Wisconsin residents may have heard about three Michigan children who were sent to a juvenile detention facility for refusing to spend time with their father. Now, their father is filing for full custody of the kids, claiming that their mother is a roadblock to any efforts to build a relationship with them. The filing also asks that the mother be physiologically evaluated before being granted limited visitation rights.
The family lived in Israel until the children’s mother took them to Michigan where she filed for divorce in 2009. The father stated that he moved to America in 2015 to be closer with the children and to foster a relationship with them. The mother claims that he has previously abused the couple’s 10-year-old child. Despite the apparent acrimony between the parents, the father says that seeing the children taken away was like an execution and that they should not be punished for the parent’s poor relationship.
After the case received widespread attention, the children were ultimately transferred from a youth detention facility to a summer camp. Those following the case believe that the children should be interviewed by professionals who may be able to determine why the children do not want to be with their father. There is precedent for this in a current child custody case taking place in New York.
Parents who wish to have custody or visitation rights may wish to talk to an attorney. Legal counsel may be able to help establish that the parent is fit to be around the children and can provide a stable and safe environment. Typically, having a relationship with both parents is in the child’s best interest even if the parents themselves do not get along.
Source: Yahoo, “Dad Battling for Custody of Kids Who Were Locked Up for Refusing to See Him”, Beth Greenfield, July 17, 2015
