In his report, the expert also recited some of the statements Paul had given when he saw him in December, before I got to meet him at the association. Things like “Dad keeps on asking me what she's doing. I want to make Dad happy. He wants me to tell him all the things Mom's doing. Every single thing. I tell him everything. She does a lot of things without my consent. Like one time she took me for lunch with her friends when I never said I wanted to go because I wanted to stay home and read. Dad told me to say that Mom never really took care of me. Dad told me to say that me and Mom don't do any activities together. Now I live with Dad and I have to see Mom at an association. I haven't seen her for six or seven months. I think she's strange, she's not normal, I don't know how to explain it. Dad earns way more money than Mom. He can buy me nice presents. Dad says Mom abandoned us. I want to only live with him because he's sad. I want to live with Dad and just see Mom sometimes. She doesn't look after me when I'm with her. She's on her computer writing her book all day long. Dad says it's not a normal book. She abandoned us to write her book and I don't think that's very good because now Dad is sad but I won't leave him.”

Doctor A. concluded that “the minor is not speaking for himself here. He is criticizing his mother to avoid upsetting his father, with whom he lives on a daily basis. The mother has not exhibited signs of any psychiatric issues that could potentially cause Paul any harm. On the contrary, the mother has demonstrated that she is capable of giving Paul affection and more generally, everything a son needs from his mother. There are no psychiatric grounds to justify a legally enforced reduction of the mother's parental rights in relation to the father's.”

The report's been delivered, but there's still no date for the hearing. There's no judge available to read it. My lawyer says, That's just the way it is. Maybe in a year. We'll see. The director of the association either doesn't know the report's been delivered or just doesn't give a shit. She says it's good that the bond is being reestablished. She feels useful. She thinks it's perfectly normal for us to be there. That's what she's there for, to help us, she's happy to see that things are going better. I ask her to read the report. She says she's swamped. She tells me to send it to her. She yelled at me when I told her I appealed. When I told her I didn't agree with the judge's ruling, she told me I was making a mistake, that there was no point being in denial.

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