She may still have a long way to go.
She may still not be in her ideal family situation.
But Amber Portwood at last has some reason to feel decent about where things stand between herself, her ex-boyfriend and her young son, James.
According to The Sun, a judge ruled in Amber’s favor last week when he granted her more access to the four-year old she shares with Andrew Glennon.
The no-contact order that had previously been in place has now been lifted and Portwood is permitted to contact the child via phone calls and/or FaceTime conversations.
To be specific, the judge decreed that Portwood is now “entitled to liberal telephone calls and or FaceTime communication with the child.”
If Amber and Andrew cannot agree on the days and times of these calls, the judge set a schedule for every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 5:30 pm PT.
Back in July, Portwood lost custody of James.
The toddler has since moved with his dad all the way to California, while Amber remains in Indiana.
In court documents obtained by The Sun at the time, a judge granted Andrew’s request to relocate, giving him sole legal and primary physical custody of James, while ordering that he “seek out and consider the mother’s opinion before making any major decisions relating to the child’s medical treatment, education and religion.”
Three years prior to this legal decision, Amber was arrested for domestic violence after an altercation with Glennon.
She was accused back then of attacking her boyfriend with a machete … while he hid in a bathroom with James in his arms.
Ever since, despite eventually having her charges dropped and never facing any jail time, Portwood has not been able to spend very much time with her son.
Upon awarding Andrew custody and stating that he could move across the country with his kid, a judge said of Amber this summer: “Mother was often emotional during the deposition and had to leave the room on several occasions.”
He said this behavior played a role in his final ruling.
In response, Amber wrote the following in late July via Instagram:
“I’m devastated and heartbroken by this outcome. I’ve worked so hard to better myself and improve my relationship with my children.
“While I’ve always been candid about my past substance abuse and issues with mental health, a person should have a chance to redeem themselves and not be tethered to their issues from the past.
“People who’ve done therapy, and taken classes, and made efforts to change should not continue to be punished for past mistakes.
“I’ve spent years rebuilding my bridges and did everything that was required of me, including completing 21 negative drug tests and multiple psychological evaluations.”
She concluded in her emotional post:
If your road has not been perfect, but you’ve worked hard to become a better, more stable and caring person today, keep moving forward as I’ll [sic] and never stop fighting for my children who I love more than anything.
I’ve been living in a nightmare for so long, trying to prove myself.
I wouldn’t wish this unbearable pain on any mother or father.