There are parents all across Texas who have found themselves fighting to protect their relationship with their child because of a difficult relationship with the other parent. And in many cases, it is the father who is struggling to regain or retain visitation and custody rights after a mother has been granted primary custody. These battles can be contentious, frustrating and very upsetting.
The story of one father recently made headlines across the world because his battle to see his daughter has lasted an excruciatingly long 12 years. For more than a decade, he has tried to see his daughter, now 14, and fight to protect and enforce his parental rights. Although this particular case is happening in another country, it is a struggle similar to those that many mothers and fathers have experienced in Texas.
Reports indicate that the mother and father of the 14-year-old girl have been battling since they split up in 2001. During that time, there have apparently been more than 80 court orders that have granted the father’s requests to spend time with his daughter, but the mother has reportedly refused to comply with each and every one of them.
The mother has been accused of parental alienation because of her refusal to allow the daughter to spend time with the father in an attempt to develop an exclusive relationship with her. Over the years, the mother has also falsely accused the father of assaulting the daughter. This kind of behavior would suggest that the mother is doing whatever she can to poison the father-daughter relationship. Sadly, the mother may have done irreparable damage by engaging in this type of behavior.
When a child is kept from a loving and supportive parent who wants to play an active role in that child’s life, the real victim is the child. Parents can argue in courtrooms and hurl allegations at each other, but in the end, it is the child who loses out. Protecting a son or daughter from this kind of pain by coming to a fair custody or visitation schedule that involves time with each parent can be crucial for a child’s wellbeing.
Source: Daily Mail, “Father with no rights: Mother stops him seeing daughter for 12 YEARS – despite 82 court orders demanding she back down,” Ben Spencer, Dec. 8, 2013