Chapter 11 - Jason still wants equal custody
I expected Jason to give up his custody request after Chapter 10? No meta. Need just title. Let's continue.
Jason did not withdraw his request for substantial parenting time.
He should not have.
He was Emma’s father.
Margaret’s misconduct did not make him disappear.
His position changed.
He no longer asked for Margaret as regular childcare.
He no longer considered St. Catherine Academy.
He signed a lease near Emma’s current school.
He changed work hours:
Two remote afternoons weekly.
After-school program the other days.
No Margaret.
Then his lawyer, David Levin, filed an updated proposal.
Joint legal custody.
School-week base with me.
Jason:
Alternating long weekends.
One midweek overnight.
Shared holidays.
Possible expansion later.
Not equal 50/50 immediately.
I was surprised.
“Why?”
Jason told Dr. Becker:
“Because Emma has had enough adults treating her schedule like a power test.”
That mattered.
Then he did something harder.
He admitted his own role.
“I gave my mother details about my marriage that she turned into a project.”
“Did you know she was recording Emma?”
“Yes, partially.”
“Did you stop it?”
“Not effectively.”
“Why?”
“Because some of the clips validated things I was angry about.”
There.
He had liked having evidence that I was too indulgent.
Even if he disliked how Margaret collected it.
That was uncomfortable.
Then evaluator asked:
“Do you believe Laura is an unsafe parent?”
“No.”
“Emotionally harmful?”
“No.”
“Does she over-accommodate Emma?”
“Sometimes.”
“Do you?”
“In other ways.”
Good.
Then me.
“Do you believe Jason intended to remove you from Emma’s life?”
“No.”
“Did he contemplate a schedule you disliked?”
“Yes.”
“Is that the same thing?”
“No.”
The evaluator smiled slightly.
Not approval.
Recognition that we were learning to stop inflating each other.
Then my problem.
The slap.
Dr. Becker asked:
“Why did you hit Margaret?”
“Anger.”
“Would you do it again?”
“No.”
“What changed?”
“I realized Emma watched me turn cruelty into permission.”
That was the truth.
Then she asked:
“Do you worry Jason will let Margaret regain control?”
“Yes.”
“What evidence supports current worry?”
He had maintained boundaries for eleven weeks.
No unauthorized visits.
No secret school tours.
No new financial discussions with Margaret.
So:
“History.”
History matters.
But it is not current conduct forever.
The evaluator wrote that down.
May you like
I hated present tense.
Again.
