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When you’re co-parenting, you expect the handoffs to be tough at times, but not unsafe. You might argue about schedules, drop-offs, or school pickups, but at the end of the day, you count on the children being put first. The fear that a parent might not return them is something no one wants to face. That’s the situation a Seattle mother described in a series of TikTok videos, where she accused her children’s father of refusing to give them back.
In her first post, she explained that the arrangement had already been strained. He wanted visitation on Monday through Wednesday nights, but expected her to handle all the transportation. When she refused, she said, the conflict escalated. The mother alleged that he began posting lies about her online and even called her workplace to try to have her children unenrolled from the daycare where she works. Things came to a head when he told her he wasn’t going to return the children, claiming she had “abandoned” them. “He got me so angry,” she said in the video. “I’m calling the police and I’m getting my kids back.”
Past Incidents and Legal Issues
In follow-up posts, the mother shared more about the no-contact order in place against her ex. According to her, he had been barred from being around her or her workplace after incidents of harassment and abuse, including one where he allegedly hit and spit on her. Despite that order, she said he tried to disrupt her job and showed up at her daycare in the past.
She explained that she had offered him weekend visitation to avoid weekday conflicts with childcare and school, but he insisted on Monday through Wednesday. Police, she said, later told him that he was legally responsible for transportation and childcare on his assigned days. The mother also revealed that he had never completed the paperwork to be listed on their children’s birth certificates. Still, officers told her that parenting rights had already been established through ongoing visitation, meaning custody must be resolved through court.
Update from the Seattle Mother
She later confirmed that she was able to get her children back but stated that until a judge issues a formal parenting plan, she won’t allow further visits. “He doesn’t just get to decide whatever, wherever,” she said. She also pointed out that he already pays child support for another child he hasn’t seen in years, saying that it will likely be ordered again once the case goes to court.
Here’s What Netizens Are Saying About the Seattle Custody Dispute
The video’s comment section is mainly filled with support for the mother. One person cheered her on, writing, “You go girl!! Don’t let him get what he wants!!!” A second commenter expressed sympathy, saying they hoped she could get her children back quickly and encouraged her to fight for full custody. Some criticized the father’s behavior, with one viewer pointing out that if he was not working, the children did not need to be in daycare, calling his actions “ridiculous.” Another added, “Now he’s playing with your kids! Nope, he’s done seeing the kids after this.”
More people urged her to take the matter to court, while stressing that the children should never go with him again without a custody order signed by a judge. Some also noted how much the woman had already done to accommodate him. A viewer observed that she had been “more than kind with this man,” and another added that she should make sure to secure child support.
