FEELING STRESSED, SMACK A KID! page 2

When I went to the Aunts house to pick Emily up for Thanksgiving, the Aunt would not let Emily go. Again it should be noted that the court had stated that Emily’s mother and I had joint custody. Further the FOC recommendation and guidelines stated that beyond all shadow of a doubt that I had the right to the holiday visitation. The aunt had no custody, legal or otherwise. However, the aunt told me that she was denying the court order and that I was to leave her property. So, once again, I filed yet another piece of paper with the Friend of the Court in Bay City.

In December the Friend of the Court heard the complaints and agreed that Emily should have weekly visitation with my family and me. So we would go and get Emily every Friday, and return her every Sunday. Now between Christmas and Easter Emily would come to our home with wonderful stories of how her aunt made her earn her clothes. Of how her aunt would spank her with a hairbrush, or pull her hair. Of how she would miss a week of school because of head lice, which had supposedly come from our house. Regardless of the fact that her younger sister only missed five days of school in the entire school year. And around Valentines day she even got to spend a whole week with mother, missing more school, because her mother felt it were more important for Emily to spend time with her, then go to school. However when my mother called Protective Services, they said that nothing could be done without evidence, such a bruising.

Now I ask you, does this seem odd to you? More to the point has any of this made sense to you so far. Now that I write this, I personally think it’s insane, but you have to remember I’ve been doing this for a year now, and my opinion may be a bit prejudice.

During the make up visitation hearing (that’s what they call it when the mother keeps the child away from the father. When the father keeps the child its called Contempt of Court, but we’ll get to that later) it was scheduled that I would have Emily for the holidays of Christmas all the way threw the Forth of July. Now this is where things get really interesting. Visitation for most parents in Michigan is from six Friday night to six Sunday night. If you bar travel time, dinner time, stopping for assorted potty breaks, and gas, a thirty mile trip can take up to two hours easily. And as that the holiday in question was Easter, let us not forget that there was holiday candy for the baskets to be considered as well. In other words, the parents who pick up their children on Friday are extremely rushed. So, when we arrived at home it was bedtime for two little girls. (Remember that I have two daughters)