My daughter's illness finally seems to be on the mend (although we still have no idea what it is and have to go back to the doc next week) and she was full of energy this morning. So I took her along to what was supposed to be a breakfast to discuss custody with her mother. It's no secret her mother's behavior has been erratic the past month and I wanted to know what was up. Well, be careful what you wish for. I could tell she had something major to tell me so I just sat back and paid attention. She started with the whole hospital incident and said she did show up after hearing what was going on but they told her we'd already been discharged and she couldn't get a hold of me after that (which is true, my battery was running on empty so I had to turn off my phone). I was relieved to hear her say that cuz it clears up a lot of questions. Then she went on to her next announcement - she's going to inpatient treatment for depression. That's why she's been MIA, she's been struggling and she knew she couldn't take care of a kid like that. She was trying to work through it on her own but has realized that isn't going to work so she's taking steps to get help. I wasn't shocked, I know she's had a history of depression, but more bummed out. We have our differences and we've butted heads a lot over the past year but I still care about her and want her to be healthy. I love her (as the mother of my child, not in any other way) and I want the best for everybody I love so this is no different.
The next thing we talked about was what happens next. She's going to a program for at least a month and I'll have full custody for that month but she'll get visitation. There is no plan beyond that, I think we're both hoping she'll be better (or on her way to better) by then. We're going through the courts on this one because I feel like I have to protect the kid and myself in case her mother changes her mind and tries something down the road. Her mom understands this and isn't fighting me, so that's one good thing. But now things change drastically. It's been one week on, one week off in terms of custody of our girl and now I'm gonna have her 100% of the time for the next 30 days (at least). I know I can handle it but it's just a big change, probably more for the kid than for me. I look forward to the extra time. It's definitely gonna make for an interesting situation though.
