CAFCASS meeting tomorrow. DD refuses contact.

Which is great. If you've visibly shown to the court and cafcass that you've done everything you possibly can then no -one can expect more.

Same as in 10 - 15 years time, when your child asks her father and you why he didn't make every effort he could to see her or were you denying contact then you'll have everything you need to show you did everything you could to keep some form of communication in place and quite simply he won't.

Children will conveniently 'forget' that they didn't want to go, or refused only that they didn't see and the other party wasn't there.

Our son conveniently forgets that he's said the week before that he never wants to see his mother again and that he hates her etc etc for the latest thing she's done or said so I have to forget it all on a regular basis and just keep encouraging him to keep in contact with her, to go for tea and not to speak ill of her because she is his mother.

T[/quote][/quote]

Absolutely. I have kept all the letters he has sent too even though DD has asked for them to be binned. I think it's important for her to see these again as she may take a different view.
And I'm totally with you on not speaking ill of the NRP. I have made every excuse in the book for her Father and am still compelled t pull excuses out of the hat and find explanations for his erratic behavior. Such a shame.

I fully agree that a child should have a relationship with both parents. I spent the last 5 years making certain that she spend as much time as possible with him, when he was available to see her that is....it can work both ways.

Yes, I know. Some 6 years after we separated and my ex got a B in his bonnet and threatened court and stopped paying child support. Our son was two months away from his 18th birthday at the time and had organised studio sessions and Duke of Edinburgh expedition and he didn't know when his Dad was/wasn't available.

With hindsight my ex realised it was a complete overreaction as there had never been problems with contact before.