At my wits end...

Take a couple of deep breaths. Remember the calmer you appear in court the better things will be. No matter what is said or done do not react without taking time to think about it. You will be on display so you need to look and act your best. Let them see how much you really want to be a mother to your daughter. Give them a chance to see your heart. I have seen where things are done to provoke the one fighting to show a bad side of them so don't let them do it. If you can show that you are in control of yourself you have a better chance of letting them know what a good mom you want to be for your daughter. Set the example. If it comes up that she says she wants to stay with her grandma and they ask you about it don't get up set and say they brain washed her instead say something like I am sure she has grown very fond of her grandma and I certainly don't want that to end however I believe that being with me her mother will prove to be the best thing for my daughter. Best of luck to you and let us know how it goes.

You don't say if you have legal representation for the court date or what country this is in. You say this is your youngest child - how many, how old and where are the others. At 5 years old your daughter really doesn't have a say in who she lives with. I find it hard to believe that any Mother would want to take and keep her daughters child. I have 3 daughters and 6 grandchildren. I have been there to help out with the kids but have never wanted to keep any of them permanently. I think the old theory about grandkids fits the way I feel - love them, enjoy them, spoil them then send them home. As I said at the beginning - I think you should look into your own legal representation - they can put things across in court so much better than you can. Hope you get your child back where I fell she belongs with you. All the best.

Mare..one day at a time...dont go getting yourself all in an uproar on the "what if" cause you'll drive yourself batty.....I knwo easier said than done but TRY...Sit down and give some thought to what reasons they could possibly come up with and prepare for the possiblity....Pray, meditate etc do your thing ya know...and Mare you can always email me if you want to you know that *slaps you with a little fish*..I'm not much of a phone person but that doesnt mean I'm not around or available..... Big question..does the law guardian KNOW this was supposed to be temporary?? If so then I would THINK htat would be in your corner wouldnt it (I'm not familiar with U.S family law of course).... Stay strong woman!! Day by day...prep...STAY POSITIVE...pray etc etc..... {{{big hugs}}}

i am also in NYS and have dealt with family court a few time before, unfortunately. you never know what will happen. my wife and i didn't have representation for the first three or four times we went because we figured we had the law and the childs best interest at heart. apparently the court agreed with us, kind of, but the respondents didn't. needless to say, that next time we appeared we had a court appointed lawyer (call your local chapter of legal aid or ask at family court building). we came home with our child that day. much has changed since then but that is another discussion. anyway, the point i'm trying to make is to get a lawyer. tell them what you want, and your chances will improve greatly. good luck to you. i'll be praying for God's will in this.

Hi mare73 its hard to say what one think when one doesnt have the full story. I hope if you are a good person and all is well you do get your daughter back. though I am left questioning why she is with your mum in the first place. Im not trying to hurt you its just that its hard too say anything really constructive without knowing and especially when we are talking about children. Everybody wants to do the right thing by the child and lets face it at the end of the day if they didnt look after the child everyone would jump up and down. like I said goodluck I hope all turns out for the best.