I certainly know where you are coming from nowhere.
I had a son and a shotgun wedding.(back in the days) I was 16 yrs.old
My husband was neither abusive or mean..we just were too young. I gave up my rights to raise my son (I had been brought up in a family with so much negativity).My mother was manic/depressive(never diagnosed) and my Father was diagnosed paranoid/schizophrenic.(after Pearl Harbor.)
I knew that my son's dad was stable and came from a close knit family.They were so laid back, compared to my own.(In mine there was constant screaming) It was very difficult to leave and go from Texas to New York and just call on the phone..(if dad allowed) My ex remarried and had 2 other kids..I came back to Texas when my son was 14 yrs old. It was like meeting him for the first time.He had no resentment towards me) After he graduated, I explained to him how things were. He is now 32 yrs old well adjusted and I know that he understands that I had to "break that chain."
As I look at my sisters life and how her kids turned out..(daughters.. 23 yrs, has 2 kids and not married and still in to the get "high" scene..Other one is 20, pregnant now for the 3rd time( different fathers of all 3) and not married and shirks responsibilty.
It helps me to realize that I DID make the right choice!
good luck to you listener..and hoped I have helped in some small way.
Nowhere..good luck to you..I wish you the best in life!