Getting Anxious

[stepmom]

I'm getting very anxious & nervous about our upcoming hearing Thursday for visitation.  After we had filed several visitation violations and having an initial hearing the court rescheduled the hearing for Dec 2nd.  We have visitation every other weekend from Sat to Monday am and since that order in August has not been happening.  Since that order was modified we have had to have my SD mother arrested for aggravated harassment and now my husbands daughter refuses to come up on any visitation for almost 2 months even though the court has numerous times told the mother that she must encourage and upload the court order for visitation.   I just have a funny feeling that nothing is going to happen again as usual. It is so frustrating when all we want is visitation.  We don't have an attorney because we can't afford it but don't qualify for PD unlike her mother.  The law guardian is finally going to recommend counseling after I recommened it the first time in court & nothing was done.  I just don't know what to do anymore, I have documented everything I can possibly do but what makes it even harder is I can't speak @ all in the court and I am the one who has been helping my husband and he is not very good @ speaking.    Any suggestions on what to do or say in court??  I don't know what to do or say  anymore to my stepdaughter.  She used to be happy when she was with us and I just want that back.

[mad_as_hell]

Don't take this as advice because I very new to all of this but would it be okay for you to write a letter to the judge?  I mean, if you can't speak in court, maybe you could make an empassioned plea to him.  I would just tell him/her what you just said... that your SD (in your opinion) seemed happy when she visited you and your hub.  then tell him that's all you (and your hub) want is to visit with her and for her to be happy again.  how old is your SD?  any chance you might ask him to ask the child what SHE wants?  any chance judge might actually do that and REALLY consider the child's wishes?  I would keep it short, simple and unaccusing.  

But, as I said,don't take that as advice.  I am very new to all of this.

[stepmom]

She is 13 and she has talked to the judge once a few months back and said she wanted to spend time with us and liked me which infuriated her mother but right now she hates us and wont talk to us because we finally had enough of her mother's phone calls constantly so we had her arrested for harassment.  Since then we have not seen her in 2 months and she won't talk about it other than she is not coming up due to what we did to her mother. Her mother has totally brainwashed her before this but now it is even worse.  So I'm hoping the judge will see the change in her attitude.  I have typed up something for my husband to use an a refrence tomorrow so hopefully that will help him.

[wendl]

Make sure DH does not interupt the judge/commissioner, have him take out of his pocket, keys coins etc so he doesn't play thing and make em jingle.

Just have him look at the judge and not bm, my dh does not do well talking either EXCEPT when he is he talking about his love for his kids.

**These are my opinions, they are not legal advice**