Innocent Sorrow: A Grandmother’s Fight to See Her Grandchildren

By Andrea Bathani

Audrey knew all too well what it was like for a daughter to feel rejected by her mother, which is why she did her best to be there for Amanda.

But as fate would have it her daughter became a young mother who had become blinded while trapped in such an abusive relationship, making problems worse by making a thoughtless decision of not allowing her mother to see her grandchildren, Brady and Eric.

Amanda had the boys convinced they were not allowed to see their grandmother because of a court order, rather than the truth that Amanda’s boyfriend had given her an ultimatum; him or her mother. However, Audrey refused to let that happen. She then petitioned the court for grandparent visitation rights proclaiming her daughter was not clearly doing what was in the best interest of her children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Feb 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483422978

Book preview

Innocent

Sorrow

A Grandmother’s Fight to See her Grandchildren

Andrea Bathani

Copyright © 2014 Andrea Bathani.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2298-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2297-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014921948

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 12/12/2014

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1   Christmas And Lifetime Tv

Chapter 2   No One’s Child

Chapter 3   True Colors

Chapter 4   The Waiting Game

Chapter 5   Facts Don’t Lie

Chapter 6   Brady Enters Our World

Chapter 7   End Of Happy Times

Chapter 8   The Straw The Broke The Camel’s Back!

Chapter 9   Survivors

Chapter 10   A Mother’s Love

Chapter 11   Skin Deep

Chapter 12   Missed Out

Chapter 13

Epilogue

"Through the face of adversity, I can still see a glimmer of light,

and as I long as I can see my way through the darkness,

I will persevere."

To my grandsons

and to all the thousands of children whose untold stories of

maltreatment have gone unnoticed and unresolved

The names and identities of each character

in the book have been changed to protect their privacy.

INTRODUCTION

It astounds me how certain past events stand out in my mind as if they had just happened a few months ago, rather than decades. And those in-between bits of my life—the everyday grind—I can’t recall no matter how hard I try. It makes me wonder whether those indelible events are the signposts that guide or prod us on a specific path, and the everyday bit—the chore, the grind of living, is like breathing air—it just happens on its own.

There are many who believe that before we are born our soul makes definite choices as to what it wishes for us to learn, so that we may burn off our karma and fulfill our destiny or true purpose—and once that has come to pass, our earthly journey will have been completed.

And there are also religious beliefs that claim to bring God’s children peace of mind and richness of the human spirit if they believe in Jesus Christ!

Being a practicing Catholic all my life, I was conditioned to believe that if I confessed my transgressions (sins) to the priest and surrendered all my troubles to Jesus, he would help me through dark times and rejoice with me in the good times through his spirit.

So is it our past life transgressions that create the hardships we must face in this lifetime? Or is it the choices we make that create our fate? Are we destined to suffer because we weren’t worthy enough for God to hear our prayers?

Perhaps fate does play a significant role in our lives. Fate is that unseen force that can seem harsh and impulsive, where sometimes it can shake us up to our very core, which seems unjust. But oftentimes through these hardships we can be led back onto the right path, by expanding our minds and seeing what is beyond the box we call life.

What about destiny—is there something preordained for our soul? Moreover, if something is meant to happen, then nothing we say or do will change the outcome. I want to believe life is much finer than just burning off karma through suffering. If that were the case, then all of us would inevitably tread carefully on this journey and think clearly before we act or react to person, place, or thing.

In truth, I must ask myself, If I had known from the outset what lessons I needed to learn in this life, would I have done anything differently thus far? This is the gazillion dollar question and one to which I have no honest answer.

I want to believe that if you live a decent life, love your family and yourself, and do good unto others, then life will be kind and just, and all will unfold accordingly (in our favor). Is that wishful thinking?

One thing I am certain of and believe with all my heart and soul is this: there is no greater bond than that of a mother and her children. And even in the worst of circumstances, the connection of mother and child will never end while each has breath in their bodies.

Therefore, I wrote this account of my personal journey in the hope many will read and possibly relate to this one simple truth: every child born has a right to live in a nurturing and safe environment regardless of status, ethnicity, or whether they are poor or rich—each child deserves at least that much in their young life.

Andrea

CHAPTER 1

Christmas and Lifetime TV

Today is Sunday, two days before Christmas. I went to see my grandsons, Brady, who will be twelve on February 10, and Eric, who will be eleven in April. They were visiting at their father’s house for a few hours. I appreciated the invitation, even though it felt weird having to be invited to see the two boys I had practically raised since they were babies. Nonetheless, I was still very grateful to have a few hours to be with them.

The boys were happy to see me. We hugged. I took a few pictures and a few short videos. Eric looked sad every now and then throughout the day. He told me he was afraid that he wouldn’t get to see me for a very long time. I could only respond by telling him that Nana is trying her best to make sure that he and Brady could see me on a regular basis.

Brady lay across my lap when I asked him if he wanted to come and live with me again. He