Every time we feel that we could possibly have made a few steps in the right direction, the rug gets ripped from under us.
Natalie has completely blown Dad off at this point. She doesn’t go with him anymore, and actually is now getting to make her own decisions on if she goes or doesn’t go to family therapy with him. Strange thought being she is only 12 and they have a binding contract that was signed by parents and lawyers stating that the kids HAVE to continue therapy, individual and family. The family therapist thought maybe this would be our way in with Zoe. This gives her, for the first time ever, the chance to be responsible for her own thoughts. She didn’t have her big sister to just copy, she would have to come up with her own thoughts and feelings. So… Dad brought Zoe to family therapy and spent the day with her. Come Sunday, she spent that day with him as well. The family therapist thought this would be good and that at least we could work on getting Zoe to come home.
NOPE! My thoughts were very correct. I had mentioned to Dad that with Zoe’s birthday having been the day before the therapy appointment, she was going to go with him in hopes he got her a bunch of stuff for her birthday and that she would quickly stop going with him again. Unfortunately, I was right. Both kids are back to refusing to go with Dad all over again AND are getting to make their own decisions on if they do or don’t go to family therapy. DB continues to let them decide, as if their brains are actually developed enough to make decisions wisely. They aren’t…. and did I mention the contract that was signed by Dad, DB and lawyers?
It’s just never ending. DB is busy spoiling them so they don’t want to come home. New phones. New wardrobes. And now a new puppy. And somehow these therapists can’t quite figure out what’s “really going on here”.