The Jamaican Supreme Court has issued a final order in favor of a father, Desmond McKenzie, who is locked in a four-year-long international tussle to regain custody of his son.
The last he saw the child was in August 2018. He agreed to allow the child’s grandmother, Daisy Raymond, to take the six-year-old to the United States to spend the summer with his mom, Lacy-Ann Raymond. And return with him in time for the start of the new school year in September 2018.
Daisy Raymond, a retired teacher, returned to the island in September 2018 without the child.
Both women have disobeyed two previous court orders to return the 10-year-old boy to his father.
So last Wednesday, Justice Maxine Jackson issued a final order and awarded sole custody of the child to Desmond McKenzie. And directed that his son be returned to him.
This story is intriguing, but I am sure it is not uncommon. Still, it appears there is more than meets the eye here. I have a hunch mommy and daddy have scores to settle, but nobody wants to give. Usually, in situations like this, neither party cares who gets hurt so long as they get their way. Who knows what the child’s preference is. Did anyone ask him? Oh! I forgot, he is a minor. And he does not have a say.
Parents can be self-centered at times. And when you pair selfishness with shortsightedness, you will likely get disaster in the future.
What if both parents had sat down and had a civil conversation to reach a mutual understanding that the bigger picture in this drawn-out tussle is the child and his future. We know, unlike Jamaica, public schooling in America is free, and every child is guaranteed a high school education. We also know that a college education is more accessible and cheaper in America than in Jamaica.
So those variables suggest the child is better off where he is. But it would not be fair to the father. So, therefore, any side you take in this conversation, there is only one loser-the child.
This tory was sourced by the Gleaner
‘Major victory’ for dad in four-year child tussle. https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20221030/major-victory-dad-four-year-child-tussle