What if My Ex Doesn’t Comply with a Parenting Time Schedule?

A parenting time schedule is a detailed outline of how a child will spend his or her time with each parent, on weekdays, weekends, school breaks, holidays, and vacations, after a divorce. Now, this schedule is not simply a suggestion for you and your former spouse to reference. Rather, it is required to be observed as part of a divorce or custody court order. So, please follow along to find out what to do if your ex does not comply with your parenting time schedule and how one of the proficient Somerset County child custody lawyers at the Law Offices of Kisha M. Hebbon, LLC can work to ensure your child is where they are supposed to be at all times.

Why might my ex not comply with our parenting time schedule?

Whether it is done intentionally or not, it is never okay for your ex to violate your parenting schedule and limit your entitled time with your child. Nonetheless, below are some of the most common excuses that our firm hears:

• Your ex may have the bad habit of being chronically late to scheduled events.
• Your ex may have the bad habit of poorly communicating last-minute changes to plans.
• Your ex may have started a new job or changed working hours which makes drop-off times more difficult to meet.
• Your ex may have started experiencing car/transportation troubles which makes drop-off times more difficult to meet.
• Your ex may have selfishly believed they are being shorted time with their child and invented their own informal schedule instead.

What should I do if my ex does not comply with our parenting time schedule?

Before making this a serious legal issue, you should try to communicate your concerns to your ex regarding their violations of your parenting schedule.

Instead of making informal revisions to your schedule based on this single conversation, you should suggest taking it to mediation. This is because, soon afterward, you may petition to have the New Jersey Superior Court approve and enforce the new, modified schedule.

But if your spouse is unwilling or unable to cooperate, you may have to get the court involved sooner. That is, you may have to file a motion for contempt of court order for parenting time.

Or, in a more drastic situation, you may begin to worry about your child’s safety and well-being. This may be if your ex essentially abducts your child and refuses to tell you where they are or when you will see them next. Well, in this case, you may have to go to the police, show your parenting schedule, share your ex’s contact information, and have them handle it from here.

In conclusion, one of the talented Somerset County family lawyers can help kickstart your legal action today. Our team at the Law Offices of Kisha M. Hebbon, LLC will happily take on your case.