This Mother’s Day, I do not want forwards on WhatsApp or a bouquet of roses. I want so much more for my daughter. I am a single parent of a 7-year-old. When I was supposed to enjoy motherhood, I was struggling with court cases because of the dispute with my husband.
The situation was exhausting and has left me deeply stressed. I was really saddened because I wasn’t able to spend any quality time with my three and half year old daughter. After my husband and I separated, I was helpless and broken. Recovering from depression and other health ailments, I was often in two minds about whether I should focus on myself or my child. It was not her fault that she was stuck in the middle of this battle!
In March 2018, my husband got visitation access to our daughter. That’s when the real problems started. I can never forget how my daughter grabbed my hand tightly every time we entered the “Children’s Complex Room”. There is nothing fun or cheerful about it, but there’s no escaping it either. I already felt suffocated in courtrooms fighting for my child’s custody and now, my heart bled for my daughter as she had to endure unfamiliar surroundings.
Picture it. Congested, surrounded by dull walls, dim lighting, no toys or cheerful pictures to help my daughter relax. In this depressing room, she witnessed other couples fight and abuse one another in front of their kids.
I realised, that in any divorce, ultimately, what a child wants is often ignored. I used to ask myself, have these arguing parents forgotten that their child is present in the room? Why do they display all this rage in front of their child, who is already suffering heavily in the battle of their egos? I fail to get the answer to this “why” even today as I write this story!
I have seen my daughter suffer and I am determined to bring about change in the ‘Parenting Time’ in Family Courts. Both, the parents and children end up feeling like caged birds who would rather spend time in an open space so as to enjoy each other’s company instead of being compelled to meet in the dingy “Children’s Complex Room” provided by the courts.
So this Mother’s Day, I am asking the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and the Law Minister for a gift for my little girl: use existing funds to upgrade the ‘Children’s Complex Room’ and make it child-friendly.
I am not alone. There are many parents like me who are fighting this battle. I hope that one day, there is no need to bring a child into a courtroom for visitation. But until then, I will not give up this fight.
Sign my petition on #HappyParenting so that we can make a difference together, and no other child has to suffer.