DEAR HARRIETTE: My parents are divorced, and I have not had an in-person relationship with my mother for five years. My son is now 7 years old. My mother and I still had each other on social media, and she has been trolling and feuding with me about many different things that I post -- things that pertain to my son and being a mother. It's no surprise that she disagrees with all my choices and everything I do with my son.
I blocked her from everything so that she can no longer watch my life and criticize me, especially since she is not in our lives anymore. Some time after blocking her, my husband and I got served with papers that say she is trying to get custody of my son. She only met him when he was a baby. She doesn’t know him at all. She is calling us unfit parents and a danger to our son. Now we have to face court to defend ourselves to keep our son. How can she do this? Does she have any chance of winning? -- Don't Take My Son
DEAR DON’T TAKE MY SON: Get an attorney immediately and share everything that you know with him. Any communication you have received from your mother, on social media or otherwise, can be used as evidence -- for or against you. Identify friends and family members who will vouch for your role as a mother and friend. Find out where your father stands in this situation. Gather your forces so that you can fight your mother if needed. Stay calm and make sure you pay close attention to your son to ensure that he is safe. Good luck.