Firstly can I just apologise for the fact this is definitely in the wrong category, I don't use this site often and had no idea what to put it under.
I split with my sons dad when he was just 6 months old, he moved back in with his parents and I moved to my own place but then later in its my current partner. I have always tried to be as amicable as possible but I really can not stand the man. For my sons sake I have been very flexible with contact as I feel it's important for us all to play an equal role in his upbringing. My son is now 3 years old and stays with his dad Friday night to Sunday night.
In the past year my sons attitude towards going to his dad's has changed, I put this down to the fact he has taken on another women's child as his own and he doesn't like sharing his dad.
Last night he came home from his dad's in a very strange mood and was very clingy, I just assumed he was tired. Putting him in his pjs I noticed he had a lot of bruises and a mark on his bottom. He is 3 years old and fears nothing so I understand he will get bruises from playing but I couldn't understand the mark on his bottom. As I leaned away to get his pj bottoms it caught my eye that the bruises on one leg seem to line up. Concerned by this I called my partner over and we both lines our fingers up with the bruises. It very much looks like someone has grabbed his leg. We took pictures and asked him if he had a happy weekend and he said no my daddy is scary.
I gave him lots of cuddles and explained that no one is aloud to hurt him and if anyone ever did that he is to tell myself, my partner or if he's at his dad's and can't tell daddy he can speak to nanny.
Bedtime he got out of bed multiple times, so I said 'if you get out of bed one more time' before I could say the tv would be going off (I know you will all probably think I'm awful for letting him watch tv in bed but he is a very good boy and watches one episode and then we turn it off and he will go straight to sleep in the dark) he replied with 'don't smack my bum'. This really shocked me because I have never smacked my child and never will! He then said 'daddy did'. Absolutely horrified I asked him if everyone at his nans house is nice to him and he said yes. Then he pulled and face, grabbed my lips and squeezed them shut, shhh me and shouted a Portugese word at me. (His father is Portugese) and said his uncle had done this to him. ( I know this probably sounds like nothing but it was very aggressive, it's just hard to explain). He got very upset and cuddled into me.
Where do I go from here?
I don't know what to do, he will say my son is lying but I believe him.
The thought of sending my son on Friday makes me feel sick. I don't know what to do. I know the bruises were not there before he went to his dad's but I have no proof they were done there. If I confront him he is a very manipulative man and he will try and turn it around to look like we did it. I'm really worried for my son. Has anyone ever experienced this or knows what I can do?