A child's life is at stake.

It was a custody battle with the mother and the father fighting for the right to bring the child up. In fact, the little ten year old girl had initially refused to meet her 37 year old mother.

It is a puzzle how custody was given to the mother as the girl herself protested, claiming that she did not love the mother. Apparently, after hearing submissions from both parties, the court of appeal made the decision. To persuade the girl to change her mind, one of the three appeal judges even told her,"Your mother came all the way from England to see you. Give your mother a chance to show her love. After all, your mother took good care of you for nine months."

The little girl who sat very close to her father replied," “She took care of me for nine months but my father took care of me for 10 years.”

Upon hearing that, one appeal judge said,"I'm sure both your parents love you equally." To that she replied that she did not love her.

Well, it looked like a little girl's wishes had to be overrided by the court order which had to be carried out.

Reading the news item, I was sympathetic to the poor little child who was separated from the father she loved so as to be under the care of the mother she had no love for.

In this case, were the adults involved more concerned about the evaluation of the submissions even when it is obvious that the child's interest may not be served. In this case is not the child's interest the most important? Should not justice listen to the one whose life and future is to be even more greatly affected by the decision despite not playing any role in it? Perhaps, the child could be given to the father with supervision from the courts and should the father prove to be unable to manage, then have the mother take over the custody. Or the parents be granted permission to have the custody of the child on alternate months until the child is older and able to decide for herself whom she would like to reside with.

It is a sad situation and is the result of two individuals discovering they were not meant for each other after a number of years by which time children may have come into the picture to complicate the issue. In which case young lives will be affected. And these young beings will carry the trauma of separation of parents possibly for the rest of their lives.