welfare check tonight or tomorrow. They can't give me his wareabouts. Im terrified my kids are going to forget me, especially the one year old, other than a handful of nights where he agreed to have him for a night or 2 whilst I visited friends/ family, he's always been with me. And what if he turns them against me. I'm so scared they will think I've abandoned them and hate me or forget me. It could be weeks before a court hearing. Can a 1 year old Remember that long. I don't know.
Go to post Iamworthit · 05/03/2023 23:23
Sunriseinwonderland · 05/03/2023 11:27
Take a deep breath and step back OP. My ex pulled this stunt more than once and the judge awarded me full custody and him none because DS was so traumatised by him. It took a while but it was ok. Well done for recording it. Your solicitor will advise you.
How long did he keep your son away from you for? I'm so scared they will forget me x
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Iamworthit · 05/03/2023 23:29
macncheeeesey · 05/03/2023 12:34
He's trying to punish you and unfortunately you have to abide by the system.
He will likely realise how hard it is very soon and won't be able to keep up with the homeschooling and caring for three little ones - especially as you say he sleeps in a shed normally.
Use this time to make the house a home for them. You can apply for an emergency family hearing - I'm sure your solicitor has advised on that.
He's an evil man who is damaging your kids but he won't be able to keep them. You've done everything you need to and informed the right people.
Try to distract yourself and use this time to work on your plan of attack to get them back and get yourself right.
My ex took our DD and wouldn't give her back but did eventually. Police wouldn't get involved after they did one welfare check. I would call them and ask them to do a check and say he is mentally unstable and you're worried about the kids. This will be logged and hopefully will scare him a bit.
I know the feeling, my DD wanted to come back but ex wouldn't let her. When she did some back she was super clingy. She knew what her dad did was wrong.
You've got this and you'll get them back.
I'm sorry you went through this too. How old was your daughter when he did that? How long was she away from you for. I'm scared they will hate me, god knows what he's telling them about why they can't see me
Go to post Iamworthit · 05/03/2023 23:33
liveforsummer · 05/03/2023 12:47
Presumably he was taking care of them while she was sectioned so whilst he may not look after them when she’s gone he clearly can.
He looked after 1 dc then, not 3. He has become increasingly abusive since then
No, he went to work when I was in the mother and baby unit with my 2nd daughter. My mum and mil took it in turns to look after our eldest and he would look after her when not at work. Even when i went away for a couple of kights for my friends wedding my mum came to help him look after the kids
Go to post Iamworthit · 05/03/2023 23:40
Springchicken75 · 05/03/2023 19:36
Op I would also strongly advise you to contact women’s aid after your appointment with the solicitor, they will offer some much needed support and advice.
www.womensaid.org.uk I did this a few weeks ago and I just got an email back with endless other support agencies, solicitors to call.
Go to post Iamworthit · 05/03/2023 23:45
OhmygodDont · 05/03/2023 20:00
Snatches children like some mad man on the street. Or a father having his children for the weekend or maybe even being the resident parent.
With this whole women and men are equal they are aLeo equal parents 🥱. He text saying they were safe and he would not be taking her calls. Police have been called 4! Times and don’t seem to think there is any issue. Op willingly left them on the Thursday.
Im sure op will hear find out more Monday morning but nothing makes her the better or more superior parent in the eyes of the law currently.
The police got back to me today. They are doing a welfare check tonight or tomorrow. I didn't Willingly leave them on Thursday. I left them heartbroken, not wanting to cause any more distress and with a stupid idea he would do the right thing and give them to me the next day as planned.
Go to post Iamworthit · 06/03/2023 05:16
Sami561 · 05/03/2023 20:22
I am so sorry you are going through this OP. The pain is like nothing else.
I have been in the same position as you and, unfortunately, as you have probably found, The Police have no powers if the father has parental rights. They say it is a civil matters for the courts.
All I can say is that this will massively go against him in family court proceedings- it did for my estranged husband. He was banned from having our child overnight for a considerable amount of time until he could prove he was trustworthy again. The courts and professionals also named that he was using our child as a emotional weapon towards me by doing this. Your husband will be viewed in exactly the same way by all involved. He isn't thinking about the children at all, he is thinking about himself and getting one over on you.
Brilliant that you have a solicitors appointment tomorrow, they will give you the advice you need.
