Life keeps moving on

If you've been reading my homeschool blog at all, you'll see things have been a bit busy for us lately!  At a time when we were approaching an empty nest and ending our home school journey, we're starting all over again with two youngsters who have joined our household.  I've had little time to post on  blogs, as any writing time I've had is instead diverted to documentation. 

Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the girls, we are focusing on getting advice from the law courts, contacting the police, lawyers and getting involved with social services.  All because of their father, who has managed to reach out from Egypt to cause us all problems.

As difficult as their father has been, it had been my hope that we would still be able to keep the girls in contact with him.  I strongly believe in the importance of a father in children's lives, and would never willingly try to prevent them from talking to him.  His own actions, however, made it highly unpleasant.  In seeking legal information, there was even surprise expressed that we were allowing them to speak to him at all, given the circumstances.  We have no legal obligation to allow him access to the children while out of the country.

Unfortunately, in the few Skype calls he's had with them so far, he's been more interested in dishonesty and manipulation.  Today, however, he has hoisted himself by his own petard.  He talked one of his daughters through changing their Skype password, telling them to keep it from us.  She wrote it down. 

Now we can't log them into their Skype account at all.  What she wrote doesn't work. 

As international phone call attempts have been complete failures, Skype was the closest thing to a reliable means of communication they had with him - and even that was questionable, as there's the usual delays and occasional failed connections.  My original intent had been to regularly send him emails with updates on what the girls were doing, including photos.  In thanks, I got unreasonable demands, bizarre accusations and threats against me, so no email.  That left regular Skype calls with the girls.  Now, they don't even have that.  Because of his attempts to separate the girls from our trust, he has succeeded only in separating the girls from himself.  I am not going to attempt to regain access to the account.  He will have to live with the consequences of his own actions.