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Child Visitation Rights Take Time
Added: (Thu Jul 02 2009)
Hammering out a child visitation schedule is not something that generally happens overnight. It takes time and a great deal of patience on both sides.
If part of a divorce proceeding happens to involve making arrangements for child visitation, then this is going to take some time and patience on the part of both parties. "The underlying factor of the utmost importance is what is good for the child(ren) and that they have equal access to both parents on a fair and equitable basis," said Jeremiah Denslow of Denslow Law in Dayton, Ohio. This of course, is providing there isn't some reason why one spouse or the other is denied visiting rights.
Child visitation may go a lot faster if both parents are able to agree on the type of custody and a schedule; however, that rarely seems to be the case. "In most instances, divorces are not the most amicable situations and sometimes neither parent is able to agree with the other on a reasonable timetable," indicated Denslow. Those parents that get the short end of the stick need to remember to keep up the custody battle and don't quit. It is vitally important that children see both their parents.
If various meetings and consultations with lawyers aren't working because the parents are unable to agree, it might be time to try the mediation route. It's obviously important that both parties be happy with the amount of time they get to spend with their children, but at some point, these types of decisions may need the assistance of an independent third party to get them settled. "Keep in mind that if the ultimate goal is to pay less in child support, then one party will want to have more time with their child," outlined Denslow.
In most child visitation situations, the courts rule in favor of what is in the best interests of the child. "If this is an issue when visitation questions are being discussed, the reasons why the child (ren) should be with that one parent versus the other need to be clearly spelled out to get the court's attention," commented Jeremiah Denslow of Denslow Law in Dayton, Ohio.
Try to remember to keep child issues and other issues as far apart as possible, as this will reduce the volatile friction often associated with child visitation agreements. Stick to the high road – what is best for the kids – and don't deviate from that. After all, this is really about the kids still having access to both parents, not a grudge match.