Location: Tennessee
Hi all, I've been no contact with my mother since I discovered that she was playing altered recordings to my (at the time) 7 yr old child to attempt to cause problems with our relationship. There are many other factors involved, and i have months of texts proving that I asked for her to get therapy and we could begin reunification with my 2 kids. She refused to accept responsibility or accountability, and so since February of 2025 she has had no contact with the kids (now aged 9 and almost 2).
Today i was served paperwork that she is taking me, my current husband (father of youngest), and my ex husband (father of oldest) to court for grandparents rights. In her petition, there are several blatant lies that I believe mislead her attorney into taking her case, including lies about her role as a caregiver. We shared a home, but she was never solely responsible for my children, and has never so much as even "babysat" our youngest, yet her petition claims she had "sole caregiver responsibilities". However, while I know it is a lie, I do not know how to prove that it is untrue.
I'll be meeting with some lawyers soon, but we are extremely low income and very very scared because we know how expensive this could get, but we all (even my ex husband from a VERY contentious divorce!) Agree that the kids are unsafe with her.
What is a general idea of what we can expect going forward, and what are some proactive steps we can take to make this have a good outcome with the kids best interests in mind? The youngest child literally does not even know her.