I'm not arguing that Kay was Mother of the Year.

But to claim that she "abandoned" the children is just wrong. That, by definition, would mean that she cut off contact with the children, which is clearly not the case.

In fact, she must have had pretty open lines of contact to both the children and Michael if she was able to persuade Michael - not exactly a guy to let bygones be bygones - to allow her to take over the children's education.

I don't think that Michael didn't know Kay was visiting the children. I think that Michael would have done more than close a door in Kay's face if he and Connie were conspiring against his wishes.

I also think it's highly unlikely that there was an actual divorce or any kind of formal visitation agreement. Michael would never have allowed his personal affairs to be aired in court.