Page 176 - The Intentional Parent

Shouldn't he be allowed to miss a visitation if he's not feeling well?
If the two of you disagree about your son's health, it should be your pediatrician's call, but really, it shouldn't have to come to that. Use common sense. If your son is miserable, cranky, achy, and irritable, why move him around, and, even more important, why expose him to the stress of the two of you fighting with one another? Factors to take into account are things like the weather, the distance the child has to travel, and whether the child is just coming down with something or is at the tail end of something. I see absolutely no sense in sending a child who is contagious out for visitation, especially if there are other children in the home that is being visited. When visits are missed, though, parents should cooperate so that they are made up.
BAD MOUTHING THE EX
My mother loves my children more than anything else in the world, but she is very stubborn. She never got along with my ex-husband, and now that we are divorced, she makes no bones about trashing him whenever she can. The problem is that she won't control this behavior in front of my children. When they hear her say bad things about their father they get very upset, and they tell him about it. How can I get her to stop?
Your mother needs to learn how to control her temper. You must take her aside and explain to her that, although she probably thinks it is her responsibility to inform the children about what a terrible person their father is, she is actually doing a great deal of harm to her grandchildren. Children feel very loyal to both parents and will sometimes try their best to protect them. When
The Intentional Parent by Peter J. Favaro, Ph.D. 176