Birmingham, AL asked in Family Law for Alabama

Q: What to do if a teenager (16) refuses to speak to or visit his father.

1. Custody : Primary= Mom, Dad has visitation. Joint legal.

2. Custody schedule: Every thursday overnight, every other weekend from friday-monday AM

3. Two children, 12 and 17

Issue: Dad is alcoholic and can be verbally abusive, often attempting verbal arguments late into the night on school nights. 17 year old was fed up and refused to speak to him and refuses to go to his house for visitation. because of his age, I can't physically force him into the car to go, and have tried multiple times to explain to him that he is a minor and HAS to visit his dad. He will not and I am concerned about the contempt issue in this. 12 year old is a girl. I don't know what to do about it or what the court does in these cases where the kid wants nothing to do with a parent. It is impossible for me to force him to have a relationship with his dad, but I also don't want to harm the situation even more. I don't want to separate the kids either. No clue what to do.

Related Topics:

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.