Check: Children Are Children, Not Pawns

This week, a Detroit area judge released from detention three children who refused to have a court ordered lunch with their father who was in town from another country.  The children are ages 14, 10, and 9.  Their parents have been in a 5+ year family court battle for custody and visitation, and have had well over 400 court filings.  Mom says dad was abusive, dad says she is brainwashing the kids.  Both parents are highly successful in their professional life.  Both parents, in my opinion, are failing at an alarming rate, as parents.

I am not in that home, and never have been so I cannot judge the validity of the abuse or brainwashing statements.  However, I can say that when the court has to resort to detaining the children for several weeks for violating a court order (not having the lunch with dad), the 'village' that is raising the children has failed.  The parents have failed.  Any extended family and friends have failed.  The school system has failed. The attorneys have failed.  The judge and court system has failed.  All of these players in the chess game of divorce could have made moves to benefit the kids, but did not.  Kids are not pawns.

Below is a link to a counseling and mediation center's page for the 10 Commandments for Parents experiencing divorce.  Many of them may be a challenge, but they can help to insure that your children come out of a divorce unscathed.

10 Commandments For Divorcing Parents

The mother was interviewed by local media and stated, "I told the courts that love brings love".  If the children are detained again because of parental lack of concession with the court orders, I'd like to offer a final move in the chess game:

Check Mate: we find the children another loving home without turmoil and game play from any parents.

We have to protect our children from everything we can.  For the media's version of the events, see the video below.

Keep it simple...very simple. ♥D