This video deals with how stress affects the brain of a child. What stands out for me is the consequences of separation from a primary caregiver at the wrong developmental stage. This is something I am becoming more and more aware of in my practice and my conclusion is that we as attorneys are just not adequately equipped to advice parents on contact schedules. It seems that attachment and separation is becoming an expert field of its own.
What concerns me about care and contact reports is that I don’t often take into account where the child is at his or her development and what the consequence will be if the child is separated from a parent at that stage.
Today I saw a proposed parenting plan where it is suggested that a 14 month old baby be separated from her mother for a week at a time. The lack of insight from the father and the attorney was of huge concern. Another plan I saw was that an older sibling be separated from a baby sister. This too lacks insight. In divorce where everything is turned on its head, siblings are a secure and stable place, how can we even consider to take that away too from the children?