by Wendy Owen

Created on: December 15, 2008

For me not being allowed access to a grandchild was devastating I can see why it is called "The living death". My youngest son and I have always been close and when his wife left him for someone else she left my grandson with my son. I told my son to contact an attorney and get custody started right away but he refused saying he would not do that to her. After a month of being gone his wife came and took the child for what she said would be an afternoon and then she ran away with him and hid the child from us for over eight months. My son of course was beside himself and paralyzed with pain and anger.

I had my own grief to deal with not seeing the child and it was even harder for me to watch my son spiral into a deep depression. He talked often about killing himself and the mental anguish was more than the two of us could ever hope to deal with in a proper manor. Eight long months I spent crying and trying to deal with the pain of my loss. Then one day my son was driving down the road and he seen his ex wife walking in the park with his son. My son jumped out of the car while it was still moving and was running down the road screaming his sons name and his son was screaming back, " Daddy"! His ex wife picked the child up and ran to a man who tackled my son while she got away with the child. My son called me on the edge of a mental breakdown, unable to talk or drive or walk and I said, no more. No more!

Not being able to handle not seeing my grandsons smile any longer, and not being able to deal with my sons pain I decided to brush the pain off my heart and start my search for my grandson. I joined the net detective site and within five minutes I had an address. I looked up my ex daughter-in-law on my-space and found she had been re-married. There were pictures of my grandson online on her page with her new husband and he was letting the child take drinks of his beer. I gave the information to my son along with $1500.00 so he could retain an attorney.

My sons attorney filed an emergency order and it was two weeks after hiring the lawyer my son got to spend the afternoon with his son. It was another month before I was able to see him. My son now has his son 50% of the time and we are now very happy. Just thinking back on these days we spent in our own living death brings me to tears because trying to cope without the sunshine of your life is a very painful process.

Learn more about this author, Wendy Owen.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.