When a marriage or love relationship ends in a separation or divorce, and a child is involved, one of the issues the parties will need to address is custody. Depending on the circumstances, one parent may get primary custody while the other may get visitation rights.
A child custody order is legally enforceable, meaning both parents are bound by the terms of the custody arrangement. However, it can happen that a custodial parent withholds visitation from the other parent. So what do you do if the custodial parent prevents you from seeing your kids?
Talk about it
If the custodial parent is not living up to their end of the agreement, you have the right to know why. If there is a minor misunderstanding, a simple conversation could be all that is needed to clear things up. For instance, if a work schedule prevents them from dropping the kids for the weekly visitation, you might consider rescheduling the visitation days. Just be sure to inform the court of the new arrangement.
File an enforcement motion
What if reaching out to your ex does not solve the problem? Well, in this case, you might want to petition the court to enforce the custody order. Depending on the circumstances of your case, there are a couple of enforcement options you may consider:
- Direct enforcement of the custody order
- Holding the custodial parent in contempt of court
- Seeking modification of the current custody order
Unless stripped by the court, every parent has a right to their children. If the other parent is violating the existing custody order, it is crucial that you take appropriate steps to safeguard your rights.
