POLL: Who was wrong?
My friends, Beth and Peter, are divorced and have two children. Their divorce was amicable, and they reached many agreements outside of court. Peter has moved on to a new, serious relationship with Amy while Beth is currently single. So, navigating this change has been a bit interesting, but they’re handling it swimmingly.
Especially since Peter and Amy recently moved in together.
Beth’s interactions with Amy are businesslike, but respectful and civil. They’re usually only around each other while picking up/dropping the kids off, and because their agreed arrangement is alternating weeks, Amy and Beth are only face-to-face once a week, if that.
During one of Peter’s weeks with the kids, he had a business trip that meant three days away from home. Apparently, he didn’t tell Beth about this, and worked it out with Amy — who was OK with being home alone with the kids and holding down the fort. The day Peter left for his trip, Beth got a text from their oldest daughter who mentioned Amy would be home with them while Peter was away. Beth was annoyed she wasn’t made aware of it by Peter, and decided to go over to their house and pick up the kids.
When Amy came to the door, Beth explained that she didn't appreciate finding out through the kids, and that she could take them home since Peter was away. What could Amy do? So, the kids went home with mom and Amy called Peter to let him know.
Peter was furious. He said it was “his week” and that he had every right to make arrangements for the kids with Amy. Beth argued that Amy is not their mother and that Amy was overstepping by thinking this was OK to not let Beth know Peter wasn’t home. They went back and forth, unfortunately creating and widening cracks in their foundation of communication and trust.
To be honest, I’m not sure what the protocol is in situations like this, but it doesn’t stop me from having several opinions about it. But first, let’s take a vote and hear what you have to say about this whole thing.