It was a crisp cool morning one weekend. A young woman went about her business taking care of her two babies. A little boy being of 18 months and the other child, a girl 6 months old. Waking up early and rushing through the morning was a normal routine for this young Mother.  What happened that day was not so routine.

Daddy woke up early in a grumpy mood. He had been out drinking the night before and usually woke up with a hangover. Although, he felt he could handle his drinking there was obviously a problem. He hated his job so drinking was the the best way to get rid of the life he had to deal with. Having two children so close together had put more responsibility and financial problems than he ever had to handle at one time. His life was in turmoil and he drank to get rid of it all.......or so he thought.

He was tired and this particular morning decided to take it out on the young Mom, (his wife).

It all began with mean words back and forth on both sides.

Than an anger clicked in the Young Dad......a rage that no one can understand. Most people would not blow out over the arguments they had that morning. I said most people. Young Dad was in a mood and the rage he felt did not allow for reasoning. He began to push the young Mom around, nothing to harsh but just enough to get his point across. To let her know that he was controlling this house even though nothing else in his life was controllable. He would show her that he was the authority in this house.

Young Mom started to cry, the babies started crying and she could not get to them. She wanted desperately to comfort them but Young Dad wouldn't let her near them. Every time she begged and tried to get out of the room he would throw his body against the door-frame blocking her escape and continued yelling at her. He screamed she was not going anywhere.

She could hear the babies crying in their playpen.......a million thoughts ran through her head. How could she get to her babies, how could she spare herself the abuse that was going to come, how could she get away from this man she learned to hate. She hated him with every bone in her body. He was vile and disgusting to her now. How can he even be a human being with the way he treated her? She would have left a long time ago but didn't have a job, money, nothing to survive on.
How would she take care of those little darlings of hers?

This has to stop she thought. She can't live like this any longer. She had grown up in a house where two parents respected each other and worked as a loving unit. This way of life was foreign to her. She thought she could change the Young Dad, but there comes a time when you have to face that you can not change the core of a person, they can only do that themselves.

With everything she had in her she pushed past him and ran down the steps as quickly as she could. The Young Dad pursued her.....She grabbed her youngest trying to calm her. Thank goodness her  18 month old boy was calm. He was watching what was going on. What a terrible thing to have to witness at such a young age.

Young Dad grabbed the boy and ran into the kitchen screaming. The boy started screaming with the sudden loud noise at his little ears.

Young Mom was crying and begging for him to release the boy and let her have her son. She laid the little girl back down to get her son away from his enraged Father.

Young Mom stood in horror as Young Dad dropped the boy to the floor to attack her. She watched as her 18 month old son fell to the floor at least 4 to 5 feet up.

Dad was so angry and filled with rage that to this day denies ever dropping him.

Mom seize the moment, ducked under and somehow got pasted Dad. She grabbed up her son as Dad came after her. She put him back in the playpen and faced the punishment that was coming.

Young Dad grabbed her arms and threw her into the alley kitchen. There was barely enough room for two people but he shoved her in there and pushed her around screaming and hitting her. He than took his entire body and slammed her into the kitchen cabinets and counter, throwing her over backwards.

She felt a searing pain in her back, black and blue welts over her shoulder, back and hips......but the whole time was blocking out what was happening to her and thinking, how do I get my babies out of here....

She was broken, humiliated, hurt, and devastated that a man could do this to a woman. How can one human being treat another like this?

She laid on the floor of the kitchen not moving. She waited for him to calm down. He finally walked upstairs when she saw her moment.

She ran as fast as she could, flew out the door and ran to the neighbors. She called the police and the beginning of the end started.

Young Mom went back into the house with the police as they removed Young Dad. She took her two babies, called her best friend to meet her down the street. She got the stroller put her babies into it, grabbed a few supplies and never looked back.

If it were not for the program she had been attending for the past few weeks to help misplaced housewives, she would never have received the support, counseling, and courage to get out of that house. She might even be dead by now if she had stayed.

That day opened a long hard road of struggles but ultimately led our Young Mom to a life of freedom, happiness, and loving relationships. The fear she felt that day, the pain, the injuries, and the bruises were all overtaken with the thought that her husband had dropped their baby to come after her. Her fear and love for her children gave her the courage to want a better life.

It takes that first step, it takes patience, and it takes perseverance. There is help and support out there, you are never alone, Jesus and others are there for you.......you just have to ask. You can be free too...........

This Young Mom was me 15 years ago. Filing for a protection from abuse order was the 2nd smartest thing I ever did.  The single most important thing I did that day was getting out and never looking back. You too can have a happy ending, please believe me. You do not have to dream of a time where your free to be yourself, there is one.  I want to help you, just reach out,  and someone will be there for you. Your journey will be long but it will be so worth it in the end. Take that first step and reach for help.