Divorcing my cheating husband was tough, but when my son begged to stay with him and his grandmother, I felt heartbroken. Tyler, my sweet six-year-old, had always been my shadow, but now he wanted to live with them. My mother-in-law, Linda, made her disdain for me clear, mocking my decision to divorce and using my son as leverage in their game.
I couldn’t understand why Tyler would want to stay with them until I found a drawing of him with Linda, promising him Disneyland and a PlayStation in exchange for his loyalty. I knew then that Linda was manipulating him. I made a deal with Tyler: keep quiet about the bribes, and I’d get him the PlayStation he wanted. He agreed, and just like that, he was coming home.
A few days later, I lured Linda to lunch, where I confronted her about her manipulative tactics. I had recorded her admitting to bribing Tyler. With the evidence in hand, I threatened her: drop the custody battle, stay out of my parenting, or face the consequences. She was speechless.
I left victorious, and as a final act of defiance, I booked tickets to Disney World—for me and my son.