Graeme Temporary Dads

[Graeme]

Regarding the teacher, I have to defend her. As mentioned in one of the early chapters, the school has a documented procedure if a child is to be taken out of school early. The person doing so has to be on a nominated list with signed parental (or guardian) approval. At the time, Alan made a mental note to add Peter to that list in case of an emergency, but he didn't wonder who may already be on that list.

 

As for the issue of the overnight bag, the teachers would assume that the grandparents would have that. You don't expect a six-year-old to take such a thing to school with them. Equally, Troy has already shown that he doesn't always remember to tell people when something is going on (such as the incident with the milk bottles that he remembers at the last minute), so the teacher wouldn't necessarily become suspicious that Troy hadn't mentioned his grandparents taking him out of school early.

 

Indeed, the grandparents may have presented it to him as a surprise, which again wouldn't arouse suspicion since the school isn't aware of the custody battle. At that age, allowing a student to leave school an hour early on a Friday isn't going to be a big deal. Indeed, we took our boys out of school for two weeks at around that age to take them to America -- the school thought that was a wonderful alternative education opportunity for them. It would be more difficult when they're older and attending classes is more important, but at that age the necessity to be in class for a full school day is much lower.

[Timothy M.]

sounds most reasonable and I'm sure Alan will know who to be angry with at this unexpected development.

[Former Member]

I am quite nervous, because I do not think, that they just want to spend a nice weekend. What if they try to create evidence against Peter and Alan trough talking Troy into it or twisting what he tells them. Their actions don`t make them trustworthy.

[Reader1810]

I am quite nervous, because I do not think, that they just want to spend a nice weekend. What if they try to create evidence against Peter and Alan trough talking Troy into it or twisting what he tells them. Their actions don`t make them trustworthy.

 

Uh oh, I fear you're onto something there. Grandma definitely is not the sweet cookie baking type, now is she?

 

Crap, crap, crap...now I'm worried. 

[Former Member]

Sorry :-(  didn`t mean to worry someone. But you are right, she is not the sweet cookie baking type, more the I create my own reality, whatever it costs or whoever get hurt.

[Reader1810]

Sorry :-(  didn`t mean to worry someone. But you are right, she is not the sweet cookie baking type, more the I create my own reality, whatever it costs or whoever get hurt.

 

She's kind of a warped version of Mother knows best *shudder*

[Timothy M.]

I am quite nervous, because I do not think, that they just want to spend a nice weekend. What if they try to create evidence against Peter and Alan trough talking Troy into it or twisting what he tells them. Their actions don`t make them trustworthy.

 

And the zipper incident of the morning provides her with the perfect opportunity.   The crazy thing is she doesn't stop to consider the havoc she will make of her grandsons' lives. They do not need this hassle and hate after the trauma of loosing their dad and almost their mum too.

[Former Member]

And the zipper incident of the morning provides her with the perfect opportunity.   The crazy thing is she doesn't stop to consider the havoc she will make of her grandsons' lives. They do not need this hassle and hate after the trauma of loosing their dad and almost their mum too.

Absolutely right. They would need peace and trusting between the relatives to get a stable world again. The only explanation I can come up with and it is an explanation not an excuse (!), short-term lunacy through her grief for her son.

[Former Member]

Any lawyer who has even remotely been in this sort of situation before would be sure to include a clause requiring the grandparents to arrange the visits in advance, getting consent before arriving rather than randomly springing a visit or taking the children without it being prearranged. If the lawyer neglected to have such a clause included, the lawyer is incompetent and should lose their license!

 

Maybe things are are more casual in other places, but this violates any sort of similar agreement that I've ever heard of! Why even go through the farcical legal procedure if it means nothing at all?

[Reader1810]

I'm curious as to Bradley's reaction to his brother having a 'fun' weekend with the grands while he gets left at home. I don't think he's going to be pleased...

[Timothy M.]

Maybe the lawyers and teachers and Alan did take all those precautions, and this is in fact a premeditated kidnapping? After all, Mrs. Lynton must be pretty desperate after that meeting. But I would be surprised if her husband went along with it. He seems fairly reasonable.

[Former Member]

We will have to wait and see. *grmpf (suitable noise in German)*

[Headstall]

I am quite nervous, because I do not think, that they just want to spend a nice weekend. What if they try to create evidence against Peter and Alan trough talking Troy into it or twisting what he tells them. Their actions don`t make them trustworthy.

I agree. Their hatred of gays is not logical. Their own son chose Alan as guardian, and they are going against his wishes. They will definitely twist things IMO, and in the process they risk damage to one of our sweet little boys. These children are being used as pawns... yes they are grieving, and yes the probably love and worry for their grandkids, BUT, they are not their kids. The boys parents made a decision... the Lyntons are doing this for themselves, and they don't see that. Taking their grandson without permission is abduction, a truly irrational act.

[Timothy M.]

Somewhere down under Graeme may be chuckling about having all his readers getting well and truly riled up.

