The apparent beating death of the two year old son of Minnesota Viking’s Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson should serve as a high profile reminder that parents need to remain vigilant about who their former spouse/partner is bringing around their child(den). Parents do not lose their right to protect their children when they do not have physical possession over them at any given time. In fact, it is incumbent upon all of us as parents to ensure that our children are not ever unreasonably placed in harms way. I grant you this is not an easy task and it is unrealistic to know what is going on with the other parent 100% of the time. Let’s face it, most parents are disinterested or don’t have ready access to this information. But, when it comes to the former spouse/partner having a new relationship we should all ask questions and get as much information as we can. Googling the person is the first and best place to start. Next step is social media. Check out Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. for more and different information. The bottom line is that we have an obligation to our children to stay informed and protect them at all times no matter how busy we are with our lives. This applies whether we are professional athletes or school teachers or lawyers. None of us is exempt from this responsibility. If you believe that your former spouse/partner is endangering your child(ren) by exposing them to dangerous people, contact a family law attorney who is best suited to address your situation. Could the death of Adrian Peterson’s son have been prevented? Maybe. The signs were apparently there as the perpetrator had a history of physically abusing his own children. My sympathy goes out to AP and his family.
