A parenting plan established when adults divorce or separate divides parental rights and responsibilities. Typically, each parent has a certain amount of time-sharing. Both parents should make reasonable efforts to abide by the overall breakdown of time-sharing and the schedule outlined in the parenting plan.
When issues prevent families from adhering to the parenting schedule, rescheduling lost parenting time is a common practice. Occasionally, one parent might deny the other time with their children by canceling or shortening their sessions.
At what point does a parent denied their time-sharing have the right to request makeup parenting time?
Whenever they did not initiate the cancellation
Parents who have to cancel or shorten time-sharing sessions due to job responsibilities or health challenges depend on the goodwill of their co-parents if they want to reschedule their lost time. However, if one parent schedules a medical appointment or a playdate during the other’s time, they should generally offer an opportunity to make up that lost time.
If they refuse to do so and the cancellations become commonplace, then going to court to enforce the parenting plan may be necessary. A family law judge has the authority to award makeup parenting time to adults who have not received the time-sharing allocated to them in the court-approved parenting plan. The judge can also modify the time-sharing arrangement to reflect one parent’s refusal to support the other’s relationship with the children.
Understanding the rights and protections of parents under the law can help people navigate child custody disputes. Parents who do not receive their court-ordered time-sharing often have the right to ask the courts for support in resolving the issue.