JUDGE'S WARNING

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 135, 10 June 1942, Page 7

JUDGE'S WARNING

QUARRELS OF PARENTS

EFFECT ON CHILDREN

(0.C.) AUCKLAND, This Day. , A warning to divorced parents not to allow their quarrels to influence and injure the minds of I their children was given by Mr. Justice Callan yesterday, when granting a decree absolute and giving custody of a boy of eight to his father. The decree nisi had been granted to the wife on the ground of a verbal agreement to separate, and the parties had agreed that the father should henceforth have custody of the boy, the mother having proper and reasonable access to him and having him with her for half his school holidays. His Honour agreed that if the boy unfortunately could not have the care of both parents it was probably more important at his. age that he should have a man looking after his future. "When parents who used to have affection for each other," continued his Honour, "have fallen out, and separated and then divorced, affection disappears and is apt to turn to dislike or even to hate. And it is a very damaging thing to the offspring if, innocent as they are of the quarrels of their parents, they are brought into them. Access requires, great restraint and wisdom on the part of both parents, or in the end it will turn out to be very damaging to the child." His Honour said he wished to impress upon both parents that neither of them should ever allow one word detrimental to the other, or any hint of that kind to pass in the presence and hearing of this child. It required great restraint, when spouses disliked each other exceedingly, to do that. If it was not done access, instead of being any good for the child, had a most unsettling effect If it was shown |in later proceedings before the Court [that that was hapepning, then, in the.! interests of the child, which must j always be paramount, the matter would be revised. , .