yesterday's update from the mom on Reddit: "Well, what everyone feared would happen, did. Tuesday, [Owen] returned to school. I told him he could still talk with and play with Charlie. I was hesitant to drop him off but figured you can't live in fear. Most afternoon, my son takes the bus to a local rec center for aftercare. I had already told the school everything and that Nate and Paige were not to pick Owen up. I managed to call and even make sure he got on the bus. Aftercare was also made aware of the change in pick up list. Well, a half hour later, I get a call that Paige had tried to pick up my son. The front desk refused to release him. Didn't say why, just that she was no longer on the list. She wouldn't leave and the police were called. She was escorted out of the building. While she wasn't brought to jail, there is a police report and I am using this to go to court and get an order of protection...

Nate and Paige seem to have some classist as f**k beliefs. Like, they're going to be better parents to a kid simply because they can provide more wealth. And that just because they have money, they have a *right* to even suggest just taking a kid away from someone. Those are some scary people I would avoid at all costs.

The best memories I have growing up poor are time with my mom, that's when she had time. My father was never a part of my life. She did the best she could. Definitely pay check to pay check. Sometimes we would get nice things from people, but I remember the time with mom most. She was there for all of it, just like OP. Yes it was rough, but we made it. Those who spent money on me were nice and the gifts were nice, but they were there for the happy parts of my life, getting gifts. Not the struggles. OP was there for all of it. Those memories are worth more than gold. She's a badass parent who raised an awesome kid that ended up making someone else jealous. That wasn't the intent, but it happened, and they wanted him as a finished product. They would have destroyed him. He would have turned out just like his friend. Hope OP knows what this is worth. Hope OP KNOWS What SHE is worth. What a mother. Love it.

Mom, you are an exceptional mother, kind, extremely smart and you have your act together. You'll figure all this out as you've made great strides already. Your instincts are very good and your head is on straight. Don't forget to take care of your stress through all of this and show your son what an exemplary human looks like.

This is such a triggering story for me! Years ago, a woman who was like a sister to me tried to kidnap my son. She even tried to get some of my out-of-state family involved, no idea why she thought THAT was a hood idea. We hot him back, no police involved, thankfully.

This is just down right creepy. As a mom, I am terrified for OP. These people sound pretty wealthy, and if they take you to court, well I don't even want to think about what would happen then. Even the idea of having to give up a child is terrifying. Best of luck to you OP.

My daughter is an only child. Many times over the years I have "borrowed" her friends, so she would have a playmate when i took her to a children's museum or science center. I buy them lunch. I pay for a souvenir if they weren't given money. I host sleepovers. I never, ever thought about trying to keep someone else's child. The OP should not feel like she missed red flags. It was reasonable to think they were doing something mutually beneficial, up until Christmas.

What an insane turn! My husband and I have always been the neighborhood "parents", even taking in 2 brothers when they showed up on our doorstep in the snow without shoes. The oldest was 18 and lived in our guest room until he saved enough to get his first apartment and we found a safe place for him. The youngest was 13, so we called his Youth Pastor and made him a spot on the couch. I would rather risk the police showing up than to send them home where their parents were throwing plates and dishes at each other. The police visited their house, but not mine. The parents divorced and everyone moved out of state, but my boys still visit me several times a year. We have a great relationship with their mother and she's called on us several times for the youngest because he'll go off his psych. meds and to encourage him to apply for mental disability. Their dad accused us of turning his kids against him, but we never spoke poorly of either parent. Love my boys!

Wow. I was raised by a single mother who struggled with severe depression. I had very kind friends of parents who stepped in and helped my mother by taking me in and giving her the time she needed to get mental health assistance. Never once did they try and take me away from her. I'm very grateful for them and what they did for us. This woman is a wonderful parent, and these people were making it about money. I'm so happy her son took it as well as he did. What nerve these people had... they sound absolutely terrifying.

I am genuinely shocked...

