Review Hearing

Well, yesterday we had another review/permanency planning hearing which again was a total waste of time and money. The original purpose of this hearing was to review how we were adjusting to my oldest son living at home. However, since he chose to live with his dad instead...it became about how everyone was adjusting. It was confirmed that my oldest daughter has finished her counseling, that my younger two children are just about finished and my oldest son has completed the counseling per his plea agreement. It was also discussed that everyone has participated/cooperated in everything that the court ordered. However, because my ex-husband and I apparently don't agree to the legal custody change and the visitation arrangements regarding my oldest son (which was news to me), the court decided to keep this case open in a hopes to help us resolve our issues and come to an agreement. Apparently, what my ex-husband, my oldest son and I discussed and agreed to regarding visitation and changing of the legal custody is no longer valid. I still requested that they close the case because we have completed everything that has been asked and it is not the duty of this court to help my ex-husband and I to come to an agreement. The court ordered the CPS worker to work for the next 3 months as a mediator between my ex-husband and I to see if an agreement can be reached. The fact is that my ex-husband is extremely selfish and puts his own needs and wants before his children and that has not changed in the fourteen years that I have known him which makes it completely impossible to come to an agreement on anything. So, another hearing has been scheduled for the end of December to find out whether an agreement has been reached. In addition, my son has completed that everything that the court required of him. The judge does believe that my son could still use some counseling to help him with the issues regarding the legal custody and visitation. However, the insurance that he has through his step-mother apparently has run out. He has used up his annual allotment of counseling sessions. So, unless someone within Allegan County can find a way to help my ex-husband financially to allow my son to continue counseling the case will be closed within a couple of weeks.