Dear Panel,

Hello my name is Heidi, I am a 20 year old mother of a 1 year old daughter. I was not ever married to her father. He and I had been together for 3 years.

Well, about 3 months ago things fell apart, we lost the control in our relationship, and had too much interference with his family (his mother mostly). I went to my mother's to live with the baby. About a month after that I was served with papers that said he wanted custody of our daughter.

The problem was I could see through the papers and I knew he would never want to take her away from me, it was his mother that wanted a baby, our daughter. After his big shot lawyer (that his parents paid for) got a hold of me she tried to tear me apart. I could not afford a lawyer so I kept on Corey to work this out ourselves – one day that is what he wants to do the next day he does not.

After the lawyer and his mother get a hold of his mind he always changes his mind. Throughout all this I have looked at myself and what I did in the relationship that caused it to falter. I tried to stay focused on me. Yesterday we were in court, here he is with his lawyer and then there was me all alone. They asked for a hideous visitation agreement, I asked for a fair 50/50. I WON!!

Well, now that all this is over I still have feelings for him even after everything he has put me through. I want to put my family together. Am I crazy?? We were together last night and I told him this and he said he feels the same way. But we do not know how to go about this.

How do we rebuild??

Female, age 20, Midwest US

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