Custody Questions And Answers You Should Know

When you go through the experience of divorce, you may feel an intense amount of stress and worry when it comes to the custody and visitation rights that you will have. In situations where custody is awarded to the other spouse, you will still retain visitation rights.

What If You Need To Change The Visitation Schedule?

When visitation rights are first established, they will often be set according to the current schedules of the parents. However, it can be possible for there to be life and work changes that can make the original visitation schedule impractical. Luckily, there are procedures in place for allowing the visitation schedule to be changed. If you are good terms with your former spouse, you may be able to negotiate this change privately and submit a modification request to the court. This request will usually be approved fairly quickly if both parents agree. In situations where the other parent refuses this request, you may have to schedule a hearing and argue the need for the change to a judge.

How Is Visitation Handled When A Parent Lives In A Different State?

In some situations, a parent may be forced to move to another state. While this may seem like it will automatically result in a total loss of visitation, this is not the case. There are many ways to still arrange for the child to be able to visit. For example, it may be able to modify the visitation agreement to allow for the child to visit for longer periods of time during the summer or winter breaks in school. While this may still result in reduce visitation time, it may be the only fair option for minimizing the disruption that the child can experience as a result of the divorce.

Do You Have Options If The Other Spouse Refuses To Respect Your Visitation Rights?

In some situations, you may find that the other parent is refusing to honor the visitation rights that were awarded to you by the court. These situations can be extremely emotionally charged, but it is important to understand the process for correcting this situation. Rather than making a scene or taking actions that you may regret, you should simply contact your attorney so that an emergency petition can be filed with the court. This petition will help to compel the other parent to honor the visitation agreement. Failing to comply can result in a contempt of court charge, which can lead to jail time.

Contact a law firm, such as the Law office of Don Bonner, for more help.