Navigating Attendance at Child’s Wellness Checkup Amidst Objections

A Mother’s Objection

Okay here’s another one from the Facebook group. My daughter has her 18 month wellness checkup tomorrow. The mother and I have been separated for the last two months since she left the marital house. No court orders have been filed for divorce or legal separation or custody orders and I have been getting weekends with my daughter ever since the separation.

She proclaims it just being a wellness check that I do not need to be there. But I’ve always attended every doctor and specialist appointment of your daughter, my daughter ever since she was born. Doctor’s office assures that I have the right to be there in this actual appointment and the mother insisted that I must stay in the receptionist waiting office as she does not want me to over speak, disrespect or voice any concerns for my daughter there. Which I assured her that there should be no reason for that and we can respect each other to co-parent for our daughter.

Can I Attend My Child’s Wellness Checkup?

I have plans to be there, but is there any reason I shouldn’t? Short answer is no, unless there’s specific facts on the ground that would make it either inappropriate for you to be there or unadvisable. Based on what you’re telling me, well, without giving specific advice, the short answer is that you have the right to be there.

The only reason I wouldn’t go there is if there is, for example, if you’re dealing with a situation like, where there’s a protective order in place, where there’s been a history of like really serious conflict between the two of you that could lead to like a physical altercation. If you’re told that you’re not allowed to be there by the owner of the premises, i.e. the doctor, then you shouldn’t be there. But odds in a situation like that, as long as you can comport yourself, as long as you can comport yourself in a professional manner, guys, you have the right to be there.

Your Rights as a Father

And just because mom don’t like it, well, you know, especially if you’re married, just because mom don’t like it doesn’t mean she can exclude you. And no, you don’t have to wait in the waiting room. Married guys, you have a joint custody by implication until the court says something different. So you have exactly the same rights as mom, you have exactly the same responsibilities as mom. So if you wanna be in there, you can. The only caveat with that is obviously you wanna keep it professional.

Contact Us for More Information

If you have more specific questions or want specific advice to your situation, I would encourage you to go to dads.law where fathers are not disposable.