[Graeme]

Any lawyer who has even remotely been in this sort of situation before would be sure to include a clause requiring the grandparents to arrange the visits in advance, getting consent before arriving rather than randomly springing a visit or taking the children without it being prearranged. If the lawyer neglected to have such a clause included, the lawyer is incompetent and should lose their license!

 

Maybe things are are more casual in other places, but this violates any sort of similar agreement that I've ever heard of! Why even go through the farcical legal procedure if it means nothing at all?

 

The difference is that this is not a legal agreement. It was a mediation session to try to avoid going to court. Ultimately, it's up to the two parties involved to agree and while the agreement would be in writing, it's not legally enforceable. However, if the agreement is violated and it ends up in court, the violation of the agreement would be taken into account when the court makes a decision.

 

Somewhere down under Graeme may be chuckling about having all his readers getting well and truly riled up.

 

This thread was getting a little quiet

[Reader1810]

The difference is that this is not a legal agreement. It was a mediation session to try to avoid going to court. Ultimately, it's up to the two parties involved to agree and while the agreement would be in writing, it's not legally enforceable. However, if the agreement is violated and it ends up in court, the violation of the agreement would be taken into account when the court makes a decision.

 

 

This thread was getting a little quiet

So, you do admit to doing this on purpose? Hmm.. 

Edited January 29, 2017 by Reader1810

[Graeme]

To be honest, most of that chapter (and the next one) was written 8 years ago. I had written the appropriate scenes, but I hadn't written all of the intervening chapters. All I've done is clean them up and link them into the story.

[Kitt]

Ok, where do I start?

 

Let's go with the easy comment. Please do not take offence if I do not leave a review. I will always like a chaprer I enjoy, and will usually leave an emoji in a review that reflects the emotions invoked, but seldom leave written comments since a run in with an author who took offence to what I thought was mearly a comment on the story taking an unexpected turn.

 

Now, the grands taking Troy out of school, whether supported by being on the school pick up list or not, IS an abduction as they did not have the legal gardians permission. Having worked in the daycare system, we would not have released a child under those conditions without reaching the parents/gardians. At a minimum it is custodial interfearance.

 

The school I worked with also would not have allowed the teacher to approve the release. The grands would have had to deal with the admins and been cleared by them, at which time

Troy would have been called to the office for dismissal from there.Maybe it is different down under, but it seems unfair to me to put that sort of responsibility, to vet all pick ups, on a teacher responsible for multiple students.

 

Now, going back to earlier chapters:

 

Parents have to pick their fights. Some things are just not worth fighting with a stubborn youngster over!

 

In my home, my mom's when she was growing up, and presumably going back more generations, the rule was take what you want, but eat what you take, you can always go back for more. We were not allowed to just refuse a new food, the rule was taste before you decide. More often than not the food was enjoyed, and on those few occasions it was not, mom always had hot dogs or hamburgers that could be quickly fixed to fill the gap.

 

I am not sure who I feel more compassion for, Lisa confined to the hospital, the children who have effectively lost both parents, the guys who were tossed into the deep end of parenting with very little preperation, or the poor schnooks at childrens services (or what ever they are called down under) who now haave to unravel the mess the Lyntons have caused. I do know how I feel about those two!

[Graeme]

Ok, where do I start?

Let's go with the easy comment. Please do not take offence if I do not leave a review. I will always like a chaprer I enjoy, and will usually leave an emoji in a review that reflects the emotions invoked, but seldom leave written comments since a run in with an author who took offence to what I thought was mearly a comment on the story taking an unexpected turn.

Don't worry about it I've never had a review that's offended me (and that's not a challenge to everyone), and even if it happened, as a moderator I have the ability to delete reviews. That's not a privilege I abuse, but I have the option

The school I worked with also would not have allowed the teacher to approve the release. The grands would have had to deal with the admins and been cleared by them, at which time

Troy would have been called to the office for dismissal from there.Maybe it is different down under, but it seems unfair to me to put that sort of responsibility, to vet all pick ups, on a teacher responsible for multiple students.

I agree, and that's the procedure here, too. This is mentioned in an early chapter when Bradley asks Alan what he's reading, and Alan quotes part of the school procedures for taking a student out of school early. It's as you've said -- the school admin office is the contact point and they will contact the teacher to get the student sent to the office. The teacher is not the one who approves the student leaving early, though naturally they would know about it, and maybe told why. So Troy's teacher would know that his grandparents came to pick him up. She probably asked why, and was then given the excuse.

[hohochan657]

It is all a sorry mess ... Urgh !

[hohochan657]

The latest chapter (16) - my reaction

 

:screaming:

:screaming:

:screaming:

 

This would definitely put more strain on Alan and Peter's relationship ... I wouldn't be surprised if Peter would resent the presence of the boys more ...

Edited February 4, 2017 by hohochan657

[Rndmrunner]

Just read Chapter 16 and I am really bothered by the turn of events.  This is in part due to the fact that I am raising a now teenager with my partner.  First the story doesn't clarify the year (1990s, 2000s, or current time). If the latter, then the words of my Prime Minister a little over a year ago come to mind to get over it; "Because its 2015". I feel we are heading down old tropes here: gay men are believed to abuse children and society and the authorities don't challenge the assumption. A big step backward.

