Replies to 'Co-Parenting'

Quote From: cayce1

My boyfriend's 14 yo son was reported to have shot the neighbor (at his mom's- while visiting her) in the back with a BB gun. The question was; was this an accident (which the boy claims) or on purpose (which the man who was shot reportedly claims).

I am confused by the lack of the father's (my bf) interest in getting the whole story. He talked to the boy, got and accepted his story (that it was an accident) and then didn't feel that he needed to talk to the man who was shot because this happened at the mother's house and therefore within her jurisdiction to handle. He is the boy's custodial parent and she has visitation. I felt that as the boy's guardian, HE should take steps to talk to the man and find out BOTH sides of the story--the WHOLE story.

I wasn't convinced that the boy's story (to his father) was all there was so I talked to the boy myself (with the father present) and found out several details that were not disclosed by the conversation that the boy had with his father. Those details suggest that he could very well have shot the man intentionally and if not, it was clear that he was negligent in his behavior (admitting to shooting "randomly" in the same direction as the man while knowing that he was there in his line of fire). My question to anyone is this; am I out of line thinking that the father, being the custodial and legal guardian of this boy, should take the matter into his own hands and find out all he can by talking to the man who was shot AND then be the one to delegate the punishment accordingly, instead of washing his hands of it and just let the mother handle it since it was her that the boy was visiting while it happened??