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Emprisoned.
Here’s the thing they don’t tell you about being a victim of physical or emotional abuse. Even when you think you’ve been set free, you’re still trapped. Even though you no longer have to face your abuser on a daily basis, their presence lingers like an odor that just won’t go away.
I still have to coparent with the man that physically abused my daughter three and a half years ago. Because of the fact that he tried so hard to make it seem like I was overreacting to his method of “discipline,” the courts have protected her, for which I am unendingly thankful. Without his belligerent push to make me the bad guy, she would have been sent back to his care years ago, because our state favors parental rights over the rights of a child to live without fear.
Even though we no longer share parenting time, I’m still obliged to notify him of major events that happen with her. He’s allowed to voice his opinion, but I have final say. I don’t really see the point when he doesn’t know my daughter at all. He was barely a father in the five years he was involved in her life; he’s not allowed to engage with her now. How could he possibly form a meaningful opinion of what’s best for her without this vital connection?
He revels in the abuse he sets upon me. Anything I do or say could trigger microaggression, like fulfilling an agreement without abiding by the terms set forth. Or it could…
