I got married in 2000. I had known my husband since we were children. A week before we got married he choked me and I told myself that it was just because he was stressed about the wedding.
Through out the marriage the violence progressed. While I was pregnant with our son, he pushed me into a wall and then kicked me over and over while I was stuck between the wall and the floor. This caused me to go into pre-mature labor. I was in pre-mature labor from 22 weeks until 35 weeks when my water broke and they could not do anything further to stop it.
My son was born with some breathing problems from being born early. When he was sent home from the hospital he was put on an apnea moniter because he would stop breathing at times.
One day, after my son had been home for a few weeks, just an ordinary day, I got him ready for work, made him breakfast and packed his lunch. The day was seeming to go off without a hitch. My husband came home from lunch saying he didnt want a packed lunch and wondered why I didn't have anything else prepared for him. He left mad and continued to call and yell at me through out the afternoon.
When he arrived home from work I was holding our son feeding him in a chair. He told me to get out of "his" house. I said ok. My friend Brenda had started staying with us just a few days before so since I was still sore from my c-section and I was feeding our son I asked her to get his car seat. My husband said "You're not taking him." He then tried to reach to get him away from me. I placed my arms around my son in a way that he could not touch him, just because I knew he didn't know his own strength when he was angry, and could not take the risk of him hurting our child. He grabbed and empty bottle of Parrot Bay Rum that we had on display in a glass cabnet. He kicked me in my right ankle with his steel toed boot, hit me in the left knee with the bottle, then kicked me in my right ankle again. He then cut the phone cord to the phone.
The next day when he left for work I got my mother to come help me get the hospital. My left knee was broken in three places. I filed for an order of protection, and then filed for divorce a week later.
My exhusband just didn't have control when he was angry and I had been ok with risking myself but I could not handle the thought of him hurting my son.
We have been divorced for a few years now. My ex is on meds and sees a psychologist on a monthly basis. He is a wonderful father to our son, and we get along very well as divorced parents. Now and again I find myself thinking "Now he is the man I loved again. Maybe we should try it again." I never will though. I can not risk doing that to my son.
