Sharing custody of children can be a difficult adjustment. Parents often find it hard to spend less time with their children overall and to lose important days like holidays and birthdays together. A custody order usually gives each parent opportunities to spend time with the children.
Custody orders often outline a basic division of parenting time addresses special events like holidays. Parents may sometimes need to make minor adjustments to those arrangements.
When family circumstances change, one parent may have to give up time with the children. When does a parent have a right to request make-up parenting time if they don’t see their children as scheduled?
The other parent shouldn’t interfere with the schedule
As a general rule, a parent usually has the right to request make-up time when the other parent cancels or shortens their time with the children. When one parent alters the overall division of parenting time or the established schedule, they may have to offer alternative options.
Maybe the other parent has a health issue or problems with their vehicle that prevent the custody exchange from occurring. Maybe they scheduled an appointment or a play date during the other parent’s time. In scenarios where one parent cancels the other’s time with the children, they should give the other parent an opportunity to reschedule that lost time.
In scenarios where a parent cancels their own parenting time due to work demands, illness or other issues, they may not have a right to demand rescheduled parenting time. Instead, they may need to work out an arrangement cooperatively with the other parent.
In situations where one parent consistently reduces or cancels the parenting time of the other, attempting to enforce or modify a custody order might be the best response. Reviewing recent issues with a shared custody order can help a parent determine if they need to take the matter back to court.