Should my children to go abroad with their Dad?

[sailingmummy]

Hi, My ex husband has a holiday to France for him, his new partner and our children booked. It was booked long before the Covid outbreak. It is for the last week of the summer holidays and they are all looking forward to it....they've only seen him three times since March as he lives three hours away.

I'm not sure whether they should go though as if the UK suddenly decides that tourists returning from France have to isolate (like with Spain currently) the children (12 and 14) will miss the first two weeks of school and I would have to as well as they live with me - which being a teacher will not go down well at my own school :/

They can't return from France and isolate with their Dad as he lives in a very small house with no space for two children.
Would you take the risk and let them go or ask their Dad to cancel? It's so hard working out the likelihood of a quarantine being imposed....

Thank you!

No, your kids shouldn’t be missing school and you shouldn’t be missing work because of his holiday.
If he insists they go he needs to make provision for isolating with them away from you.

Same as the others, if they can isolate with him, fine. If not, then he needs to find an air bnb or suchlike and stay with them there. I wouldn’t risk my job for him to take them on holiday

Can you actually stop him though? If you have a good R/L then speak to him about it .If not it may be out of your hands really

You need to have a discussion with your ex, but also see how it is nearer the time.

If the cases either go up or down significantly, it probably won’t be an issue.

He does have to deal with the quarantine at his house, if necessary. I cannot imagine this is impossible, even in a small house.

You would be ill advised to refuse, though, as he could do a tit-for-tat or apply to a court to be able to take them.

[quote HeyBlaby]@GreyishDays they're 12 and 14 [/quote]
I (obviously) missed that. You’re right. No need to pull faces at me though @HeyBlaby

Options:
Can he change the booking to go earlier and have holiday left to isolate in on return.

He books an air B and B to isolate with them in on return.

He takes them away within the U.K. instead.

They don’t go.

He and they get to agree on one.

He is a parent too.

So long as he makes arrangements to deal with any potential fall out - imo you don't get to tell another parent what they can or can't do.

You can have a discussion about it though.

Yeah but DCs missing another 2 weeks of school is a bad decision and OP really should not be missing her work because of someone else's decision. But I suppose it is a question of laying the options on the table. My red line would be anything that caused me not to be able to go into work.

@sillysmiles

He is a parent too.

So long as he makes arrangements to deal with any potential fall out - imo you don't get to tell another parent what they can or can't do.

You can have a discussion about it though.

She does if it affects her job and her ability to maintain the roof over her children’s head.

@HeyBlaby

You don't have to isolate if quarantine rules are brought in for France, just them.

Agree. Assuming your dc are able to be left alone all day. You would only si if either developed symptoms.

She does if it affects her job and her ability to maintain the roof over her children’s head.

Which is why I said - so long as he makes arrangements to deal with any potential fall out

I wouldn't have a problem with them going but agree with others, unless he is going to facilitate quarantine should it happen then I would not agree to it.