That�s a very fair point, pink-kittens, and one which I had not made in my earlier posts.
However, the child�s needs, whilst being considered, cannot be paramount (despite what the latest contemporary thinking may be). Children should fall in line with their parents� lifestyle choices (provided they are not unreasonable), not the other way around. I�m sure falrep has spoken to her son about this (if he is old enough to understand) and explained that she considers it to be the best decision for them all in the long term.
I also cannot see why Malta seems to be the end of the Earth. It is almost certainly easier, quicker and cheaper to travel from there to England than it is to travel from Cornwall to Newcastle.
Life is full of decision making. It is naive to imagine that children can be unaffected by their parents� break up. There are far too many children in situations where they are hauled off to the cinema every other Saturday when, in truth, they�d rather be forming new bonds with friends and maybe step-siblings.
When parents make �new lives� it is very often necessary for children to do so too. They adapt far more easily than many adults give them credit for. And far more easily than many of their biological fathers do when confronted with the break up of their relationship.