I HAVE BEEN WITH MY SONS FATHER FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS AND I FINALLY FELT LIKE I HAD ENOUGH. I HAVE BEEN TO THE POLICE I HAVE SO MANY POLICE REPORTS ITS NOT FUNNY. I FIND MYSELF BEING NICE TO HIM JUST SO HE WON'T DO THINGS TO ME BECAUSE I CAN'T GET ANY HELP. SO THEN I HAVE PANIC ATTACKS BECAUSE IT IS SO HARD TO PUT UP WITH HIM. THE POLICE WILL NOT GIVE ME A RESTRAINING ORDER BECAUSE THEY SAID I HAVE TO HAVE MARKS ON MY BODY. HE SITS OUTSIDE MY HOUSE AND JUST WATCHES ME. HE ALSO RAN UP ON ME OUT OF NO WHERE BECAUSE I WOULDN'T LET HIM IN MY HOUSE THE NIGHT BEFORE. I AM A LITTLE SCARED I THINK HE WILL GET SO MAD A ME ONE DAY AND HURT ME REALLY BAD. BUT YOU KNOW THE ONE THING THAT GETS ME SO MAD IS THAT I DON'T HAVE A LIFE I HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM OR HE SAYS HE WILL KILL ME.. WHAT DO I DO?

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2002

Answers

move away.

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2002

I'm pretty much in the same boat. Its easy for other people to help you find solutions, but only you can do the actual decision making. There has to be shelters around you, reach out to an old friend, confind in a responsible adult. I find that while living in such a situation we have no energy, our self esteem is low. We need to find the force to get back out there, start living again, and doing things we want to, even if he doesn't approve. We need to be in control of who we are, and feel good about ourselves before we can take any positivce action. Can you not get a restaining order, on the sole fact that he threated to kill you?

-- Anonymous, August 09, 2002