Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Contradictory professional advice

I talked to a psychologist today about my case. He said that I made a serious blunder by admitting that my parenting practices were "unorthodox". He said that the court hates anything unorthodox, and will surely use that as an excuse to take my kids away.

Then I talked to a lawyer. He said that my biggest problem is that I refuse to admit that I am a bad father. He said that I should have just confessed, gone to parenting classes and psychological treatment, and plead for mercy. He told me about how he used to counsel prison inmates serving life sentences, and what they'd have to do to get favorable responses from parole boards.

This is crazy. I am damned if I do and damned if I don't. I am not accused of any crime, and my own lawyer wants me to confess like a convicted felon. Meanwhile, it is also clear how even the most minor admission can be extremely damaging.

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