Bye Elena

Today at 10 a.m. little Elena (3 years old) was handed over to her mother.
Elena had been living with her dad in her father's house ZwüscheHalt . There the two sought distance from the tensions at home and the increasingly untenable violent situation.

This story is not funny!
On the contrary, it is tragic. Elena would have liked to stay with her dad, he would also have liked to continue to look after her, but the judge in his judge's house was against it. Because he thinks that Elena belongs to his mother. Mom, she studies all day, and maybe she'll go back to her hometown soon, but until then, Elena is allowed to go to daycare. Her dad would like to look after his daughter in the meantime, but the judge thinks Elena belongs to her mom.

The dad gave the judge a lot of reasons why he believes that Elena would be better off with him, but the judge didn't find it all that important. The mother just said that it was her child and that it belonged to her. The judge apparently thought that was very important and that's why Elena had to go to her mom today.

Elena would have liked to stay with her dad, or even better if her dad and mom could somehow agree on how they would care for Elena together.
But the judge sees it differently. Because he was so quickly writing orders, he completely forgot to write clearly when Elena and her dad would be allowed to see each other again, and for how long, and how, and where. The judge probably didn't think that was that important, but it did seem very important to him that dad knows exactly how much he should pay from now on.

, during the time in the father's house , the father never received any money from the mother; he looked after his daughter alone. But the judge probably doesn't think that's that important.

The judge could solve this quite easily. He could just send the mom and dad to a mediator . A mediator is a person who helps moms and dads find solutions to the problems they have. And especially, solutions for the Elenas of this world who stand between mom and dad. Such mediators can sometimes find really good solutions for the children, such as half/half, so that the child sometimes lives with dad and sometimes lives with mom. Then dad can watch when mom is working and mom can watch when dad is working.

Then everyone would have enough to live on and Elena would have two parents.

The law has been allowing the judge to force dad and mom into this mediation for a while now. But the judge may not think that's so important, because after all he the judge and that's why he decides.

And that's why Elena has to go to her mom today, even if no one understands it.

Bye Elena – hopefully see you soon.

Tele M1 from February 7, 2011
Zofinger Tagblatt from February 8, 2011
Aargauer Zeitung from February 9, 2011
Tele M1 from February 8, 2011