Stay strong and get that child arrangements order in place💐
I really hope they do the same. I'm sorry you had to go through this too. It so incredibly cruel and unfair to the children.
Go to post Iamworthit · 06/03/2023 05:46
Kinneddar · 05/03/2023 21:49
Probably because it doesn't meet the criteria. The children are with their Dad, there's nothing to suggest they're at risk. Just because their Mum doesn't know where they are doesn't mean there's anything wrong.
The other thing is the police will look at the history of the family in assessing things. They've been called out before because the OP was threatening self harm. She's still currently under a MH section & despite being told its not a Police matter has phoned numerous times today. Regardless of what anyone here thinks they'll make the assessment based on the information they have, which from the sounds of it possibly doesn't look great for the OP. AND the other thing is, we only know OPs version of events. I'm not saying they're not accurate but we have absolutely no way of knowing
Police don't do a welfare check just because someone wants them to, there has to be grounds.
If for instance they don't turn up at school tomorrow that would have things reassessed.
Even if officers did go out to the house tonight & noone was home they're not going to turn it into a misper enquiry at this stage.
Show quote history The police were never phoned with regards to my mental health. I always went through the proper channels with the perinatal team. Yes I did have the crisis team involved but that was 4 YEARS AGO. I was in a mother and baby unit and the medication they gave me to treat it was to low a dose. I was always with my daughter at the mbu. I got sectioned 4 years ago, and once there, my dd went back to the family home with her dad. My mum and mil also took it turns to stay with them for extra support. My section was supposed to last 28 days. I was released at day 14 due responding so well to the medication. I had been observed with my children by the nurses and Dr's theres (yes I still got to see my kids, and kept breastfeeding her and pumping the whole time) even during that period I have never been away from the kids for this long. Everyone in my care knew I was a brilliant mother, I have documents from being there. I struggling with pnd, and never a harm to my children. We were very much bonded, I just felt absolutely not good enough to be their mother. I have engaged with services at every single point along the way. I since had another baby - the one year old, and I was put under the perinatal mental health team again for precaution, but due to me doing really well during that pregnancy my contact with them was very little and the discharged me a year after birth with a plan to come off my medication, which I have done. Even after all this I'm still strong because I know I have to be there for my kids when I do get them back they will need me more than ever. Yes he was claiming carers allowance. However he hasn't phoned any mental health team in years with any concerns about me. He is trying to gaslight me to say that he has concerns, well than why as he only just raised concerns since I told him I was leaving ? Thankfully this is all fact and documented. My cpn has been phoned by my ex regularly since for the last few weeks since I said I'm leaving. My cpn has received calls from my ex and his family claiming I needed a welfare check. I arranged for my cpn to see me, who agreed that I'm fit and well and will be discharged this week. My cpn told me he said to the mil that they are all wasting his time and to stop calling him. My cpn visited me on Friday when I phoned him to say my ex had taken the children, he came over straight away, and is still satisfied I can be discharged. I've had a traumatic childhood, pnd was almost inevitable I've been told, however I have worked bloody hard on myself and am a credit to my children. Any one else reading this thread in the future who has to go through similar, please do not let posters like this wear you down. I have had PREVIOUS mental health issues. My mental health now is better than its ever been.
Go to post Iamworthit · 06/03/2023 08:55
Thankyou. Omg 8 months your poor baby
Go to post Iamworthit · 06/03/2023 10:28
UPDATE solicitor was great. She will apply for an urgent hearing today. Expensive, but my mum will pay this initial fee. Hopefully be seen by the court today 🙏 With a predicted respond date by Friday from him. I don't know when this means I will get them back, but at least the ball is rolling She will also put in a Prohibited Steps Order to stop him from changing their gp, Registering them for school, or taking them abroad.
Go to post Iamworthit · 06/03/2023 10:38
SchoolTripDrama · 06/03/2023 10:36
Fantastic news, I'm pleased for you.
Also, him doing this, will MASSIVELY negatively affect his chances of getting access in the future, via legal routes. Judges look extremely dimly on parents who pull this stunt
Show quote history Thankyou. I hope this can be resolved ASAP. I think she said she's going to request an urgent live with order too
Go to post Iamworthit · 06/03/2023 13:46
mucky123 · 06/03/2023 13:33
I have no actual knowledge of the Court system in these circumstances or anything helpful to say but I just wanted you to know that I have read the whole thread and I think you are incredibly brave and strong. I think lots of people would have crumpled at this and maybe gone back to him or just broken down. Well done, keep fighting, hope it is all over soon.
