A few weeks ago, my ex-husband came with a gift for our son, Ethan… a plush rocking horse. It was nice, well-made, and Ethan loved it instantly.
Honestly, I didn’t think much of it. My ex always brings gifts when he visits—probably to ease the guilt from our complicated divorce. I let it go.
At first, everything was normal. Ethan rode the horse and laughed for hours.
But after a few days, I started to notice a strange clicking sound. I assumed it was part of the toy. An old spring? A cheap piece?
But it got louder. And more… rhythmic.
So one night, after Ethan had gone to sleep, I decided to investigate. I tipped the horse on its side and rocked it. But the clicking was still there.
My heart started pounding.
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I ran my hand underneath and felt something strange… something that definitely didn’t belong.
It wasn’t part of the toy. And as soon as I realized what it was… I felt terrible.
What Was Inside
I grabbed a flashlight, unzipped the fabric seam near the saddle, and reached inside.
There, nestled deep inside the stuffing, was a small black tracking device—still blinking faintly. Wired. Active.
My stomach dropped.
I immediately stepped back, trying to keep my breathing calm. Who would put this in a child’s toy? Why?
I took a photo of the device, then put it in a sealed plastic bag and hid it in the kitchen drawer.
The next morning, I drove Ethan to daycare and made a call—to my lawyer.
“This is illegal.”
I explained everything to Margaret, my attorney since the divorce.
“There was a tracking device in the toy?” she repeated slowly.
“Yes,” I said. “And my ex gave it to him.”
There was a long pause.
“That’s not just creepy,” she said. “That’s a violation of privacy laws—especially involving a minor.”
She immediately scheduled an emergency hearing.
In Court
My ex tried to play dumb.
“It must’ve been a manufacturing defect,” he claimed, fake-shocked. “I had no idea.”
But Margaret had already done her homework. She’d contacted a private investigator who verified that the tracker had been registered to an account under my ex-husband’s name.
The judge’s face went cold.
“You planted surveillance on your own child?” he asked. “Do you understand the legal and ethical implications of what you’ve done?”
My ex stammered. “I was just trying to keep an eye on him—make sure he was safe!”
But the judge wasn’t buying it.
The Consequences
That day, my ex lost unsupervised visitation rights. He now sees Ethan only in the presence of a court-appointed monitor—and only twice a month.
As for the tracker, it’s now evidence in a pending criminal investigation.
I tossed the rocking horse.
Ethan didn’t cry. I told him it had a “boo-boo” and wasn’t safe anymore. He shrugged and picked up a different toy.
But I still shudder every time I think about it.
What kind of father spies on his own child?
And what kind of man thinks he won’t get caught?
He underestimated me. He always did.
But not anymore.
