Lining up my ducks. . . hoping it will matter

June 14, 2003

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing in support of my nephew, Tom Frank, who is, in my opinion, a terrific father. For the two summers preceding their move to Seattle, I had the pleasure of spending a week with Tom, his wife, Moira, and their children. During my visits I observed Tom interact with his children and can attest that he is a devoted, loving father.

Each morning he awakened the children and made them breakfast. He then drove them to school, when applicable, before going to work himself. At the end of the day, when he arrived home, he spent time playing with them. It was a joy watching him engage in games of pretending, and it was obvious they truly enjoyed and looked forward to their time with their dad.

In the summer of ‘02, I helped Tom and Moira build a room for Tom's son, John. Although John lived with his mother at that time, he liked spending time with his dad, stepmother, and half-siblings. He was clearly an integral part of that family.

In 2003, I visited with Tom’s son John at a family wedding and he expressed concern and sadness that he might not get to visit his dad and family in Seattle that summer. It was evident that he missed being with his father, who raised him, alone, the first several years of his life. He really idolizes his father, and has even followed in his footsteps by pursuing magic, like Tom.

I can’t help observing the pain Tom is experiencing by not being allowed adequate time to visit his children. I, too, was divorced from my first wife and lived a good 3 hours away from my daughter. Although I made every possible concession to ensure an ongoing positive relationship with my daughter, including 6 hours of travel every other weekend and holidays, my ex wife did everything in her power to sabotage these visits, including making unreasonable demands, refusing to share the travel time, and making false accusations. The related stress impeded the quality of the time my daughter and family spent together, and caused irreparable damage to my daughter’s psyche. As I observe the cooperative effort Tom and his first wife make to give their son John a feeling of stability and love, I can only hope that Moira will realize the damage that is being done to the children by not being able to spend regular, extended visits with their dad.

I am confident that Tom Frank is a fit, competent, responsible father as well as a great father and family man. He is a devoted parent who loves his children and who is adored by them. I would hope that nothing is allowed to alter that relationship. They need their father, and he needs reasonable visitation time.
Thank you.

Sincerely,


Jim Frank