The breakdown of a marriage can be a difficult time, not just during legal proceedings but sometimes for a long time afterward. When our readers who have children think of divorce, most probably believe that the most difficult parts of the process are child custody disputes and the determination of visitation rights. Many times this is true, but for some people the new, post-divorce arrangement of their lives is the hardest part.
This may be the case for one woman who lived in Texas who is suspected of taking her two children, ages 6 and 2, and fleeing to her native country of Vietnam. This woman had been married to a doctor from Frisco, Texas, but their divorce was finalized last April. The doctor has stated that they went through a contentious divorce, and now he does not know what to expect from his ex-spouse.
The doctor had been awarded primary custody of the couple’s two children. His ex-wife apparently failed to return the children after a visitation session with them, and now the doctor fears the worst.
When a divorce is particularly contentious, they are sometimes followed by repeated child custody clashes, often with back-and-forth motions for child custody modifications and disagreements over the best interests of the child — especially if joint custody is awarded. Many times these clashes are based in reason, with completely logical arguments coming from both sides. But no one likes to see an international abduction when a custody dispute cannot be solved amicably.
The doctor has admitted that this could be just some kind of mean-spirited prank on his ex-wife’s part. However, the police have become involved at this point, and if the ex-wife does not return the children soon, criminal charges may follow.
Source: Fox News, “Texas mom may have fled with kids to Vietnam, police say,” July 18, 2012