‘Rehab Addict’ Star Nicole Curtis Says Son Was ‘Ripped Out’ of Her Arms on Thanksgiving Due to Custody Agreement

Nicole Curtis had a heartbreaking Thanksgiving after her 3-year-old son Harper was “ripped” from her arms at the airport due to the custody agreement with her ex, Shane Maguire, the Rehab Addict star claims.

Curtis and Maguire recently came to a shared custody agreement of their toddler son after a years-long custody battle, but the HGTV and DIY Network star told PEOPLE Monday that Thanksgiving was especially hard for her without her child this year.

“The holidays are a nightmare because I would have all of us together — friends, family, enemies alike,” she told the publication. “Thanksgiving was not my parenting time; therefore, I could not be with Harper.”

She continues, “Even on the worst day, my ex is encouraged and welcomed in our home. We recently all went trick-or-treating together, even thought it was ‘my parenting time.’ I always hope that the same courtesy will be extended, but it is not. I am not permitted to be with Harper during his time with his dad.”

Curtis continued that she was especially hurt by not spending time with her son over Thanksgiving because the little boy was allegedly not feeling well.

“I can’t express in words what it feels like looking at your sick baby and being told that a ‘parenting time’ schedule trumps their well-being. I woke up Thanksgiving morning and thanked God that I was able to have that time with him,” she said. “I arrived at the airport and literally had my baby ripped out of my arms and whisked away as I was ‘screwing up’ Thanksgiving plans. The cycle never ends.”

The television personality opened up about her experience further on Instagram, writing under a photo of herself, Harper, and older son Ethan, whom she shares with ex Steven Cimini.

“I’ve been asked what my Thanksgiving plans are and receive horrified looks when I say, ‘Nothing,’” she captioned it. “Of course every bone in my body yearns to cook, entertain and stuff myself full of Gram’s pie recipe that I never will get just right — but like so many others, we are trapped in the fd[sic] world of ‘not your parenting time.’”

“I would have my ex at my dining room table today, but’s not up to me,” she continued. “If you are the parent that refuses to allow your child the joy of having both parents in the same room (sans abusive/dangerous situation) – buck up – it’s not about you. Gave someone that talk yesterday – got me nowhere, but no one ever said I wasn’t persistent.”

Sharing the message on Instagram, she told PEOPLE, was not just a window into her life, but part of her relating to other single parents who might feel alone.

“I wrote my post because it’s something that most people will luckily never understand, but those that do feel shame and just sadness. I am surrounded by AMAZING people and I still have to shake myself loose from the negativity and carry on and it’s a struggle — I think of those parents that don’t have that,” she added. “And I have to think about them because they write me, sad and losing hope and the will to keep fighting for their children. Children deserve better.”

Photo Credit: Instagram / Nicole Curtis