Divorce lawyer stops Mom from taking kids on vacation after Dad throws a fit. 3 days later, he begs her to switch — and gets an earful from his lawyer
'I'm not mentally capable of taking care of them right now,' the man claimed
Some divorced partners use their children to take revenge on their partner. Shanoriya (@shanoriya) shared a story from when she worked with a divorce lawyer. Her boss represented the husband. Right before Christmas, his wife wanted to take the kids to Costa Rica, but he was adamant they stay home. Christmas was family time, according to him, and he fought hard to keep his three boys with him. For about three days. What happened next was just the beginning of a back and forth that would go on for a year. The post was shared on August 18, 2026, and it received 548,000 views, over 30,000 likes, and 211 comments.
3 days too long
The man Shanoriya's boss represented was married to a stay-at-home mom. The couple had issues, but it got so bad it reached a point where they stopped communicating. Any contact between them was solely through lawyers. And even so, it got bad to a point that their kids' school had to intervene, telling them clearly to get the issues sorted out or the boys wouldn't be accepted into the school anymore. Right before Christmas, his wife planned a vacation to Costa Rica and wanted to take the boys. When he found out, he called his lawyer and made her work overtime, just so he would get the boys during the holiday. After a much-heated debate, his wife gave in. Both parties signed an agreement, and the kids were to stay with their father for 14 days. Within three days, he called his lawyer again and demanded that his wife get the kids. "He can't handle it. He's stressed," Shanoriya said.
'I'm not mentally capable...'
Shanoriya's boss was not happy. She could not reveal the exact words her boss used, but she said, "My boss unleashed a fury that I've never f------ seen before... I can tell you that he was f------ dealt with." Apparently, it was never about having the boys for Christmas. When he found out his wife went ahead with her vacation plans, he was annoyed and angry. He suspected she was there to meet up with a new man. He tried to ruin her vacation by forcing her to come home, claiming, "I'm not mentally capable of taking care of them right now." His lawyer, unfazed by it all, pointed out, "You do realize that when you say that, and she brings that in front of a judge, she can file for full custody, right?" That silenced him real quick.
Custody games
Using children to manipulate a situation or gain leverage is one of the oldest tricks. Many of us might have up-close experiences, while others might have been witnesses. And there are plenty of such instances portrayed in mainstream media too. Miguel Clemente conducted a study on 384 participants with minor children who were going through difficult divorces. It found that 5% of the respondents were willing to use their children to exact revenge on their partners. In the man's case, he tried to use their kids to prevent his wife from going on vacation, as a way to punish her. But instead of stopping her trip, his actions only exposed his true motives.
'They always need Mom to come get them'
People found the situation hilarious that the father could not take care of his sons for a few days, but felt bad for the children. @fics.by.bunny commented, "Oh, to be a fly on the wall listening in on that call. Good on your boss, though; he deserved every second of fury they threw at him." @spiffytiffy34 wrote, "I’m a family law attorney. Yep, they always need mom to come get them." Shanoriya, in another reel, explained that these whole fights and arguments would continue for a whole year. And they get more bizarre!
You can follow Shanoriya (@shanoriya) on Instagram for more lifestyle content and updates to this divorce story as she uploads them.
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