If you’re splitting custody with your ex, there’s a good chance you aren’t both going to agree on how everything should be done. This is what makes a parenting plan so important. While drafting one, consider these top complaints:
1. Your ex lets the kids eat whatever they want, and they end up getting sick from having too much junk food.
2. The other parent is using the children in a new relationship, trying to impress a new love interest. A similar complaint is that he or she doesn’t want to see the kids but is being forced into it by his or her family.
3. Perhaps the kids’ parent doesn’t actually care for or spend time with them. When he or she is with them, the children just watch TV.
4. The kids come back looking like they haven’t been cared for well enough. This doesn’t count as abuse, necessarily, but can indicate neglect. The children may be very hungry or dirty, or they may have minor injuries from rough play.
5. Your ex-spouse is not careful enough with a baby. This could happen simply because he or she isn’t used to having babies around and did not baby-proof the residence.
6. The ex is never on time. He or she is late to pick the kids up from home or school, and then late again when dropping them off.
Remember, many of these complaints can be addressed in a parenting plan. You can have an official schedule that must be kept, for example, or you can dictate what a safe environment for the kids should be. Knowing the complaints up front can help you avoid them here in California.
Source: Huffington Post, “Top 10 Child Custody Complaints,” Liz Mandarano, accessed June 22, 2016