 

At the same time in the real world, I see my kid being "Gay" at school though not in personal attractions because it is supportive and fun and cool. This may not represent the norm but it is currently our norm. As good as your writing is, it is hard to travel back 20-30 years to the widespread prejudices prevelent when I was coming out without a specific time marker. We have come a long way and that hopefully means that we face newer challenges and not simply revisit old ground in current time. Time frame is also important for the plot device of the zipper as I challenge you to find a zipper on a pair pf pants for a child under ten. 

 

That said, the writing grabs me - why else would i need to comment (rant)

[Kitt]

I used to work after school programs for the 5 to 10 year old age groups. Take my word, zippers exist and shit happens because of it. Ever see the bleach commercial where the little boy is fighting with a belt hollering "Mom we have a situation!" ? It had me laughing histerically as I got a similar shout from the boys bathroom.

 

It does not surprise me those four little words came back to haunt the guys. Even if the grands did not have time enough to coax the boy into accusing Peter, just that one sentence would be enough to trigger an investigation. Troy is an honest kid. All the shrink had to do is ask if either of the guys ever hurt him.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Kitt

[Graeme]

Just read Chapter 16 and I am really bothered by the turn of events.  This is in part due to the fact that I am raising a now teenager with my partner.  First the story doesn't clarify the year (1990s, 2000s, or current time). If the latter, then the words of my Prime Minister a little over a year ago come to mind to get over it; "Because its 2015". I feel we are heading down old tropes here: gay men are believed to abuse children and society and the authorities don't challenge the assumption. A big step backward.

 

At the same time in the real world, I see my kid being "Gay" at school though not in personal attractions because it is supportive and fun and cool. This may not represent the norm but it is currently our norm. As good as your writing is, it is hard to travel back 20-30 years to the widespread prejudices prevelent when I was coming out without a specific time marker. We have come a long way and that hopefully means that we face newer challenges and not simply revisit old ground in current time. Time frame is also important for the plot device of the zipper as I challenge you to find a zipper on a pair pf pants for a child under ten. 

 

That said, the writing grabs me - why else would i need to comment (rant)

The story is set in the near past. I started writing the story around 2008, but I've modernised it from the first draft (back in 2008 in Australia, tablets were not a big sales item and Peter only sold phones. Now, a store such as the one Peter works out will sell communication devices, which includes phones and tablets). However, the Department of Human Services was merged with another department in 2015 and renamed to the Department of Health and Human Services, so we can assume that the story is set no later than 2014 (I've been tempted to have the guys take the kids to a VFL match to see the Leopards play, but I've managed to resist the temptation so far).

 

There's been a lot of support in the story for Alan and Peter. While homophobia exists, most of it in the story has evaporated when confronted with the concrete presence of Alan and/or Peter, which coincides with my impression that a lot of current homophobia is vague and deals with stereotypes, and falters when confronted with real people. There are exceptions, though, whose homophobia doesn't falter, but they're the minority. In this story, the only ones who have maintained their homophobia are the Lyntons -- everyone else has either been supportive, neutral, or cautious. Even the next-door neighbours haven't shunned them -- they just didn't want their kids being left alone with Alan or Peter. They didn't object to meeting them; they were just scared. As Rosalie said to them, maybe all they need to do is to get to know Alan and Peter.

 

On the legal front, I hope it's been made clear that there's a lot of support. The law that the mediator quoted is accurate (though I'll confess that I haven't checked to see if it's been updated since 2008), as is the position of the Department of Human Services. I can remember back to the early 2000's when there were news articles about the department actively looking for gays and lesbians (single or couples) to become foster parents. There are always bigoted people, but the anti-discrimination policies are clear.

 

I believe I've depicted an accurate representation of Australian society as it stands, at least in the part of Melbourne where the story is set. A lot of people are supportive or indifferent, a reasonable number of people are cautious or nervous when confronted with homosexuality but not hostile, and a few are firmly against at least some aspects of homosexuality, especially when it comes to children.

[Graeme]

I used to work after school programs for the 5 to 10 year old age groups. Take my word, zippers exist and shit happens because of it. Ever see the bleach commercial where the little boy is fighting with a belt hollering "Mom we have a situation!" ? It had me laughing histerically as I got a similar shout from the boys bathroom.

 

It does not surprise me those four little words came back to haunt the guys. Even if the grands did not have time enough to coax the boy into accusing Peter, just that one sentence would be enough to trigger an investigation. Troy is an honest kid. All the shrink had to do is ask if either of the guys ever hurt him.

The incident with the zipper is one that happened to me with one of my sons. In fact, what I wrote is almost exactly what happened between me and my son (including the feelings are frustration on my part because he wasn't cooperating).

 

Jeans and similar pants are much more likely to have zippers than buttons. From memory, it was the pants of his school uniform that had the zipper. I've kept things simple in the story, but most schools have a uniform that the students are required to wear, and that goes all the way down to the early years. I haven't seen a school uniform yet where the pants didn't include zippers....