I'm so glad she made social services aware of what is going on. My sister has had local police, adult protective services, AND the local animal welfare services weaponized against her by a crazy family member. The workers were GREAT, did their obligatory evaluations and started ignoring the reports from that family member once it was clear they were making false accusations. By reporting Paige and Nate first, she probably saved herself some future headaches Btw, I'm so happy we have those organizations to help the most vulnerable. I'd like it if they could fine people for making false accusations (after the second) so it would deter Karens from wasting their time.

This couple is the definition of entitlement. Sheesh.

I had experiences like this with both of my children. Richer families are just trying to have my well behaved

This worries me. Where did Charlie come from? Did they get him this way? I mean really what kind of person does this? Maybe it worked before. Please be careful and I'd even have police check about Charlie. If all's well, good. And maybe it'll make them think twice before trying it again.

That’s absolutely scary, but consider this, too … they could easily afford to adopt any child in need of a home, but they either chose not to go that route or the adoption people didn’t trust them enough to let it happen! This definitely suggests how dangerous these people really are & goodness knows what would eventually happen to the child they choose & manage to “adopt”, but I don’t believe it would be a positive result. Heaven help any child they manage to wrangle into their custody. 😥

This is like a Lifetime movie. If the boy understands what mom told him, that's enough. I think OP had done a good job of raising him. He isn't "blinded by the light." So the fact that he wouldn't be having as much on the way of material things, it didn't phase him. He truly wants to stay with his mom. The way it should be. OP was wise to tell both school and police. They'll be watching out. This will turn out well, I think.

This sounds like the plot of an 18th Century Gothic novel.

This is hands-down one of the scariest fúcking things I have EVER read on here!! If I was OP, I would be scouring the paper and internet, for another place to live. And then I'd use my tax refund to make it happen. I know, in this economy, it can be almost impossible to find affordable housing. I'm low-income too, so I get it. But I wouldn't feel safe at all, until I was living and even working someplace they didn't know about, and until my kid was in a different school. And then I'd go completely incognito. No social media accounts, prepaid cell phone (so my name isn't on it), anything I could do, to hide. At least until I knew they'd given up. I know you can't hide forever. You can't live your life in fear. And I know there are always ways of finding someone, it you want it bad enough, and you have the resources. But if it's my kid involved, I'd do anything and everything I could, to protect them. Not that I'm saying this mom isn't, because she IS.

It's really sad that the other kid's parents don't actually love him either. If they did, they wouldn't let him be a spoiled brat, they would explain to him that he can have many, many friends but won't be able to get a sibling unless they adopt (from a child that is actually in need), and to be there for him. They want their kid's attention distracted so they can do whatever. The two of them should be pretty heavily investigated and have some thorough psych evals done on them. The kid needs to be seen too, just to see if anything's going on. Just because Owen didn't say he saw anything doesn't mean s**t isn't happening. My rents were always treating me like s**t when prying eyes weren't around, and acted like great, but stern, parents when "friends" were about.

It is astonishing to me that some people think that since they are rich, they are entitled to anything- even children-

The scariest thing is that this couple probably DON'T mean anything as a jab to the OP but don't see the problem with just taking someone else's child. They just assume she should be okay with it. I feel bad for the OP and her kid but they may need to relocate (though from her provided info that probably is a very unlikely thing that can happen).

This is beyond sick. Where do these well-to-do people think they are--18th-century France, when it was the thing to allow a rich person to "adopt" your only son? It sounds like this couple wasn't as interested in ADOPTING Owen as they were in OBTAINING him. Typical entitled folks with money; they think everything is for sale, even children. Disgusting.

wtf did i just read? i hope op tells her son the truth about everything, he might be understandably upset about suddenly losing out on his friend and everything the other family provided for him (bribed him with) they do seem like the whacko types that would kidnap the kid

I just had a thought. What about warning the landlord at the OP's apartment building as well? He or she may/may not see anything happening ~ I'm sure they have a lot of work to do! ~ but if they see someone hanging around? Watching from a car that keeps parking across the street? Asking questions in the neighborhood? That type of thing...this was my NIGHTMARE when my kids were young but thankfully they have all grown up now...now it's the grands I watch with bated breath. But this....THIS is just AWFUL.

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Why is this so well-written, it seems like fiction