I'm so sick of the drama of summer & non-custodial parents acting badly!

It's summer, it's hot and people are acting stupid.



I often wonder if it is the heat that makes people act really stupid.



Yes, stupid.  I mean...really stupid.



Ok, let me give you one short example...



How about...Telling a 17 yr. old kid about to be a senior in high school that he/she cannot go back to their high school and graduate with their class and "just to get over it".  That it's no big deal.  That they will never see their friends or the rest of their family again.  They can just get their GED. They will never see their clothes, games, and the rest of their "stuff".  That they are now going to live in **** with this non-custodial parent and there is nothing that anyone can do to stop them. 



Wow!  What a loving and caring thing to do to a senior in high school! 



First, what I tell the person calling me is...TAKE A DEEP BREATH. 



The person behaving badly has got to go to sleep sometime.  I find that 75% of the people "re-set" after a good night's sleep.  They wake up and are back to normal.  Or, they sober up.

Or, they go back to work.  Or, they realize that it's not fun to have a really unhappy 17 yr. old in the house and how hard it is to keep an unhappy 17 yr. old in the house.



Second, I tell the person to have the person with custody get a certified copy of the court order and to have that person show up at the door with the police, constable or sheriff when the court order visit is over if the person has not returned the child.



Third, just call the local policing authority and have them go by and ask the person to return the 17 yr. old after they have mailed or faxed a cert. copy of the court order to the policing agency showing that the person does NOT have legal grounds to keep the person.



In reality, everyone wants a 17 yr. old to graduate from high school.  Society wants this kid to graduate from high school.  None of us wants an unhappy 17 yr. old running away from home and living on the streets.



Generally, within 4 days everything settles down.  Normally the drugs or booze wears off.  And the non-custodial parent realizes that their kid is not going to be loving if they are held against their will.