I'm 37 and my son is 17. We have went through Hell and back together. From me moving him around as a young child to hide him from his abusive father to him trying to have his father arrested for threatening to kill me.. We've definitely had our fair share of therapy. However, I started drinking from the pain and admittedly started abusing my son the same way his father did last year. This caused him to file for emancipation because being older now, he just figured he's not about to go through that shit again. He now lives with his girlfriend. I realized that I fucked up badly and if I want my son back then I need to reenter therapy and go to rehab. I wrote to my son every day and sent him gifts every day. I was actually going to go to the police and confess that I started abusing him, but then I got a letter back. He asked me to come to his house. I went. I was going to apologize once more but he just pulled me in for the longest hug he'd ever given me. It was a tear filled moment from the both of us. I kept promising him that I am changing. He told me that he knows. A month has passed and although he lives away, he comes to visit every day or every other day. We play board games or watch TV. I love my son. I will always regret following the footsteps of his father. I will get hate and I'm not going to defend myself from it because I deserve it, but I will stay on anon. I just wanted to share the strength of my son with everyone. His strength at a young age.