Ex suddenly wants contact with my son after 2 years

Questioner

During my pregnancy, my ex did not want any contact and moved abroad. There was no recognition, authority or alimony in any form whatsoever. Now our son is 2 years old and suddenly he wants contact when he is back on holiday here in the Netherlands and then leaves for abroad again. Our son and ex have never seen each other because my ex never wanted contact. How should I deal with this? And more importantly, should I respond? I find this very difficult because I do think that my son should have and deserves a father in his life, but not a father who does not want to build or maintain an active emotional bond. Also, my question is, can he demand through legal action a visitation/contact arrangement if he is in the Netherlands once a year?

Lawyer

It is up to you what you find comfortable in this. You could try to initiate contact and be there yourself to supervise it because it is of course a strange person for your son. You do not have to give him along. What also happens is that parents who live abroad video call their children to maintain contact. That will certainly be a bit difficult at this age, but it is also important for your son to know who his father is and for there to be room for contact. Your ex could initiate proceedings to obtain a visitation arrangement. However, it is true that once a year is of course very little. If this happens and you want to defend yourself, you can always contact me if you wish.