Hold on now.
What do we know about his family?
Sister is an architect in Greece. Niece somewhere around New England. Brother in Mass. Father passed long before all this started. Mother had tragic accident.
Now stop right there. That’s all we know about the tragedy right now. LE never pursued it. So it was an accident until proven otherwise. Tragic. No doubt. Questionable in light of recent events. But an accident.
I’ve never seen anything else about them. Maybe they are cruel. Maybe not.
It’s not the benefit of the doubt about the family. It’s that they start out on even ground in my humble opinion. We’re so quick to judge them. Wouldn’t you try to do SOMETHING if your family member was in this situation? Maybe not even for FD, but for his children? To reach out to GF and ask if there is anything that they can do to help the children? Or GF? And if the response is leave us alone, then FD family knows that at least they tried to do right IN THEIR HEARTS. Maybe GF was advised by therapists to not allow contact. I don’t know. But if that’s what she was advised, she acted on that suggestion. If she was advised otherwise, that is still her decision. Who better to know what is best for her grandchildren?
So which family member was attempting contact? Multiple persons? Non family members? Greeks are a very tight knit group. Like the Jews, Hispanics and some Asians. I’m sure there are more national groups that are very clannish. I admire all of them for these traits. I wish I belonged to an ethnic group like that. The best I can do is work with my family, to bind us together. No matter what happens. We’re family. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT WE ARE ONE.
So if a member of FD is cruel, so be it. BUT:
Maybe they are reaching out with love and not cruelty. Maybe with concern for the children’s welfare. Maybe so that the children know the Greek side of the family knows that they are suffering and wished they could help, in some way.
And not for any other reason.
What do any of you think?
Can we give the families a chance?
I’m willing to give them that opportunity, until facts present themselves that would change my decision.
Family courts look to the following:
“What is in the best interests of the children?”