When parents go through a divorce, parents’ time with their children becomes crucial during that phase. Therefore, when chaos erupts, it becomes an uphill task to counter the consequences. There are cases when parents decide to settle the disputes regarding parenting time out of the court.
If co-parents can’t agree to the stipulations and tend to violate them, parenting time enforcement becomes the only viable solution. Parenting time enforcement comes into action when a court uses either one or more remedies to force a parent to adhere to a parenting time agreement. This agreement varies from one state to another. Get to know the details.
What Should Be The First Step About Parenting Time Violations?
The first step you should take when your co-parent doesn’t comply with parenting time is taking a note of the situation and writing it down. Communicate the details to the co-parent via an email. Communicate the information on the parenting time that they have missed.
Suppose you are abiding by parenting time enforcement. In that case, you need to jot down everything related to the parenting time that they missed. Everything from the date and time they denied you parenting time, their last visit and the duration, and the reasons for not turning up, will have all the details.
What’s The Aggregate Parenting Time That Was Denied To You?
The way you respond to a denial of parenting time will depend on the violations. If the co-parent denied a visit of one night, document it. However, if it happens to be an isolated incident, and putting parenting time enforcement to use might not be favorable for you, keeping both your time and financial standpoint in mind.
If such isolated incidents start happening repeatedly, it will be in your best interests to avail parenting time enforcement. If your co-parent denied your parenting time during a long school break or a major holiday, you could opt to take advice from a family law professional.
When Were You Denied Parenting Time?
The time between parenting time denial and enforcement request is crucial for some parents. Consult a family law professional to determine whether a court is in your state. They will follow parenting time enforcement or not if the time elapsed is beyond the permissible limit.
For example, in Michigan, the office that looks after issuing and putting parenting time orders into action might decide not to act if you register after 56 days of the incident.
Your Parenting Plan Has to Detail everything About Your Parenting Schedule
If you want the court to administer the parenting time, keep in mind that your parenting plan must have the details regarding your complete parenting schedule. A court won’t have the ability to enforce parenting time on your behalf if you don’t have a court order that specifies your parenting time.
If your parenting plan highlights your kids’ duration to stay with you, you will find it easier to address any parenting time violation. If a court order uses vague terms in dishing out a general provision, enforcing parenting time will be more difficult.
Try To Solve The Problem As Adults
If you and your partner want to try effective co-parenting and commit fruitful time to your kids, try to solve all the minor issues before they get out of hand. Try to find a remedy to any issue at the very inception before you reach out to the higher authorities.
Discussing and solving things between yourselves is always in the best interests of your children. In case there is a conflicting schedule, set up some additional days to make up for the lost time. This is a smart and effective way to avoid any tension in the future.
The basics of parenting time enforcement differ by state, and so do the laws. So, make sure that you know how to proceed and consult a family law attorney if required. And with the right guidance, you can resolve any differences in parenting times with your former partner. Remember, at the end of the day. It is the happiness and well-being of your child that matters the most. So, make sure you and your former partner are on the same page with this regard and take it forward!