Thankyou. Don't get me wrong I've sobbed huge tears of grief this weekend and been full of panic and worry, one thing I will not do is let him break me. My kids need the best version of me right now, and so that's my focus x
Go to post Iamworthit · 06/03/2023 19:25
Another update Not so great. He also did a Prohibited Steps Order. So the judge received them both today. They decided to see us together but the quickest available date is on the 21st of March! I've seen a copy of his order and requests. He wants me to admit I'm unstable. He wants confirmation from mh professionals I'm OK. It looks like he says I can have Supervised contact and calls. So obviously yes I'll take anything I can get, but need solicitor to confirm this. Also made allegations about how "unstable" I am. That I'm a suicide risk, that I've done x,y,z... BUT there's no record of him phoning my gp or cpn or anything, so hopefully that can quash that! He also keeps phoning my cpn telling him he is going for custody or he is giving me the order, or he is hiding away with the kids... So obvious he wants me to crack in front of the cpn. With regards to my cpn he is telling me he is putting my case to the team for discharge tomorrow, there is a chance they won't agree, and with the luck I'm having atm I'm beginning to think that they are going to say they won't discharge me.
Thanks for all the support. I really appreciate everything you ladies have said. I will update tomorrow with any news.
Go to post Iamworthit · 07/03/2023 06:30
Nope not since Thursday morning
Go to post Iamworthit · 07/03/2023 06:46
Scalessayeek · 06/03/2023 22:00
OP I can’t believe how some people are trying to bring you down. I would have completely fallen apart in your situation. You just need someone to see your posts on here to see how centered you are at the moment.
Sending you all the strength and luck in the world!
Thankyou. My kids have never needed more. All his behaviour is doing now is showing me just how controlling he is, and that getting out of that relationship is the best thing for me and the kids long term.
Go to post Iamworthit · 07/03/2023 06:48
P3N · 06/03/2023 19:42
Stay strong OP. You are doing amazing. Have the police got back about the welfare check? Your ex is disgusting trying to use your MH against you.
Yes. They saw the children and reported they aren't in harms way.
Go to post Iamworthit · 07/03/2023 06:54
Iamworthit · 07/03/2023 06:48
Yes. They saw the children and reported they aren't in harms way.
Show quote history Physical harm that Is. I said I'm guessing they are at the grandparents then and his expression told me everything I needed to know. At least they know them. Although they are nearly 80.
Go to post Iamworthit · 08/03/2023 15:57
Whiskeypowers · 08/03/2023 15:47
Hope you are holding up ok @Iamworthit
have you had any updates from the police or your solicitor etc?
No more information from police. He came back last night to his house, was there this morning amd gone this afternoon. I was notified by my friend who lives close by. No idea if the kids are with him. Waiting to hear if I can have Supervised visits before court hearing on 21st. Tonight will be night 7..
Go to post Iamworthit · 08/03/2023 22:08
Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 08/03/2023 19:19
Just for my own understanding, why do you need supervised visits?
Show quote history I don't. He is claiming I'm mentally unstable and a flight risk because he's a controlling, pathetic excuse of a man. He vanished with the kids and put an application for a Prohibited Steps Order that I can't have the children back until he sees a letter from a medical professional to state otherwise.
Go to post Iamworthit · 08/03/2023 22:10
MaireadMcSweeney · 08/03/2023 19:54
Honestly I would probably do this too, but I don't know how that would impact on the court hearing. Remember now the process has started you can't just pull out and cancel it.
Show quote history This. I can't do anything because it's with solicitors, police and social services.
Go to post Iamworthit · 08/03/2023 22:33
Hi ladies. My cpn came over today. He isn't going to discharge me for another few weeks. This is positive, because it means he can tell the courts/judge that he is having the most recent interactions with me and there for can give an honest and open account of how I am. He phoned My solicitor personally and she agreed this would help my case. He has written a letter for this interim period to say he has no concerns. My solicitor believes if he with holds supervised visits before the court date he will be doing himself no favours at all. My cpn also told me that in his notes he has written that in his professional opinion my ex is mentally unstable (he has been pestering my cpn every few days for the past few weeks, since I told him I wanted to leave, however not once in over 3 years before I wanted to split was he concerned). Also that he is bring coercive, he is controlling, and the fact he sleeps in a shed 🤣🤣!! My cpn has Been brilliant throughout this whole thing. It's a case of playing the long game at the moment, I can't do anything to jeopardise seeing my kids. This is night 7. I last saw them a week ago tomorrow at around 11. I will not let him break me. He is using every tactic he can think of.
