COLORADO
I am a "legal stranger" to this situation. The mother and father are divorced. The male child just turned 3. I am best friends (non-romantic) with the mother, and am Godfather to the child. I live in California, the family in question lives in Colorado. I am asking in this forum because the mother came to me in distress and I don't know what advice to offer her.
The mother and I are in agreement that the less time the child sees his father the better the child will be. I know this seems "cold" but it is accurate. The father is an evil cruel man, but not in a physical way, he is a master of mental manipulation. We don't think there is any behavior the father does that the courts would see as bad.
Examples of why we think the child will be better off with less time at his fathers:
-EVERY time the child comes back from his fathers he is hungry, and usually lighter then he was when he was surrendered to his father. (He stays at his fathers 3 nights a week).
-The mother and I are raising the child to know that God loved him. The father repeatedly tells the child that "God is dumb." The child asks the mother why "daddy says God is dumb."
-The father tells the child that I am "mean." I visit Colorado 2 weeks a year and when I am there I relish the child with love and affection and kindness. I even taught him to swim this year. The father has no basis to turn the child against me. (and he is thus far, unsuccessful).
-The mother thinks the father is trying to turn the child against her. This week for example, the child told his mother that she is "stealing all of daddy's money, you are you are!" (Let me assure you, the child support the father pays is an insulting joke, less then 10% of his pay).
The mother knows she would have to get a lawyer to fight this fight. But is there ANY possibility she could win. (A "win" would be less visitation for the father). She is even looking for employment in other states, so if she finds it then the visitation battle would be more extreme. For now we just want to wrest an innocent child from his brainwashing and manipulative father. Any suggestions?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
I am a "legal stranger" to this situation. The mother and father are divorced. The male child just turned 3. I am best friends (non-romantic) with the mother, and am Godfather to the child. I live in California, the family in question lives in Colorado. I am asking in this forum because the mother came to me in distress and I don't know what advice to offer her.
The mother and I are in agreement that the less time the child sees his father the better the child will be. I know this seems "cold" but it is accurate. The father is an evil cruel man, but not in a physical way, he is a master of mental manipulation. We don't think there is any behavior the father does that the courts would see as bad.
Examples of why we think the child will be better off with less time at his fathers:
-EVERY time the child comes back from his fathers he is hungry, and usually lighter then he was when he was surrendered to his father. (He stays at his fathers 3 nights a week).
-The mother and I are raising the child to know that God loved him. The father repeatedly tells the child that "God is dumb." The child asks the mother why "daddy says God is dumb."
-The father tells the child that I am "mean." I visit Colorado 2 weeks a year and when I am there I relish the child with love and affection and kindness. I even taught him to swim this year. The father has no basis to turn the child against me. (and he is thus far, unsuccessful).
-The mother thinks the father is trying to turn the child against her. This week for example, the child told his mother that she is "stealing all of daddy's money, you are you are!" (Let me assure you, the child support the father pays is an insulting joke, less then 10% of his pay).
The mother knows she would have to get a lawyer to fight this fight. But is there ANY possibility she could win. (A "win" would be less visitation for the father). She is even looking for employment in other states, so if she finds it then the visitation battle would be more extreme. For now we just want to wrest an innocent child from his brainwashing and manipulative father. Any suggestions?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?