abused as a kid. had kids young. with the mom for 19 years before I couldn’t stand it anymore. I moved out awhile, then she moved out. we shared the kids until her new boyfriend hit her. they stayed with me for a month, then she came with the cops to take them since we were not divorced. we shared them again until it happened again. they moved back in. my autistic son turned 18 and was happy he wouldn’t have to move back in with his mom. she filed divorce and wants custody, child support, property. she actually hadn’t worked in years and I let her take most of the household items, even bought some for her new place. paid her rent till the first domestic thing. turns out he has a record for the same thing twice and other felonies also. so I’m worried I need a lawyer. I’m out of work at the moment. my daughter doesn’t want to live with the new boyfriend and I’m panicked. she is almost 17 so we are going to hope the judge will just listen to her. meanwhile I sleep on a couch so the kids can have their own rooms. I have food planted and have been trying to convert to a minimalist lifestyle. my son is autistic and in private school, tuition goes up each year. he will take a trade next year as well. we all share an aveo with an exhaust leak. the kids and myself open doors for people, donate to the needy even as we near disaster. My son will make a great mechanic. my daughter wants to be a therapist. I strive to work in areas that help people in some way. service haha I never had the education to reach that comfortable level. I grew up on powdered milk and government cheese, my kids did not. I have given everything to make sure they had it better than I with success. I want to continue to support them in their goals and keep my mother out of a home. funds donated would go first to secure a lawyer for this family legal matter. we agreed to a no contest even custody split before this new boyfriend got in her head. further funding will go to the household fishbowl. growing our own food has been our goal this summer as well as keeping the little car running. my son is over 6′ 300lbs and doesn’t fit in it, he’s got an old caprice he is fixing up. while I find work bills find the way here. honestly my younger years have my front teeth rotten so finding work is harder every year. I do very well in agriculture but with one car I can’t travel far reliably. if I won a million dollars I would pay for the kids collage first. buy them both slow safe base model cars and insurance. pay off the house and fix the bigger stuff put off. I would start a business that I honestly thought helped people feel better and spread that positive feeling. I would get my mother whatever she thought looked pretty still cook dinner at the house. there would be no big tv sets or boats until there was a solid plan without the stress of worrying about one more thousand dollars costing us the house. this might have turned into a real rant but I like to be happy. we like to make others happy. my daughters art shows her love and acceptance while dealing with her internal conflict knowingly. she is an inspiration and any funds sent will directly improve lives that will pay it forward in spades.