That is a brief overview of our battle with EGP -- it is certainly NOT all-inclusive. September 29-30, 1999 was our trial. It was a tramatizing experience that we both hope to never repeat! (However, the EGP has filed for an appeal.) The judge entered his decision on November 30 stating that the Iowa Code as it pertains to GP visitation was unconstitutional, with respect to intact families, unless there had been a showing of harm to the child. WE WON!!! But the judge also expressed his view that we had been petty and immature. Wow, did he miss the BIG PICTURE! As I mentioned, the EGP refuse to take NO for an answer, even from the courts. They continue to come to our neighborhood to "pretend shop" at the same grocery store. In January, they joined the same health club knowing we take our daughter there to swim. In March, they appeared at the same place where our daughter's daycare was on a field trip. We basically view this as stalking but nothing can be done other than to make changes in our life to avoid them. (They commonly refer to these incidents as "chance meetings") We are convinced (but unable to prove) that a family member placed a lump of coal in our mailbox. A handwritten, anonymous letter accompanied this little "gift" stating, "this is all you deserve."
We know in our hearts that we didn't deserve the treatment we received. We only wanted to be treated with respect as individual adults and as a married couple with a family. There is no place in our lives for people who control, manipulate, take revenge or offer ONLY conditional love as these are not the things we wish to have our child exposed to, especially from so-called family. Emotional abuse can leave scars like physical abuse does and usually takes longer to heal. We are protecting our child, ourselves AND our fundamental right to raise our family as we see fit.
iowa fields of opportunities
