There are 835 Texas attorneys certified in Family Law. You know them as divorce lawyers.
HEADLINE, Fort Worth Weekly, October 19, 2022: Corrupt Courts Destroying Families
Excerpt from Headline:
“Having your children taken away on false allegations of family violence is complete destruction,” said Riti Chikkerur.
“It has been three years since Austin-based Judge Michael Denton signed a protective order labeling Chikkerur as a potential threat to her three boys. Even after the Travis County district attorney dropped charges of harassment and stalking against her — allegations the mother maintains are baseless — the 17-year protective order remained in place and was used in Travis County family court to terminate Chikkerur’s access to her children. Now, the mother is allowed three five-minute phone calls a year with her kids: their birthdays, Mother’s Day, and Christmas.
“When I speak to my boys, it is all monitored,” she said. “I cry every day. I heal every day. I think the best way for me to transmute this pain is having a purpose bigger than myself. That has allowed me to recover from physical pain.””
Question: Is this protective order by the Travis County district attorney constitutional? I refer to the 14th Amendment, Section 1, “…No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
For more insight on the Tarrant County Family Courts, read from the Fort Worth Weekly, May 17, 2023: Family Court Cartel?
Over three decades, I have known families and others where the husband or the wife resorted to the family courts for relief. This is not to suggest there is no instance when one or more family members are physically threatened.
The focus is on the unjust situations. At this point, I quote Martin Luther King, Jr., who wisely stated, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”
What’s the point?
When either a mother or a father charges a mate with violent (criminal) behavior and a family court takes control of the family, both the mother and the father are sucked into the family court system. Read Rebekah Montgomery’s story in the article titled Family Court Cartel.
The Victims Are The Children
Speaking from personal experience, a child’s loss of either parent damages the child.
Children need mothers most in the early years of life. From Mom News Daily, “…the quality of the mother-child relationship can impact a child’s future emotional health. A secure attachment with the mother has been linked to higher self-esteem, better relationship skills, and lower risk of anxiety and depression later in life.”
I quote from an article written by Ditta M. Oliker, Ph.D. in Psychology Today, June 23, 2011: The Importance of Fathers
““The fathers have eaten a sour grape and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” (Jeremiah, Book 31, Verse 29)
This quote from the Bible represented the power of the father as the primary authority of the family for many centuries. His word was unquestioned, his decision final, his influence dominant in all matters relating to family. What he was not seen as was a caretaker of the children — that responsibility rested with (or was vested in) the mother, or mother substitute.
The world began to radically change with the social, economic and technical advances of the 20th century, and with those changes came a basic change in the structure and function of the family — with a consequent shift in the authority of the father. His influence was increasingly seen as minor, even negligible, and his importance was defined by how well he provided for the family.”
Dr. Oliker concludes, “Even from birth, children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surroundings, and, as they grow older, have better social connections.
“The way that fathers play with their children also has an important impact on a child’s emotional and social development. Fathers spend a higher percentage of their one-to-one interactions with infants and preschoolers in stimulating, playful activity than do mothers. From these interactions, children learn how to regulate their feelings and behavior.
Children with involved, caring fathers also have better educational outcomes. The influence of a father’s involvement extends into adolescence and young adulthood. Numerous studies find that an active and nurturing style of fathering is associated with better verbal skills, intellectual functioning, and academic achievement among adolescents.”
From my experience with divorcing couples and single moms, and from the experiences of my own childhood, I can attest to the fact children need their fathers. I can further attest to the fact both the mother and the father bear responsibility for the unhealthy outcomes of their children.
When separated parents change their selfish point of view to the needs of their children and they develop a Christian worldview on marriage and family life, everything changes for the good of mom, dad, and children.
Again, I speak from personal experience. Were my wife and I considering divorce? No, by no means. At the age of 10, I consciously chose to never seek girlfriends. Instead, I began a lifelong quest of shaping in my mind the wife I wanted. My vision was enhanced by the moms and dads whose families were healthy, happy, and prosperous. 58 years ago I met “the one” whom I would marry. Next month, we will celebrate 55 years of marriage.
My advice to men and/or women strategizing to divorce is simple. Take your eyes off yourselves and focus on the needs of your children. You see, God made you male and female for the purpose of propagating the human species. An important theme throughout the Bible, Old and New Testaments, is the family.
Family life is not one of God’s passing interests.
What should a couple with children do before rushing to divorce court? Seek a Bible-believing church. Learn from the Bible the roles of mothers, fathers, and children in the Kingdom of God on earth. I began my family education in August of 1974 when I was adopted by my Heavenly Father into His family. If God can change my life, He can change your life, also.
Biblical Resources for Healing Relationships
- 1 Corinthians 7:1-16 Questions About Marriage
- Romans 7:1-6 An Analogy From Marriage
- Romans 7:7-25 The Problem of Indwelling Sin
- Ephesians 5:22-33 Wives and Husbands
- Colossians 3:1-25 Men, Women, God’s Plan for Harmony
John White
Rockwall, Texas
John N. White 