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Marie Claude Janvier

 

 

Child custody case

 

This assignment is very interesting; I am pretending that I am writing a Broadway play.

The play is about a young couple with two children: a girl Sara who is six years old, and a boy Matt who is four years old. The husband work fulltime, but the wife besides being a housewife is also in law school. They were the perfect couple until the wife fell in love with one of her law school teacher. She asked her husband for a divorce with shared custody of the children. The husband found out that his wife lover was a woman, and then at this point he wanted full custody of the children. The wife disagreed; beside she was the fulltime childcare provider. This is their dispute:

The husband: How could you leave me for another woman, and expect me to let both of you take care

of my children?

The wife: Why not? We can be very good parents to the children also. Beside she likes them very

Much.

The husband: That is not the point. I don't think the two of you should have that right.

The wife: Why you feel we should not have the right to be parents to the children?

The husband: You are a lesbian couple; you are not the ideal society norm?

The wife: I see; so what do you think the" ideal society norm" should be?

The husband: You, I and the children as a family represent the basic unit of this society.

The wife: Is it God law? A government law? Or your law?

The husband: It is nature law. A family is made up of a man, a woman and the children.

The wife: What is wrong? or what is the problem with a family that is made up of two women and

the children?

The husband: I don't know. It is just that it does not feel right.

The wife: Paraphrasing you then is: There is nothing wrong with gay couple raising children; it's just

it does not feel right.

The husband: You left me; I did not leave you. What do you want me to do? I am a human being.

The Wife: I am willing to share custody of the children with you. Why can't you accept that?

 

CRITIC

 

Let make believe that I am doing a review of this particular script in the play. How should I assess the dispute in a more constructive manner? The dispute should have been like that:

The husband: You and the children have been my life, I don't know if I could ever adjust to without us

being a family again.

The wife: I understand and I will miss you too.

The husband: What kind of person is she? Will she be a good parent to the children?

The wife: She is the Dean of the school. She is a good person. She loves me and the children very

much.

The husband: You know I envy you. I was too much into my work, and neglected you. Now I lost you to

Someone else, I realize what my priority should have been: just you and the children.

The wife: We are not moving out of the Country. In the divorce papers, I filled for shared custody.

You will still be able to spend quality time with the children, and remain a part of their life.

The Husband: I know that; but life is not the same without you.

TACTIC

 

In this part of the play, different tactics would be used to show how the wife can answer to a statement made by the husband in the custody dispute.

The husband: I just want what is best for my children. I don't think a lesbian couple should raise them.

Beside I don't know what kind of person she is.

Avoidance tactic:

The wife: I don't want to discuss it; you can always talk to my lawyer.

Competitive tactic:

The wife: My partner loves the children; and we will be very good parents to them.

Compromising tactic:

The wife: You will not be excluded of our children lives; actually you will spend more quality times

with them.

Collaborating tactic:

The wife: I understand you; I also want what is best for my children. Right now this shared custody

arrangement is best for them.

Accommodating tactic:

The wife: You are welcome to be part of our children lives, but my partner and I are the best

parents for them now.