QLD Seek Family Court Hearing for Children to be Heard?

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NDM0808

Well-Known Member
12 July 2016
25
4
129
It's so hard as children become teenagers and begin to have their own life. Let's be realistic; would teenagers want to spend their entire Christmas holidays away from their friends? I doubt any teenager would want to be isolated from their friends to spend their whole holidays with a parent - any parent.

It is well known that a teenager's social life is important to them - for their self-esteem, their peer involvement, their development. How is it in their best interests to be socially isolated for their entire summer break? Especially given that the father is a plane trip away and is working full time?

Basically, the kids are going to be sat at their dad's place all day, probably knowing no one, etc. Can you not try to come to an agreement whereby they go for maybe two weeks and another two weeks throughout the year?

Might be more palatable for the kids and showing to a Court that you are still encouraging their relationship with their father whilst accommodating the kids' changing needs?
 

sammy01

Well-Known Member
27 September 2015
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Ok so, firstly - the whole argument about having to spend holidays away from friends. Yep, that sucks.

Heard that one from my ex once, but of course the 2 weeks she spent camping with them away from their is ok...Nope. The courts see family as more important than their mates. Rightly so. There is plenty of weekends / school time, etc., for friends and let's face it, if that argument held water then non-primary carers would rarely get to see their kids. Sorry non-primary carer - kid not coming because kid doesn't wanna miss out on playing handball with the kids in the neighbourhood. Stuff that.

So the original poster - if you stand up in court and say the kids shouldn't go to dad because he never pays, he is on medication, he is this or he is that - Well, it looks like you are not able to separate the issues here. The amount of child support he pays is a completely separate issue to whether or not he sees the kids.

Now it could appear that you're not supporting the kids relationship with the father because of the other issues and that isn't a winner in court... Now I'm not saying that is the case, but, gee, it looks awfully like that from here.

So why not write to him - say hey dad, time for you to pay... No pay, no play. Now assuming there is nothing in court orders that stipulate you must pay for airfares, then tell him he has to, especially if you have paid for all of the previous flights. See how that goes.
 

Mylife

Well-Known Member
16 December 2015
66
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Quick question on "in accordance with their wishes" when it's only ever the living with parent conveying their wishes, how do you know they are truly their wishes, especially when they express one thing to you and something else ( apparently) to the other parent?

It's so hard, the kids just tell the parent what they want to hear :(
 

sammy01

Well-Known Member
27 September 2015
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Yup, I've heard of court orders that say that sorta thing. Mostly it is when the kid is older than 12 and more like 15... But it is messy
 

AllForHer

Well-Known Member
23 July 2014
3,664
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An order that nature is usually only reserved for kids of about 15+ years of age, when they can vote with their feet and have phones of their own to communicate through. It does occasionally come with additional wording to the effect of "to be negotiated and agreed between the parent and the child".
 

Mylife

Well-Known Member
16 December 2015
66
1
204
yup I've heard of court orders that say that sorta thing. Mostly it is when the kid is older than 12 and more like 15... But it is messy
Very messy and confusing!

Old enough to make those choices, yet apparently not old enough to communicate them to their parent.