Go to post Iamworthit · 09/03/2023 11:33
cpphelp · 09/03/2023 08:03
The update about your CPN is fantastic. You are doing everything right. I think you're amazing, and all of this will be working in your favour. Maybe once all of this is over, they will insist on supervised visits only for him! How's the house coming along? Charity shops and the British heart foundation furniture shops are great for filling up a house xx
Thankyou. Yes my cpn has been great! Every second that goes by is another second without seeing my children, but it's also one second closer to getting them back in My arms.
Today marks a whole week since I last saw, held, played with, cuddled or even talked to my beautiful babies.
Go to post Iamworthit · 13/03/2023 20:34
UPDATE So, I got to see them this weekend!!! Supervised with my mum present at his request, but after 9 long days I finally got to see them, hold them, tell them I love them and they didn't forget me! ❤️ They loved the house, and their new bedroom 🤗 it was magic!
I'm hopeful for more contact this week which solicitor is hoping to negotiate. I'm STILL waiting for my letter from the CPN!. He was told by his manager to go through the NHS solicitors to make the letter water tight so that ex/his solicitors can't pick holes in it, so I'm actually waiting on the NHS solicitors now, its frustrating... They have had a similar case happen before, so want to do as much for me as possible.
However, ex agreed to contact this weekend, both days, due to my CPN speaking on the phone with my solicitor, and informing her I am well, capable, of sound mind, has seen me / spoken to me every few days since ex started with these mind games a month ago.
The kids were very anxious about going back to him, which was heartbreaking, but at the very least they know I'm always here, I have a safe home and I'm going to fight for their right to be with me, their mum.
Thankyou for all your support ladies. The first "urgent" hearing is next week, and then it's dealing with cafcass, social services etc for the next (and hopefully final) hearing in 2 months time where we will find out the child arrangements order.
Still a bloody long way to go till this is sorted, I don't trust that he won't do anything he can to get at me. He is already disputing the kids living with me and now my benefits may be stopped or suspended until this is sorted, which is just another form of him trying to control me.
I will never go back to him. I have lost all respect, faith, trust and any love I had for him is well and truly gone. He was able to hide behind clever words, confuse me, manipulate me and control me for far too long.
I hope the kids will forgive me for this upheaval in their lives, and I hope beyond all hope that they are back with me on a regular basis and that the judge can see him for what he is and that his actions have impacted our children's emotional well being significantly. But, until I have the judges decision, I know I won't take anything for granted. Anything could happen and now I know ex is capable of this, he could be capable of more and throw something else at me.
As always, thanks for checking in on me and your support xxx
Iamworthit · Yesterday 18:44
Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · Yesterday 10:33
@Iamworthit your court case is Tuesday I think? How are you doing? Have you seen your children again?
Hi, nice username, dd2 loves hungry caterpillar!
I saw them once in the week aswell as yesterday and today. All had to be supervised by my mum, despite his solicitor confirming she sent him the letter from my CpN on Tuesday lunchtime, and me also sending him a message to say he now has it. However this letter he so desperately said he needs for me to have unsupervised and overnight visits he hasn't even responded to. I'm presuming he is waiting till court on Tuesday.
Yesterday the girls informed me that daddy left them at a strange woman's house whilst he went to work...
The time has been wonderful and I've really treasured every moment. Yesterday my one year old was in desperate need of a nap, he snuggled up to me in our new king-size bed in our new house and he slept peacefully for well over 2 hours. I feel so blessed to be their mummy and am thrilled at how comfortable they have been when back with me for these times. If anyone reads this in the future going through something similar - they don't forget you. That was my biggest fear, but I have more faith now that the bond between a mother and her children will always be there, no matter what or who stands in the way. Love is love.
So, our new magic house (the girls named it) is empty again for now. I'm just counting down the time until Tuesday afternoon and hoping/praying/wishing/ that the judge sees him for what he is and what he has put the children through. My solicitor is hopeful, but obviously no one knows what's going to happen on the day. I never thought my ex was capable of what he has done, but here we are.
