Some of the most frequent stories we hear are from divorced and separated parents who are trying to follow the custody agreement, but they are having a hard time because the other parent isn’t following it. Is there any way to encourage the other parent to follow the agreement better?
First, you need to know that if the other parent violates the terms and conditions of the agreement, he/she can be held in contempt of court. There really isn’t any excuse for not following the agreement if it has been approved in court. Once the court accepts an agreement, it becomes a custody order. This makes it legally binding.
So, you should keep track of when the other parent doesn’t follow the order. If necessary, you can take the parent to court and prove that they didn’t follow the order. The court will then impose a fine or other penalty.
But, you may not want to go to court right away. If you are looking for a less drastic solution, there are some things you can try instead of rushing off to court.
To begin, you need to keep a journal or log book about the infractions. If the other parent is repeatedly late about dropping the child off for visitation, you should keep notes about the actual visitation time. After a few times, you can talk with the other parent and show him/her the discrepancy in time. Depending on the amount of time that is missing, you could suggest an extra visit to make up for it. Perhaps you can make a deal where when the other parent is late, you’ll keep track of the time and get an extra visit at the end of the month.
No matter what the issue is, if you have records of it and talk to the other parent you can explain what is going on with evidence. If the other parent refuses to discuss the issue, you can explain that the only other option you have is to go to court. This should help you resolve the matter.