This story is a work of fiction based on a true life story/experience, it is divided into chapters, read and reflect. Thanks to @familyprotection @markwittham @canadian-coconut and other prolific steemians who are a part of this fight.

CHAPTER 1: THE SEPARATION

SOURCE

Sandra came from work really exhausted and needed to rest real bad. She let herself into her apartment only to discover that Steve her seven year old son had messed up the whole apartment, she was not just in a good mood and she broke down, she screamed and scolded the boy for messing up the whole place and little Steve started crying.

Mrs. Brown who lived next door, quickly called the Social Services Department reporting a case of negligence and abuse. Mrs. Brown said Sandra was not fit to be a mother, she was hardly ever around to take care if the boy always leaving him in the care of baby sitters and whenever she was around, she was always scolding and shouting at the poor boy.

The Social Service worker came for an accessment. She just asked Steve some questions which the boy answered innocently not understanding the reason for the questions, and based on little Steve's answers they adjudged Sandra not fit to be a mother and decided that Steve would go into Child Protection Services.

Steve never understood what was going on, he only answered some questions that strange woman asked and now they are saying he has to go away from his Momma as he fondly called Sandra. Steve loved his momma so much, and he didn't do anything wrong so why is momma giving him away?

Yes he played some little pranks and Momma would scream at him, but he still loved his momma so much.
Yes momma was not always around but he knew momma was working hard to get money for food and to pay their bills and also make sure he gets whatever he wanted, so even though he missed his momma so much, he had to bear staying with the babysitters because momma promised that soon everything will be okay.
Yes he didn't have a father like other kids do, but momma made sure he never lacked and never felt the absence of a father.

• What then did I do wrong?
• Has momma been lying to me all along?
• Does it mean momma doesn't love me?
• If she loves me then why would she allow them take me away?
• Why is momma also crying that she doesn't want to let me go?
  These were the questions going through little Steve's mind but he didn't know who to ask, and so he bottled them up inside as he was taken away.

Steve was so hurt, he was angry at everybody, how could they be so cruel to take him away from momma, why would momma let them take him away, what right did they have to make his momma cry, he felt all alone, little Steve going through all this at such a tender age was quite too much for him to bear.

Sandra on her own part was also going through a lot of trauma, she tried everything to hold on to her boy, but the social service worker wrote a very demeaning report against her which was not true. After all her fight her little boy was taken away from her.

Sandra is a single mother, she got pregnant while in college and Mark never accepted to take up responsibility for her and her unborn child, here parents were not supportive as well and so she was all alone. Through hard work and sheer determination, she was able to support herself until she was delivered of her beautiful son Steve.

It wasn't easy raising Steve as a single mom, she loved her son so much and wanted him to have the best, all her life she lived for her prince. She was twenty four years old, and didn't even have time for a social life let alone date all because her darling son was all that mattered to her.

She was doing three different jobs and have also gone back to school because she wanted to get her degree as a doctor and get a better paying job, maybe even become a resident doctor some day, so that she can take better care of her little man.

She loved Steve so much and would have loved to spend a lot of time with him, with the jobs she did, combined with her schooling, she didn't have the luxury of time and so Steve was always left in the care of baby sitters.

Even though she loved the boy so much, she never hesitated to scold him anytime he misbehaved, because she wanted him to turn out a gentleman, a better man than his irresponsible father, and so all her scolding was done with love.

And that was why on that fateful day, she was already on her way home from work when Racheal the baby sitter called that she wanted to leave, that the boy was already sleeping and she wanted to go attend to something at home, she then asked to leave since she was just a few minutes away from the house.

She was in shock when she came in like ten minutes later only to find out that the whole place was in a mess, her little man was not sleeping after all, he just pretended, and the moment Racheal left, he got up and started roughing up the whole place, and so she had to scold him.

Now because of some nosy neighbour, who was old enough to be her grand mother, who could have called her to ask her what was going on with her, but decided to play a snitch instead, she is loosing custody of her son, life can be so cruel. Steve was all she lived for, what was her life going to be worth now without her prince, her hero, her little man, the only man in her life, she so much longed to die right now.

In fact she hates life right now, even though she put up a good fight, yet she lost her son, life is no longer worth living.
And that was how Sandra a promising young woman so full of life and hard working, took to drinking, became aggressive and very hostile.

The question as I end this chapter here is this

• Is it now wrong to train and raise your child properly?
• Is it now wrong to work hard and put in your best just to make sure you give your child the best?

Wait for the rest of the story as we find out what happened to Steve in his new home.

I support #familyprotection, as we lend voice to this inhumanity. 50% of the SBD accrue this post goes to #familyprotection.