The Children are around 9 and 12 a boy and a girl.
Thanksgiving, they spend with their Father (yes divorced) and his family. At the dining table when the children reach for anything they are told no, you are already too fat. Also they tell the girl she is ugly. I am sure there is more but I’m not in the loop.
Note I only know any of this through my wife’s retellings as she was not their either.
Are the children fat? No, maybe not exactly slim but not fat.
Why am I writing about this here? Because my hands are tied! I am forbidden to interfere by the mother. She is otherwise a fine mother a professional in the medical field so her income keeps the children supplied with iPhones etc.
(Also note I live 2 time zones away)
The children are now attending a private school that keeps them until around 5pm but starts at 8 or 9 am 5 days a week. Then more time with homework. (everyone goes to grade school what is the big deal?) Their father gets them on alternating weekends with an overnight and Wednesdays he gets them for dinner. (Like many children today, they know that fast food in unhealthful so guess what he tries to do for dinner? Yes you are correct so the children don’t eat.)
Fatherly visitation surely that is commendable? Ahh agreed at first blush but wait there’s more!
So as you can imagine there weekends with their father are not sunshine and rainbows. The boy has a back condition the kind that required repeated surgeries, the bed his father has for him is cheap garbage and of course ends up causing pain/problems.
So back to the time constraints, one day a week they do not have time to do their homework because dear old dad refuses to “give up” his time with them as he doesn't get much time. Thus my wife and her Mother (children’s Grandparent) do all the homework. And of course they only get to have a “day off” every other weekend.
So they School/Work 9 to 5, 5 days a week and spend every other weekend tormented by dad and his “fam” and get 2 days off every 12 days.
That sounds more like sentence than childhood.
Anyway there is much more but I’m going end there so this doesn’t become a novel. But I will continue this because it seems the only thing I can do is document all of this.