hello everyone -
I need some advice! i am going through what appears to have become a custody battle over my 3 year old daughter. her father has been out of picture for a good portion of her life, and has now decided to come back and demand rights to her. his main argument for his getting sole or at least half custody is the "unclean environment" that is "just not suitable for a little girl". We have been living in a 30ft yurt off-grid for a little over a year. We have everything the average house has but in a different way - composting toilet, "running" gravity fed water to the sink, a woodstove for heat, lights run off a battery system charged by a solar panel or by the generator.
We are currently staying in a small camper while re-building our home after a sudden move. It should be finished soon, but there is someone coming probably sooner to evaluate our living conditions and my daughter's well-being.
I believe this is an excellent way to raise a child, and I know my daughter loves it. I am offended that I am being questioned in my parenting skills by someone who abandoned their child for so long. I work very hard to make sure my daughter has a beautiful, safe, healthful life.
My questions are - has anyone else been through something similar? A custody battle where the unconventional/off-grid/alternative lifestyle of the parent comes into question? Will I be able to prove how awesome and wonderful this way of life is to conventionally-minded court people? Is my daughter doomed to live in a tiny, dingy, cockroach ridden basement apartment in a city because my composting toilet is "unclean"?
What are your experiences?
THANK YOU!
I need some advice! i am going through what appears to have become a custody battle over my 3 year old daughter. her father has been out of picture for a good portion of her life, and has now decided to come back and demand rights to her. his main argument for his getting sole or at least half custody is the "unclean environment" that is "just not suitable for a little girl". We have been living in a 30ft yurt off-grid for a little over a year. We have everything the average house has but in a different way - composting toilet, "running" gravity fed water to the sink, a woodstove for heat, lights run off a battery system charged by a solar panel or by the generator.
We are currently staying in a small camper while re-building our home after a sudden move. It should be finished soon, but there is someone coming probably sooner to evaluate our living conditions and my daughter's well-being.
I believe this is an excellent way to raise a child, and I know my daughter loves it. I am offended that I am being questioned in my parenting skills by someone who abandoned their child for so long. I work very hard to make sure my daughter has a beautiful, safe, healthful life.
My questions are - has anyone else been through something similar? A custody battle where the unconventional/off-grid/alternative lifestyle of the parent comes into question? Will I be able to prove how awesome and wonderful this way of life is to conventionally-minded court people? Is my daughter doomed to live in a tiny, dingy, cockroach ridden basement apartment in a city because my composting toilet is "unclean"?
What are your experiences?
THANK YOU!
