Court Opinion

ID: 9698267
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 19:46:12.592793+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:39.778376
License: Public Domain

REYNOLDSON, Justice
(dissenting).
Cases involving custody and severance of parent-child relationships always invoke the most agonizing decisions undertaken by this *246court. Usually, as here, there is something to be said for each of the solutions advanced while neither is entirely satisfactory. In this case a study of the record leads me to conclude the trial judge, who heard the witnesses, reached the best result available in an unfortunate situation. I must therefore respectfully dissent.
I have no disagreement with the principles of law set out in the majority opinion. While agreeing with majority that custody of children should not turn on the financial status of the contesting parents, I do not concede this was the governing consideration below.
Sometimes a single trial-developed fact, like an iceberg’s tip, signals an unseen but impending disaster. Here such signal is found in the undisputed evidence this mother on numerous occasions told her daughter, Cheryl, that she didn’t love her and wished she’d never been born. No mother, however distraught, who had consideration for the emotional well-being of her child, could be guilty of such conduct.
Respondent admitted she yelled at the children when she was “up tight.” She further testified,
“I feel that Vance has been a good father to the children. He is not capable of taking care of the children alone. Vance lets the children get pretty loud before he finally clamps down but when he clamps down they know he means it. I know he loves the children. * * * The children do not want to leave the farm.”
The youngest son, Michael, has not yet received immunization “shots” against childhood diseases because of respondent’s attitude. Her reason was, “It’s up to the family to decide and Mike didn’t want them when he got to be five years old.” Distrust of dentists, noted by majority, resulted in actual neglect of the children’s dental health. Respondent testified, “I feel dentists try to take advantage of you. They are in your mouth. You don’t know what they are doing.”
Even respondent’s sister was evasive when asked if custody of these two minor children should be awarded to respondent. She finally said, “It would be better for Arlene to have them because it would be better for her.” This court has steadfastly held the best interests of the children should be the polestar in these cases, not therapy for one of the parents.
Dennis, a 20-year old son, was working his way through Iowa State University with the aid of a scholarship at time of trial. As a junior, his cumulative grade point average was 2.717 on a scale of three. His logical and well-reasoned testimony corroborated the facts recited above and illuminated respondent’s emotional instability.
Lastly, district court had before it the report of Dr. Chester F. McClure, M.D., of Northeast Iowa Mental Health Center. Evidence adduced at trial substantiated the following portion of that report:
“In observation, and psychological testing of this couple, it appeared that the husband is a little more realistic, has better judgment and more common sense. The wife on the other hand, tends to be quite naive, idealistic and thinks in terms of magic solutions to her problems.
“In an over-all evaluation of this couple, it would appear that the husband has a slight edge over the wife in his ability to meet the needs of the children, if and when a dissolution of the marriage takes place.”
I would affirm the decision below.
UHLENHOPP, HARRIS and Mc-CORMICK, JJ., join in this dissent.