Attorney Consult #2
Good Afternoon, Friends,
I haven't had much time to post lately, or even read the posts here, but wanted to stop by and give an update of sorts.
Last week (with the P-I-T-A in-law still here), I had a 30-minute phone consultation with a family-law attorney. This one (as opposed to the one I talked to thru my company's EAP program) seemed more experienced and the firm focused only on family law, where the other guy was more broad-based in his experience.
This guy was very blunt, no holds barred, right to business. I liked that about him.
One thing I found interesting was that he said I should pretty much give AW an ultimatum: you have six months (or some sort of timeframe) to clean up your act, get into a program, get counseling for the PTSD and the alcoholism, and be present as a parent 24/7 - or I will file for divorce. He said this tells her that I have a concern, and that I will take measures to protect our son. He said to put it in writing so that she can't come back and say it was never discussed.
I'm not sure I totally agree with this approach. She stopped drinking for almost 2 years, from the time she found out she was pregnant until done breastfeeding. She 'might' be able to do it for 6 months just to p*ss me off, and then go right back to it. It would also cause a HUGE load of animosity in the household that the dear boy doesn't need to experience.
I think I should tell her, one more time, that I have concerns, and then let her figure out what to do with it. Then, if she does nothing, then file and get custody based on documentation I've been doing. I think sending a warning-shot over the bow will only incense her at this point.