Am feeling a bit down this evening about Christmas and DSS. Current order for contact over Xmas is that X has 24th, 25th, 26th every year, and we have 27th and 28th. (There are mental health issues plus DH was trying desparately to compromise to shorten court proceedings when he agreed to it) plus 2 extra days contact to be arranged. This is always a nightmare, every holiday as X tries to avoid it, leaves it as late as she can etc.
This year we asked for her ideas for possible dates before half-term. As a blended family there's a lot of people who have to be considered - DD's Dad and family, my parents, DH's parents - all of whom have their own wider families and commitments. Anyway, she wouldn't respond so at the beginning of December we told DH's Mum to go ahead and sort out her annual family party at the convenience of everyone else (4 brothers and sisters at various different sides of the country)and that turned out to be 29th - 30th.
We asked X if we could have the two days extra contact then (bearing in mind this is the only chance DSS will get to see some of his family for this year) and she has turned it down - not because she has something else planned, but because 'it's bad enough DSS is with us at Xmas at all'.
It just feels that we never get any further with this. She also told DH that DSS had only been able to attend 20 minutes of his cousin's birthday party recently because he 'had to come' to see us (which she told DSS) but she didn't ask us if he could come later or change it, because DH had insisted on a defined contact order.
AAARGH.