A Father's Rights on Phone Calls

[npelletier]

hello, my brother is divorced with joint custody (girl, age 10 and boy, age 12) his ex says that he is not allowed to call his children at HER house. she LETS them call him twice a week and she stands right beside them during the conversation. What action can my brother take? if a father has joint custody, the courts WANT the father to be involved. she is recently engaged to a man she has only known for 4 1/2 months and wants this guy to act like he is the father and lets him discipline my niece and nephew. my niece and nephew do not like this man disciplining them and do not agree to his harsh "rules". my ex sister-in-law wants no responsibility for her children and that's why she's letting this guy take control. This guy is only engaged to her. He does not even live there. She also HATES my brother and wants to get sole custody of my niece and nephew. please help!
also, is there anything I can do to help as my brother's sister and the aunt of my niece and nephew?

 

[jeanine]

I know in my husband's divorce decree it states that both parents are allowed reasonable telephone access to the children. He is the NCP. What does your brother's divorce decree or minutes say about telephone access? It should have been addressed.

 

[Ambr]

also, is there anything I can do to help as my brother's sister and the aunt of my niece and nephew?

you can be supportive and listen to your brother when he needs to vent. all actions need to be from the mother or the father.

it is easy to say this, but they really need to sit down and discuss all of these issues together. he may feel like he is talking to the wind but he needs to make his views known to her.

if they are engaged, a marriage is on the way. her fiance will be part of the family and there will be times that the children will probably be disciplined by him. i am a stepmom as well as a bio-mom and to say that a step parent should not have the ability for some form of discipline is basically telling the child to walk all over the step parent. the important word here - is "some form". that is what they need to discuss.