Redefining Life: Eye on The Ball

I told myself. Take the job, put your head down, and work like hell.

So I did. I cut out the noise, distanced myself from old friends, broke up with my toxic boyfriend, and poured all my focus into rebuilding my life. People noticed. But with recognition came something else… the haters.

The better I got at my job, the more the sabotage took place. Subtle manipulation, whispered lies to the owner, and rumors that chipped away at my reputation. One person in particular had the owner’s ear and made it clear they didn’t like my success. I kept my mouth shut, stayed focused, and told myself God would handle it.

Then came the day. The lie was so bad, the owner stormed into my office and yelled at me like I was his teenage daughter. That was it. I grabbed my phone, my keys, walked straight into my saboteur’s office, and told her I quit. She tried to talk me into thinking it over. But that night, I decided I’m done. I took the next day off and she calls me about an unpaid vendor bill the same thing that set the owner off the day before. She’s still spewing her lies, and I realize if I just walk away now, my name will be dragged through the mud. I need to clear it.

Smack in the middle of this chaos, my son’s father buys a new home out of town. “Move closer,” he says. “Our son can go to a good school here.” I didn’t have a home anymore. The neighborhood was high-end. I thought, Maybe this is our chance to start fresh.

Big mistake.

Not long after my son started at the new school, I noticed strange behavior. I checked his phone and my stomach dropped. Messages. Memes. Sexual content between boys. I couldn't believe my eyes. I’m a traditional woman, so yes, I was shocked. But I hit my knees and prayed. I asked God to help me understand my son, give me the right words, and make sure he felt safe talking to me without fear. I told his dad too, hoping he’d step up and guide him. Then came a call from the school my son had been changing his grades to look like he was doing better. In reality, he wasn’t doing the work and was failing sixth grade. We took away the phone, the video games, and focused on schoolwork. Before that even had time to sink in, the phone rang again. This time a fight. A boy grabbed my son by the neck, lifted him off the ground, and they struggled until my son broke free. The school called it a “mutual misunderstanding” and gave them both in-school suspension. That was my breaking point. I told them I was pulling him out. His dad fought me on it. He didn’t want to mess up his commute but I wasn’t backing down. I knew my son needed to be back at his home school, where he’d been since first grade, where he was safe and surrounded by friends. Months of arguments followed between dad and I, but I never stopped pushing. Because when you’re a mom, keeping your eye on the ball means fighting through the noise, standing your ground, and never letting go when it comes to your kid.

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