Family Preventing Me From Seeing Daughter

[kyle]

I have a rather unique problem. I have a 7 year old daughter. I visit her at least once a week. I actually found out I had a daughter in 2007, when she was 4. The mother had not told me until then. I was in another part of the country and came back to have a relationship with my child.

What is unique about this case is the mother and I get along fine. It is my immediate family who are driving a wedge between me and my daughter. In the past, I have tried to make arrrangements to have my daughter see my parents or sister, only to have them say something to the effect that they want to go through with the paln, but cannot take me alone, because there is no room.

I am not a rich person. I do not have a car or house of my own, unlike my parents or sister. It is becoming clear that they want to spend time with my daughter, but want me out of the picture. I have always paid child support (they have not). I am the biological parent (they are the grandparents and aunt). I moved back from halfway across canada to be in her life. They did not.

I am thinking about hiring a lawyer, but it is so painful that I have thought about suicide rather than fighting. I want what is best for my daughter, but I think it is in her best interest to see her father. Obviously my family (who I have had very strained relations even before my daughter came into my life), do not believve I should, and believe they should have priority, or at least equal right to my daughter, when I am the father, and only get to see her an average of 4 hours a week.

What should I do? I want to hire a lawyer, but sometimes I just feel like giving up. It's too painful when your own family does something like this to you. My relationship with the mother of my daughter is great, for the record.

 

[Remus]

I'm not sure what it is like in canada (if its similar to UK) we have citizens advice here which is free and run by volenteers, I saw them to get a good idea of the legal side, they helped me get a solicitor and get on legal aid as I had a low income at the time. So everything was free, I should think you must have something similar as UK, CAN, AUS and NZ all have very similar legal systems and social support.

 

[kyle]

It's pointless.

I can go through that. I want what is best for my daughter, but with my sister sabotaging my efforts to see my daughter, I am not sure if it is best for my daughter. My sister has more money, and I am at the mercy often even though I am not close with her, and never lived with her in 15 years since childhood.

She has 3 children of her own, and has access to them 24 hours a day. For me, i only get to visit once a week, usually for 4 hours. I planned this visit, and at the last moment, she said I was not invited, but my daughter was. I originally was going to take my daughter, and to hell with my sister, but she had manipulated the situation by talking to my ex and telling her about all the plans she had in the evening (sleepover), so my daughter was excited.

Classic manipulation. I will be the bad guy by preventing my daughter from seeing my sisters kids, even though I AM THE FATHER, and deserve to see my dauther. Its worrying me, because I am the kind of person who is not assertive, and keeps emotions bottled up. The last 2 nights I was not able to sleep at all I was so upset, and I actually had a dream I was beating my sister to death.

I need to seek help for this, because I am honestly feel I am going to fly off the deep end. Not necessarily violence, but mail or phone my sister, and tell her I am disowning her, and that I wish her death, and will urinate on her tombstone.

 

[Nocer]

You should be able to see your daughter! It doesn't look like you have done anything wrong according to your post, why wouldn't they let you? Or more from that matter was it even a good reason?