thanks aaaaa. you are right. i should've done this along time ago. instead adding more to the crew ( my mom and bro). my mom has yet to call me. i spoke to her ex-husband who is caring for my brother at the moment since he cannot stay with my mother and her bf. she only calls my bro once a day and speaks to him for less than five minutes. her bf doesn't "allow" her to talk to her ex. and they obviously need to discuss what is going to happen with my lil bro. she and her bf bumped into her ex and my bro and her bf did all the talking! he mentioned that she was going to return to my home on sunday. of course he didn't mention which sunday. at that point her ex, who has been in contact with me told them that i did not want her in my home anymore and had she called me she would've known this. i am so disappointed in my mother. i am so disappointed that she is going to hand over my brother to his father and live with that old man. my lil bro is very attached to my mother. her ex told me that at night my bro calls out for her in his sleep. i feel terrible for him. but at the same time, my mother is a grown woman and i am not responsible for her decisions. i have a feeling that at this point she feels trapped because she is not allowed to leave the house without the old man, nor is she allowed to talk to anyone without his consent. i think that is one of the reasons she hasn't called, i am sure that guilt is also playing a part in it, and she also doesn't want to hear what i or my aunt have to say about her behavior. she's acting like a teenager that has no cares in the world. she need not worry about me because i am a grown woman but she does have the responsibility to care for my bro who is only 8 years old. well thats the story for now. we'll see how it continues to unfold.