his picture, and also where Mrs. Lambert would be. He indicated that Mrs. Lambert would be next to Mr. Lambert. Mr. Riley and Ms. Wilson would be outside the castle. He drew all three figures, then what he told me was a catapult, firing rugby balls at Mr. Riley.
While Theo is clearly too young to make a reliable direct statement about his wishes, I believe it is clear that in the brief time he has known them he has become very attached to his birth parents, and feels confident and cared for in their company.
In summary, I believe Theo would welcome the opportunity to be returned to his natural family on a permanent basis, and that is my recommendation to the court. Monthly access visits for Mr. Riley and Ms. Wilson should take place in a supervised contact center, to minimize the effects of interfamilial acrimony.
Lyn Edwards
Family Court Adviser
88
PETE
THE COURT-APPROVED PSYCHOLOGIST CAME to see Theo at our house. Perhaps bizarrely, I couldn’t help liking the man. His name was Harvey Taylor and he arrived on a touring bike, which led to a discussion about frames and the best width of rim for coping with London potholes.
“Right,” Harvey said at last, when I’d made him coffee. He looked around our small living space. “I need to assess Theo without you present, so I guess you’ll have to go out for an hour or so.”
“Of course. I appreciate you’ve got a job to do, so I’ll let you get on with it. Is there anything you need?”
He indicated his backpack. “It’s all here, thanks. Oh, and I have some checklists to go through with you when you get back.”
I left the house and paced the streets, too anxious to go and sit in a café. It was strange to think that while I was out walking, Harvey and Theo were having a conversation that could decide our family’s future.
After exactly an hour, I went back. Theo was playing with Duplo on the floor and Harvey was sitting at the kitchen table, writing notes.
“Hi there,” he said when he saw me. “Would it be all right if Theo went upstairs for a bit? I’d rather do the checklists on our own.”
“Of course. Theo, could you take your Duplo up to your bedroom? I’ll come and build something with you later.”
When Theo was upstairs, Harvey said, “Before we start, can you tell me about these? I’m curious.” He indicated the star charts lining the walls.
“Oh.” I explained about the parenting classes, and how I’d learned that some kids react better to reward systems than to punishments. “It’s made a massive difference,” I added.
He nodded. “That fits with what I’m seeing—that Theo has a very particular learning style.”
He pulled out a checklist. “Don’t be alarmed if some of these questions sound a bit strange. If another child was upset, would Theo try to help them, for example by giving them a toy?”
I shook my head. “Almost certainly not. In fact, he doesn’t really like sharing toys.”
Harvey made a note. “Does he like animals?”
“It depends what you mean by ‘like,’ ” I said cautiously. “He enjoys them, certainly. But he tends to do a lot of poking and banging of them to see how they react.” There had been an embarrassing occasion when he’d been asked to leave the petting zoo after trying to swing a rabbit around by its ears.
“What about keeping promises and commitments? Is he good at that?”
I pointed at one of the star charts. “As you can see, he’s getting better. But it’s been a struggle.”
There were a dozen more questions—“How responsive is he to affection? How anxious does he get? How fearful of getting hurt is he? Is he gentle with other children?” At the end Harvey put the checklist down and said, “Again, don’t be alarmed by what I’m about to tell you, but Theo almost certainly has what psychologists call CU traits. CU stands for ‘callous and unemotional.’ ” He studied my face. “You don’t seem very surprised.”
“Is it hereditary?”
“Ah.” Harvey nodded slowly as the implication of my question sank in. “It can be, yes. Except that, in adults, we would call it psychopathy.”
“In that case,” I said, “I’m not surprised at all.” But then the ramifications of what he’d just said sank in on me. “And if it’s hereditary, it can’t be cured. Theo will grow up to be just like his father.”
“Well, I haven’t met his father, so I can’t comment on that. But what I can