Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Moe, Midge and their kids.

  • 05-12-2011 9:59pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭


    Yes, obviously fake names.

    Here's a brief back story:
    Midge is unstable, and Moe is an older jackass who falls for any woman willing to have sex with him.
    They went out for a couple of years, and ended up having two children. The eldest is now 4, can barely string a sentence together, but is in primary school. The youngest is 9 months old.
    For the sake of the story and continuity of the fake names, let's call them Lisa and Maggie.

    Moe is 27 and meets a 16 year old Midge in the pub. Naturally enough he assumes that she is at least 18. They head home and end up going out together. Her parents approve, and it's 6 months before he finds out her real age.

    Fast forward a year and Midge gives birth to Lisa.
    By this stage, Moe has realised that Midge is somewhat mad, and that her parents are alcoholics. However, he stays with her for the sake of the child.

    Over the next two years, things go to hell.
    The parents split up, the mother leaves the country, the father is accused of child abuse and Midge goes on a week long heroin binge while Lisa is in the house. Moe tries to take Lisa away from it, but Midge's heroin buddies pull out knives.

    Moe calls the Gardaí, but they do nothing. By the time social services arrive, the house is cleaned up, Midge has come down from her heroin hangover, and they believe that all is well.

    A few months pass, Midge stays away from heroin and Moe thinks she has copped on. He gets back together with her.
    8 months ago Maggie was born. Because Midge had been doing "legal highs" for the first four months of the pregnancy, Maggie is born with breathing difficulties. She had to have two operations. Moe has seen the light at this stage, and has broken up completely with Midge.

    Moe went through the courts to gain shared custody of the kid and was successful in his bid. He tried to get full custody, but the courts failed him. Midge would not agree to drug testing.

    Moe ended up with custody every second weekend.
    Since then, he has taken the kids every second weekend without fail.
    However, Midge has played up on his love for the kids to get him to take them every weekend.
    He's happy enough with that.

    Up to the present:
    Last weekend (not Moe's weekend to take the kids) he offered to take Lisa and keep her up to watch the toy show.
    When he arrived at Midge's place, she was dressed up and ready to go out. Knowing her form (that she disappears for days at a time when he takes the kids), he turned around and went home.
    She arrived at his door the following morning with the kids, said that she was going shopping for their Christmas toys and walked away.

    That was Saturday.
    She sent a text today saying that she wasn't able to cope with looking after the kids, and that she needed a week away from them.

    Lisa has been sick for the past two weeks. Moe took her to the doctor today, and it turns out that she has tonsillitis. Maggie has a head cold.

    Moe is a great Father, but has constantly been denied full custody. Midge just wants the money so that she can buy drugs.
    What the **** is wrong with this country?

    Sorry abut the rant. I'm just really annoyed about what is happening to my friend and his beautiful children.

    Does anyone know what he can do to get full custody?


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,427 ✭✭✭Morag


    Get a solicitor, document all the times he has the kids, the condition of how they are when he gets them and he should take them as much as possible to show he is willing and capable.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,830 ✭✭✭✭Taltos


    OP - we cannot give you legal advice here.
    If you wish to seek personal advice without the legal aid we can leave the thread open, alternatively there is also the parenting forum which may be of some help (but again without any legal advice).

    Taltos


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,722 ✭✭✭silly


    I agree with sharrow, document everything. Everything!
    Write down everytime moe has kids and the circumstances around it.
    Keep the txts.
    Take down the times of phone calls and what was said.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,559 ✭✭✭Daisy M


    Agree with the above but in the meantime moe needs to take the kids at every given opportunity, he should offer to have them as much as possible and never criticise midge when she drops them off at the last minute. These kids need stability. I think moe also needs to contact the childrens public health nurse and see about getting lisa speech therapy and what other development help she may require. The sooner this is done the better for lisa early intervention is the key.


    Take a look at this thread while it is different from your story it might give moe ideas of where to go to get custody changed. Best of luck. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056465024


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,484 ✭✭✭username123


    Theres a few bits of the OP that have me confused.

    Why would Moe turn around and go home because Midge is dressed up to go out when he goes to collect the kids - the form is that she disappears for days - but is having his kids with him not what he wants? Does this not work to his advantage in terms of documenting her lack of parenting skills? I just dont understand whats achieved by him turning back for home without the kids in this situation?

    Why did Moe not take Lisa to the doctor for 2 full weeks if she was sick? Did he not have custody of her at least twice in that period - if he takes her every weekend?

    You say Moe is a great father, but you opened the post saying Moe is a jackass who falls for any woman who will have sex with him - that coupled with the fact that he got Midge pregnant so quickly and again after the heroin buddies pulling knives etc would lead me to question Moes judgements in all areas of life, including fatherhood!

    If Lisa can barely string a sentence together and is 4, why has Moe not done something about intervention on this with the public health nurse or speech therapy?

    I just get the sense that Moe would like to be a good father and criticises Midge from a height - but whats he actually doing in terms of being that good father? Because the stuff described above could just as easily be described by Midge in court as examples of him not being a good father and to help her own case.

    Moe needs to be documenting everything but he also needs to go beyond what he is now doing if he wants to have a chance in a court system that prefers to leave children with a drug addled mother.


  • Advertisement
Advertisement