It was on another Friday, like mine, that a child who was the focal point of a custody dispute was sacrificed on the altar of the family law court system. There is not enough information currently to say who was more at fault. Was it the dad, who like me, was victimized by the legal and mental health professions and is as much a victim as this poor 6-year-old “Ollie” became?  Was the mother driven mad by a family law environment that does not appear to care about what is right or justice for all, but to follow the money made by the conflict. The need to appease the money gods that feed the lawyers, judges and mental health professionals that grow fat on the sadness of the families caught up in the system is ever-present. It drives good people to desperation. 

Whatever led to this mother believing that murdering her own child is absolutely the wrong choice. This child only wanted to love BOTH mommy and daddy, just like my own son. He should have been protected by the system that says they do look out for the welfare of the child. Maybe they do, but a great deal of evidence suggests otherwise. All I wanted to do was love my son and raise him to become a good man. To raise him as my parents raised me. All little Ollie wanted to do was to enjoy a new school year. He was going to be a first-grader, and now he will never get to know what that was like. 

When will we say enough is enough? When will the powers that be listen to us that the system is broken and that good people are dying all the time as a result of the desperation created by family court? When will we as advocates put aside their differences and work together to the common cause of changing the legal system that promotes equally shared parenting? One that allows grandparents and extended family to be part of the children’s lives. As a large, single voice, we can make a difference. 

To quote another advocate, divorce ends the marriage, NOT the family. Let’s make that our rallying cry.