Re: Separation And Custody
Sharissa, he has lied so much, I don't know where to start.
Firstly, DO NOT leave your house. Going away for a week or so is fine. Leaving it for 6 months because your husband wants the upper hand? Not so much. (Do read the entirety of that FAQ.)
Letting him take the kids? Does NOT terminate your parental rights. Only a judge can do that, and it has to be for some pretty serious reasons. (Do note that leaving them with the other parent during a separation is not on the list of things the judge will terminate rights for. There is no automatic forfeiture.)
Even so, do not let him take the children, and do not let him split them up. For one thing, it will severely interfere with your autistic child's sense of order and cause him undue distress.
As other posters have noted, what you really need is an attorney. Call the Michigan State Bar Association referral service and get yourself set up to talk to someone who can inform you of your rights in detail. You may end up needing several referrals before you find one who will be willing to help on a sliding scale basis, but making the calls is well worth your while - $20 lawyer visits are your friend.
You are in opposition of someone who is LYING to you. Don't put up with that. Fight back.
If you post your county, we can fish out some local resources for you as well.
Be tough, hang in there. It's a scary, upsetting thing to go through, but you can and will come out whole on the other side.