California parents who are divorcing should keep the well-being of their children in mind. As they work out custody and visitation, a number of problems can arise. One is that parents may struggle to set aside conflicts. Unfortunately, not being able to work with the other parent can result in an inability to establish a functional coparenting relationship. One parent may begin to ignore custody, visitation and support agreements, and it might be necessary to return to court.
Another issue is that one parent may let the other child down by not turning up for visitation. This can be confusing and upsetting for children because consistency is important to them in a time of such turmoil. Parents need to balance the demands of their own schedules with time for their children.
A phenomenon known as “parental alienation” may also be a problem. This occurs when one parent intentionally tries to deny the other parent’s visitation rights. This might include phone calls, visits over holidays and more. Non-custodial parents who find themselves in this situation should document the missed visitations as evidence
One difficult aspect of divorce with children is that in both a legal and emotional sense, parents must continue dealing with one another and issues around custody, support and visitation at least until their children are no longer minors. If they can lay the groundwork during divorce by negotiating with one another, the relationship might be less difficult in the years ahead. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. One parent may be neglectful or might struggle with drug and alcohol issues, or one parent might try to obstruct the other parent’s access to the child. In these cases, a parent might want to have legal assistance when seeking enforcement of the child custody agreement.