Child custody orders are some very important documents to have when you aren’t in a relationship with your child’s other parent. These orders provide the basis for everything that has to do with your child. It is imperative that you follow these orders completely or else you can face legal action.
It is imperative that you know when your ex is supposed to get the children and when you are supposed to have them. Always be sure that you are prompt when you are the one responsible for transportation and always make sure your children are ready when your ex is supposed to get them.
You also have to be sure that you understand who is supposed to make which decisions for the children. Different types of decisions might have a different parent in charge. In some cases, you and your ex will have to work together.
If your ex makes decisions that go against the orders, such as making education decisions on his or her own when you are supposed to be in charge of those decisions, you can take legal action to rectify the situation. This is why fully understanding all of the orders is crucial.
Another point that you should understand about child custody is that one order isn’t dependent upon another. For example, visitation can’t be taken away just because the parent who pays child support stops paying. It means that the paying parent can’t withhold payments in an effort to get more visitation.
If there are issues related to child custody that are a constant problem or that need to be addressed, seeking a modification might be in order. Just remember that you should always keep your child’s interests at the heart of all child custody decisions you make.
Source: FindLaw, “Custody or Visitation Interference,” accessed Jan. 27, 2017
