Good Mother

She went to the football game to support Her son.
She made Her son with an abusive man, Her ex-husband.
Her ex-husband punishes Her children when they talk to Her.
He interrogates them, abuses them, and lets them know there will be more punishment when they talk with Her.  He lets them know there will be more punishment if they go against him in any way, and he tells them that She is against him.
Her ex-husband always ignores Her when he's around Her in person.  He treats Her as if She is evil.
He has married a woman who believes what he tells her, so she believes She is evil.
She has a mother who has been abusive all Her life.
When She was pregnant with Her first child and sick to the point of vomiting and exhaustion, Her mother made Her wax her car.
These people have brought a legal suit against Her, saying She is a bad Mother.
This legal matter has been going on, in one form or another, for the past five years, perpetuated by Her ex-husbands continual aggressions.
In spite of all of this, She sent Her eldest son with his step-father to play paintball for his birthday, while She went, alone, to a football game to support Her youngest son.
She sat, alone, watching Her son play a version of football where he did nothing kneel down and stand up.
She sat, alone and persecuted, as She watched Her ex-husband, his current wife, and his sister, loudly proclaim how happy they were.  She sat alone, knowing that She was being persecuted, and knowing that this show wasn't real.  This show was not about enjoyment or actual love and support.  This show was an attack on Her directly.  To make others see how awful She is.  How alone She is.  How much Her son loves being around his father and his father's support group of friends and family members.  How much She is not a part of that happiness, and that is why She should not be allowed to be around them anymore.  Legally.
She saw Her mother, and She waved at Her mother.  Her mother looked at Her.  Her mother did not wave back to Her.  Her mother did not acknowledge Her.  At all.  Her mother supports the man who is trying to show the world that She is evil.
And She knew all of this before going to the football game.
But She went to support her son.
And after the game, She went to say hello to Her son.
He barely said anything to Her.
He didn't make eye contact with Her.
He was continuously looking at his father and step-mother, the people who would abuse him if he talked with Her. 
She asked him if he had any fun plans after the game, and he told Her that he didn't.
But She overheard plans being made, with her son's involvement.
She was actively being pushed out of Her son's life.
And Her son was part of it.
Her son was blowing Her off so that he wouldn't be punished later.
But he was still blowing Her off.
And that doesn't feel good.
Especially when She came to support him.
And She was comforted by Her mother-in-law who had come to support Her and Her son.
Her mother-in-law was very supportive to Her.
But Her mother-in-law's support was one thing.
Being blown off by Her son in favor of a gang of people who was trying to hurt Her and Her family was something else.
Something She couldn't escape.
Something She couldn't stop.
Something She really couldn't ignore.
At least, She couldn't figure out how to stop it, escape it, or ignore it. 
If there was a way to do that, it eluded Her, Her husband, his family, his therapist, Her lawyers, the counselors at all of the schools Her children attended.
She had to put up with it.  Or else She had to let Her children go.
And She was not about to let Her children go.
Because She is a Good Mother.
Just like Her mother-in-law.

And all of this happened one week before Her birthday.