To my son's mother.

To my Son's mother,

I say you're his mother because you gave him breath.
I say my son because I gave him life.

I will never try and pretend to know why you walked away and never came back.

That was the path you chose. You chose to leave him each time you moved. Each time you met another man. Each time things were bad. You made those decisions.

The decisions I made? To raise my family with your child's father. To gain a son. He was 3 years old. A baby. A motherless baby.
I know you were still around. You were just not easing your child.
I was.
He was.
Everyone was but you.

You thanked me for it once or twice.
I told you I'd never replace his mother.
I will just love him like a mum should.

I wish you would own what you've done. I wish you'd own leaving him. You did it. You signed the papers at your request. Child to live with father. It's written in black and white.
We didn't take him from you. We didn't say we needed him because you were broke.
We just loved him.
It's been almost 10 years and you still haven't turned things around. You haven't come for him and owned your mistakes.
Instead you've resented the parents raising your child.
Loving your child like no other.

I see what you do to my son. When he visits he gets sad.
None of this is his doing. He didn't ask for any of it.
None of us did.
Except you. You asked his daddy to raise him.
You gave him the sole job. You did it.
I have been with his daddy for almost 10 years. I've seen you fail, I've seen you all but give up.
Yet I've never spoken an untrue word. I've never told him you weren't his mum.
I've never told him anything other than you're doing your best.
Even though you haven't been. You've been telling him awful lies. Telling him we don't love him like you do.
Telling him he's better off with you.
Tell me how that's so when you can't even own up to giving him away as a mere 3 year old?
Tell me how when for almost 10 years I've been the one soothing him. Cooking his favourite meals.
Signing his school notes.
Taking him to activities.
Keeping his routine.
Moulding him in to the man he's going to be.

You've done nothing. You don't deserve the title of mum. I do.
Except you've told him since he was a very little boy, that if he does call me mum it'll break your heart.
You broke mine the Day you signed those papers.
He deserves his mum. But all he got was a mother who sees him sometimes and a 'step mum' who has devoted her life to raising your child. Your child who will always pine for you.

Stop and think for a few moments if you're a mother who has given away her child.
Own it. Be honest with yourself and your child. They deserve it. The truth.
We all do.

So, my son's mother, please. Please stop being a ****.