I hope everyone has had a lovely mother's day 💗
Go to post Iamworthit · Today 11:18
Thankyou for all your messages and words of support for tomorrow. The police know everything, they did their welfare check on the children whilst he was staying at his parents house in their old country farm house with the attatched holiday home for them to stay in surrounded by their 40 acres of land. Not in the home where he and I lived with his shed at the bottom of the garden and no doubt chaos in the house where for the first time he is having to do all housework, laundry and cooking. They have been back at his for almost 2 weeks now. I have found a small comfort in them choosing games on their tablets and me getting the notification to approve their choices. The fact that I left with barely anything means they have the majority of their toys there, beds, tv etc and to them it was our home where we all lived together so at least they have familiarity. Cafcass will probably be doing a Section 7 report in which case they will meet with us and the kids in both houses so can make their own assessments from that.
They love our new house and I've explained to them the benefits of two houses, bedrooms, toys, Christmas, birthdays etc. They are being so resilient and brave through it all. I'm hoping for them it's just been a bit of an adventure.
The children filled me in on their day at the 'stranger ladies' house, where there was other children, guinea pigs a cat and a dog. They watched telly and played with the other kids and the animals and they gave dd2 a dress she particularly liked. They were very animated about it. I guess at the very least they had fun, I imagine they've been pretty bored with him. We had to drive past his house and up the road next to ex's house to get to mine yesterday and dd1 proudly pointed out 'that ladies house'. Would you believe it's almost directly behind his house!! For all I know he's been seeing this woman behind my back. She could have been hopping over the fence every night and going into his shed for all I know. I can't believe this is my life right now, you couldn't make it up. But as I've come to learn the hard way I certainly can't trust him, and I won't put anything past him.
Literally just counting down till tomorrow now.
X
Go to post Iamworthit · Today 13:28
I have no idea who she is. I did however do a Facebook search of the local "Andreas" in the area and the kids pointed to who she was and pointed to the children who they recognised. It took all of about 60 seconds to find her. And the kids named the kids correctly to what she had shared publicly on her fb page. There's even a picture of her 'cheers-ing' her primary aged son both of them holding glasses of red wine. I've taken screenshots. Her name isn't on any registered childminder lists.
Go to post Iamworthit · Today 13:29
ThreeLocusts · Today 12:12
Will light a candle for you tonight. You've kept it together amazingly through all this. Here's hoping your kids will be back with you tomorrow.
Thankyou x
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Iamworthit · Today 13:41
Ilovethewild · Today 13:10
Op, stay true to yourself and your children.
don’t get caught up with what ex is doing/seeing/sleeping with. It is irrelevant! You can’t control it and the kids are ok. It will just muddy the waters. As others say it’s another twist from ex to distract you and send you off the rails.
focus on what you can do and what’s in the childrens best interest.
good luck with tomorrow, I hope the kids come home to you asap.
I genuinely don't care what he's up to relationship wise, I've been hoping he'd find someone else for a long time and leave me alone.
What I do care about is him leaving the kids with someone they don't know for whatever reason, when I'm round the corner desperate to see them, and him thinking he can do whatever he likes without any consideration for them, me or my mum who's had to drop everything (shes been brilliant in all this) without question, to supervise time for me to have my own children.
I will definitely be asking for first refusal of child care as some other posters have suggested.
Go to post Iamworthit · Today 13:42
Sunriseinwonderland · Today 13:20
My ex hid him for a month. DS was desperate to see me. My ex is a very wicked man.
Show quote history That's despicable. I'm so sorry x
Go to post Iamworthit · Today 19:19
Tomorrow is an urgent hearing to sort out the interim child arrangements before the first official hearing in May after cafcass have done their reports. It's possible there will be another 2 Hearings after that and this could take anywhere from 6 months up to a year to resolve.
Because he did a runner with the kids first, filed a Prohibited Steps Order to stop them living with me because he is saying I'm mentally unstable.
Best case scenario they return to live with me and the judge sees through his controlling behaviour and that he doesn't have the kids best interests at heart. Worst case scenario it stays as it is.
I suspect he has something else up his sleeve to throw at me tomorrow. Its clear he wants me to suffer as much as possible.