court date is around the corner

[Painter]

Angel, best of luck, I hope you get to see your children for Christmas. Your W's blackmail tactics and denial of visitation will look very bad on her in court. Unless she has real concerns about your behavior that she can back up, I don't see how she can defend this.

You may want to talk to your attorney about asking the court to order co-parenting classes. A request like that will show your spirit of cooperation and that you are open to learning. The court looks at which of the parents is better equipped to take care of them, but a big factor is also which parent is more able and willing to promote a good relationship with the other parent. A co-parenting class will teach those skills.

If the court does not give you at the very least shared custody, you can ask for a parental evaluation. Offer to pay for it, because that puts you in power of who is chosen to do the evaluation. A parental evaluation is a good tool if you suspect abuse or parental alienation on the part of one parent.