Child Custody Lawyer

The subject of holiday, vacation and special occasion parenting time can be a particularly stressful one for parents who are no longer romantically linked. Each parent wants to celebrate special occasions with their child and each parent wants to have clear expectations about when they will and will not be able to do so. Splitting up special occasions and vacations can be a daunting process because there are few ways to do so that are both fair and honor the best interests of the child affected by such arrangements. Thankfully, an experienced child custody lawyer can help to empower co-parents to construct or modify a special occasion parenting time schedule that makes sense for everyone involved.

Co-Parenting at the Holidays – Considerations

As you may know by now, child custody and visitation/parenting time arrangements must be constructed with the “best interests of the child” standard in mind. However, the best interests of every child are different. When thinking about how to construct your special occasion parenting time schedule, consider your child’s unique best interests. Would your child suffer if he or she was not permitted to spend a specific period of time with one parent or the other? Does your proposed schedule allow your child to see all of his or her loved ones at some point during the year? Do your arrangements place unnecessary stress on your child due to time or travel constraints? Do your arrangements allow your child to experience the holiday traditions of both families? Does your proposed schedule allow each parent to participate in a variety of special occasions?

An experienced child custody lawyer can help you to sort out the answers to these questions and to construct a parenting time arrangement that fits your child’s needs and the unique circumstances of your family’s situation. It is a delicate balance to both create reasonable, consistent expectations and to remain necessarily flexible when scheduling vacations and special occasions. However, an experienced child custody lawyer can help you to achieve this balance in regards to either an original order or a parenting time modification.

Child Custody Guidance Is Available

If you have questions about child custody determinations generally and/or co-parenting agreements specifically, please do not hesitate to schedule a consultation with an experienced family law attorney today. The sooner you educate a child custody lawyer about your situation, the sooner you can receive professional guidance and support that will allow you to make the best and most informed decisions possible for your child and your family. Speaking with a custody lawyer, like from Robinson & Hadeed, does not commit you to take any specific action, so there is no risk involved in scheduling a consultation. In addition, these conversations are confidential, so you do not need to hesitate for any reason. 

What to Do When Visitation Orders are Violated

Parents who are bound to the legal obligations and responsibilities set forth by family court owe it to their child and the child’s custodial parent to uphold visitation agreements. However, it is not uncommon that visitation orders are disobeyed. This causes unnecessary emotional stress on you as the custodial parent, and furthermore, your child as well. If you are struggling with a parent that is continually violating their visitation order, contact an experienced child custody lawyer at once. A skilled attorney will come up with a solution that is in the best interest of your child’s wellbeing and help protect your interests throughout each step of the process.

What Constitutes a Visitation Violation?

You may not see eye to eye on everything that the child’s other parent does or the specific activities that they do with the child. Letting a 12-year-old watch a PG-13 movie in the other room while the parent cooks dinner probably would not constitute a visitation violation in any family court. Such an agreement may be held between both parents, informally, but unless it is ordered by the court, it will not be a mandate under the law.

However, if the parent fails to adhere to the specific terms provided in the visitation order, they may find themselves in trouble, as the court treats visitation violations, and the wellbeing of the child, very seriously. Some common examples of violations child custody lawyers have handled include the following:

·       Prolonging a visit

·       Not adhering to the visitation schedule (such as visiting or contacting the child at undesignated times)

·       Not adhering to supervised visitation orders (such as not having a third-party present)

·       Failing to pick up or drop off the child at the designated place or time

·       Asking another person to pick the child up, if not previously approved by the court

If a Visitation Order Is Being Violated, Take Action Today

There are various routes you can go if a parent is violating their visitation order. According to the courts, you can:

·       Call the police and ask that they enforce the order

·       File an action for contempt with the court. By going this route, you will need a child custody lawyer

Let a Lawyer Help You Today

Regardless of the immediate first steps you take, such as calling the police, it is crucial to contact an experienced child custody lawyer at once in order to ensure that your rights are protected throughout this ordeal and that the visitation violations are put to an abrupt and permanent stop. Contact a law firm for immediate assistance.