Dealing with a no-show parent who cancels custody time
Disagreements between parents who share custody often involve both parents trying to have as much time as possible with their children. However, sometimes custody disputes begin with the exact opposite issue. Both parents seek out and receive reasonable parental rights and responsibilities when they divorce.
The custody order approved by the California courts gives each parent time with the children and likely a degree of authority regarding their upbringing. Unfortunately, once the conflict of divorce passes, one parent may be less enthusiastic than the other about consistently showing up for their children. They might start canceling their parenting sessions, showing up late or bringing the children back early.
How can one parent address the situation where the other doesn’t make full use of their time with their children?
By keeping thorough records
In many cases, a parent who reduces their involvement with the children may have external pressures on their schedule. It is easy for one parent to dismiss statements made by the other that denigrate their parenting. After all, it is quite common for parents to take issue with one another after they divorce.
Still, disagreeing with one parent’s analysis of the situation and disagreeing with objective information are two very different things. When there is a written record of the canceled and shortened parenting sessions, the other adults in the family may acknowledge that they have not spent as much time with the children as they should.
The concerned parent may also want to highlight the impact that the cancellations have had on the children. It can lead to a sense of rejection and may result in the children feeling increasingly alienated from the parent who doesn’t spend much time with them.
By requesting a modification
Custody enforcement often involves one parent demanding time with the children that the other has attempted to deny them. The courts are unlikely to force either parent to make use of their parental rights.
Therefore, a modification may be the best form of legal recourse available to a parent frustrated by the other’s lack of involvement. A custody modification can alter the overall division of parenting time. A judge may consider the negative emotional ramifications of canceled parenting sessions for the children and may also take the practical stress that such last-minute changes create for the other parent into account.
They may alter the allocation of parenting time to better reflect how often the other parent actually shows up for the children. The loss of parenting time could inspire the other parent in the family to show up more consistently for the children.
Those dealing with frustrating custody cancellations and similar issues may need help resolving the matter. Pursuing a custody modification can be an appropriate response to a co-parent failing to show up for their children.