For Oakland County parents who are splitting up, one of the greatest challenges they face has to do with their kids. How should custody be divided? Should one parent have more parenting time than the other, or should it be an even split? What kind of visitation hours are best? There’s a lot to consider, and the more animosity there’ dealing with, the harder these choices become. But remember – as we explained in the previous article, your ex DOES NOT have the right to withhold your court ordered visitation time, or deny you any of the custody time the court granted you. Not now, not ever, and not in Oakland County.
What do I do if my ex won’t let me see my kids?
If the court has said that you’re entitled to a certain number of days or hours of visitation per week with your kids, or your custody agreement specifies a certain number of days per week, then that’s what you get. No one but a Judge can take that away from you. So if your ex is refusing to follow your court ordered time with your kids, you should call a skilled family law attorney immediately and make sure that your rights are protected! Top family law attorneys are very familiar with the process to enforce parenting time orders in Oakland County, Macomb County and Livingston County.
How do exes interfere with court ordered custody and parenting time?
There are many ways that the other parent could deny you your time with your kids. Sometimes they’re sneaky, sometimes they’re entirely upfront about it. Sometimes they pretend it’s not their fault, or the situation is out of their control, and sometimes they try to blame you for it. However they try to do it, it’s both wrong and against the law. Here are a few of the common methods…
Late start/early end:
This is one of the most common methods parents use to cut into the other parent’s time with the kids. By dropping them off late and picking them up early, they can reduce a three hour parenting time window to two hours. Over time that adds up to a lot of time!
Intentional scheduling conflicts:
By intentionally scheduling after school activities for the kids during your scheduled visitation time, the other parent can attempt to keep you from getting the full amount of time you’re entitled to with your child. It also allows them to make you look like the bad guy when it’s an activity that your kid wants to do, and you refusing it makes you look mean!
Allowing kids to choose:
By telling your kids that they’re allowed to choose to do other things during that time (which they can’t!), which makes you look like the bad guy when they have to tell them they can’t. This way, your ex can use the child’s preferences as a way to deny you time with your child. It’s also a tactic used by toxic parents when they’re attempting to alienate the other parent – so watch out for that!
You have a right to your kids – don’t let anyone take that from you!
Whatever the supposed reasons, your ex is not allowed to keep your kids from you in any way if the family court has said you have the right to see them. And that’s where we come in. When custody or parenting time needs to be modified or fought for, The Kronek Firm has decades of experience helping the parents of Novi, Bloomfield Hills, Royal Oak and Troy. Whether your ex is actively trying to keep your kids from you, or you simply want more time to be with your children, we can help you. Our hard working family law attorneys can be reached at (248) 479-6200 to assist you with all your custody and visitation concerns, or any other part of your divorce.