The 6th Anniversary of One Mom's Battle

Six years ago today (September 15, 2011), I was standing in Glenn's living room (my husband/ then boyfriend) and I leaned over and said, "I'm going to start a blog." I was so tired of feeling like a case number on a Judge's desk. I was tired of the fact that no one cared about what my daughters were enduring. Admittedly, I often come up with ideas but I don't always think them through. This was one of those times. I started One Mom's Battle (OMB) as a place to vent. I wanted an outlet to share my custody battle saga with friends and family members who didn't truly understand what I was going through. I was tired of sounding like a broken record after every court date, "No...they didn't protect my daughters and in fact, they gave 'him' more time with them!" I never anticipated that anyone outside of my inner circle would ever read my late-night ramblings but I remember thinking, "If I could reach just ONE mom and make her feel less alone, I've accomplished my goal."As it turns out, I did reach one mom. Somehow (thanks God!), my blog reached Christie Brinkley. Six months after I started OMB, Matt Lauer interviewed Christie who was on the Today Show to discuss her Broadway musical, "Chicago." Christie was caught off guard when Matt began pressing her about her divorce...and then, he said the words that make me cringe to this day, "Why can't you get along for the sake of your children?" With tears in her eyes, Christie said, "Google the term, 'divorcing a narcissist,'" and the rest is history.After her appearance on the Today Show, Christie was inundated with others from around the world who had previously suffered in silence. I sat in disbelief as a read a post from Christie on social media directing people to my blog and Facebook page. I watched as my little blog grew wings and took flight. I watched as my inbox filled with messages from Ireland, Canada, South Africa and England. I looked at Glenn and wondered what in the hell I was going to do! Major freakout ensued.Around that time, the inevitable happened. My ex-husband found my blog (his aunt did, actually) and served me with a notice for an ex parte hearing. I was going to have to face the Judge about everything I had written. I was terrified about what this would do to my custody battle. Attorneys don't even advise posting minimal details on social media let alone, dumping every detail into a blog that had now made it's way around the world in lightning fast speed.  Thankfully, my judge was one of the rare ones who upheld my right to free speech. Crisis averted.Today, OMB continues to reach the far corners of the world and lets men and women know that they aren't alone. OMB is my story and it's yours. I have a small team of selfless volunteers who are dedicated to serving our "little" community of over 30,000 people. I had no idea what that spur of the moment decision would lead to. Happy 6th Anniversary to One Moms Battle and to all of us who are raising awareness on Cluster B personality disorders and fighting to protect our babies!###One Mom's Battle: Our mission at One Mom’s Battle is to increase awareness of Cluster B personality disorders (Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder) and their impact upon shared parenting and the Family Court System which includes Judges, CPS workers, Guardian ad Litems (GAL), Parenting Coordinators (PC), Custody Evaluators, therapists and attorneys. Education on Cluster B disorders will allow these professionals to truly act in the best interest of the children.History of One Mom's Battle: In 2009, One Mom’s Battle began with one mother, (Tina Swithin), navigating the choppy waters of a high-conflict divorce in the Family Court System. Since then, it has turned into a grassroots movement reaching the far corners of the Earth. Tina's battle spanned from 2009 - 2014 during which time she acted as her own attorney. Ultimately, Tina was successful in protecting her daughters and her family has enjoyed complete peace since October 2014 when a Family Court commissioner called her ex-husband a "sociopath" and revoked his parenting time in a final custody order.Tina Swithin: Tina Swithin's books are available online at Amazon (print, Kindle or audio format). Each year, Tina offers life-changing weekends of camaraderie and healing at the Lemonade Power Retreat.  Tina also offers one-on-one coaching services and a private, secure forum called, The Lemonade Club, for those enduring high-conflict custody battles.[wp_ad_camp_1]