I think General Hospital’s Willow and Michael are both unfit parents at the moment

On General Hospital, the divorce and custody battle between Michael and Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) is finally going to court. But frankly, neither of them should be taking care of those kids. The judge is going to have a tough time deciding who should be given custody because both Michael and Willow are unfit.

It’s hard to believe this total mess is finally going to court, but it is. Carly (Laura Wright) is moving ahead with the divorce and custody cases even though Michael isn’t back in Port Charles yet to appear on his own behalf.

Carly’s strategy isn’t a bad one, actually. Right now, Drew (Cameron Mathison) is very much in the public hot seat because of his very public dalliances with Jacinda (Paige Herschell), so Diane (Carolyn Hennesy) can definitely use that to make a case that Drew’s not safe for the kids to be around. But, both Diane and Ric (Rick Hearst) are going to have a hard time proving that either of their clients is fit to have custody of Wiley (Viron Weaver) and Amelia (Sequoia & Serenity Mork Macko).

“Absentee” father Michael

Michael isn’t necessarily a bad father, but he’s unfit to have full custody because of his medical issues. That’s not his fault, and he’s not an absentee father like Drew claims.

Only in Drew’s narcissistic fantasy is Michael absent because he is injured. And he does keep in contact with Wiley and Amelia through phone and video calls when he can. Just because he doesn’t go through Willow to schedule those calls doesn’t mean he’s absent from his children’s lives. If I ever agree with Drew Cain on anything, I need to reevaluate my life choices.

But the fact is, Michael survived a horrific ordeal, and he’s still very much recovering. Someone who is still undergoing treatment for severe burns isn’t going to be able to organize play dates, make the school drop off each day or do any of the other dozens of things that a parent with full custody has to do every day. He’s physically not capable of being the parent with sole custody right now.

That doesn’t mean he can’t be in his children’s lives while he recovers, but he shouldn’t have full custody of them until he’s fully recovered. Kids need stability, consistency and routine to feel safe and thrive. He’s not in a position to give them that right now.

However, I don’t think Drew will succeed in his plan to win custody for Willow by trying to argue that Michael is an absentee father. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Michael does find a way to appear in court on his own behalf, even if it’s by video from Germany.

Willow is Michael’s medical proxy, so if she was worried that he would be an “absent” father by going to Germany for treatment, she could have stopped him from going. Really, she’s the cause of him being gone. So that argument won’t hold up in court.

Willow is an unfit mother

I can’t believe there’s anyone who thinks Willow is a good mother who should have full custody. She’s unfit to be the primary caregiver for Wiley and Amelia. Not because of her affair, but because of her inconsistency.

People have affairs. It’s morally icky, but it happens. That doesn’t make someone unfit to parent their children. What makes them unfit to parent is using that affair to upend the children’s lives and create chaos and instability. And that’s exactly what Willow has done.

First, Willow has moved those kids around like chess pieces on a game board. They were living at the Quartermaine mansion, then back at the gatehouse, then with Nina, then they moved in with Drew and his daughter. That is a lot of disruption and chaos for small children.

Willow destroyed their routines, took them away from people they loved and trusted, and just slotted Drew into a parental role with the kids like a Ken doll while their real father is recovering from nearly dying.

Willow is too flighty, too dependent on Drew and too inconsistent to have primary custody of the kids. There’s also a serious risk that she’d cut Michael out of their lives altogether and try to take the kids to D.C. to live.

The safety issue

Diane can also make a strong case that the kids aren’t safe living in Drew’s home. Whether Drew was drugged without his knowledge doesn’t really matter. Drew was acting inappropriately and chaotically. What if he was acting like that in the home? Wiley and Amelia could be in danger. What if Drew brings strangers home again? Again, that puts the kids in danger.

Who should get custody?

So, if both Michael and Willow are unfit, what should happen with the kids? Michael should have scheduled visitation once he gets back and is recovering at home. Willow should have supervised visitation, without Drew. Drew has no claim to those kids at all.

That leaves Nina (Cynthia Watros) or Carly as the best choices to take care of the kids. I think Carly would be the best choice to take primary custody, because Willow would cry and put pressure on Nina to let her take the kids.

Another option would be for Wiley and Amelia to return to the Quartermaine mansion. They were happy and well-cared for there. And it’s a relatively neutral home where all the parties involved could visit.

New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.