New Jersey parents want nothing more than to retain strong relationships with their children after divorce. The end of your marriage does not mean an end to your role as a loving and active parent, and you have the right to protect that. Fighting for your parental rights may continue well after your divorce is final.
The finalization of your divorce does not necessarily mean the finalization of the problems you have with the other parent. Hard feelings may continue and difficulties can carry on, ultimately affecting your custody schedule, along with the relationship you have with your child. This is parenting time interference, and you can take steps to make it stop.
Signs of a problem
Interference may start will small behaviors that are annoying at first, but eventually escalate into an ongoing problem. This is indirect interference, and it can be just as damaging as more direct methods of interference are. Examples of this include:
- Talking negatively about you to your child in order to damage his or her perception of you
- Refusing to allow your child to communicate with you when he or she is with the other parent
- Excluding you from important things in the child’s life, such as not telling you about sports games, school events and other occasions
Direct interference includes blatant efforts to disrupt the visitation or custody schedule and interfere with the one-on-one time you have with your child. Examples of this include:
- Refusing to return the child when it is time
- Taking the child out of state without your permission or court approval
- Canceling visitation for no reason and without warning
You do not have to deal with these issues on your own or hope they suddenly get better down the road. You can take legal action when the other parent acts in a way that violates your parental rights, including asking a court to compel the other parent to adhere to the terms of your custody order. Other remedies may include compensation for your legal expenses, family counseling and more.
A strong future for you and your children
It’s not easy to deal with custody and visitation issues. These are complex legal issues with strong emotions involved, and you may not be sure where to begin. It can be helpful to start with a complete evaluation of your case and explanation of how you can move forward to reach a beneficial resolution to your concerns.