Location : Virginia
My soon to be 17yo has ADHD & Autism and lacks practical thinking & safety awareness skills. His dad & I have shared custody and he hasn’t been an active person in my son’s life. There is over 16 years of trauma including false accusations, refusal to pay child support, lack of parenting, etc.
My current husband and I need to protect my son from his paternal family and are leaning towards limited guardianship (financial & medical decision making) in addition to a protective order. It is very important we ensure that his dad has limited or controlled access to my son. I promise I am not an extremely protective parent, I am the parent who has attended 15 years of weekly therapy sessions with my son, sat & kept him safe during meltdowns, been at every school, sport and scout function cheering him on when others said he couldn’t. I refuse to let someone who shares his DNA to ruin all of our work.
My question is “is it difficult to get limited guardianship when the young adult appears able to function and is aware of why this is the best for him?” And could a protective order be added to ensure that my son stays safe and is supported?