After a contested divorce, you may not see eye to eye with your ex-spouse. Sometimes, they may block you from seeing the children, probably in a bid to get at you. As a result, your parent-child relationship is affected, and you may lose that close touch with your children.
However, no matter the differences between you, your co-parent is not supposed to prevent you from seeing your children. Unless there exists a court order to the contrary, the child’s best interests are served when both parents are involved in their life. If your spouse gets in the way of that without valid reasons, it may be time to deal with the situation.
Try talking to them
Dialogue should probably be your first resort. If you are not in speaking terms, consider involving a third party or a mediator to iron out any conflict between you and your co-parent. Some issues can be resolved through simple communication while others cannot. If the situation persists, you may need to explore other options.
Turn to the courts
Should there be no formal child custody order in place, the courts will issue an enforceable one. However, if there is already a custody order that grants the other parent physical custody, you may file a modification request. Keep in mind that you need to show evidence that your spouse is constantly violating the existing orders or your children’s welfare is at risk for a judge to consider your request.
Protecting your parental rights
Exercising your parental rights is important to your child’s future. By preventing you from seeing the children, your co-parent is infringing on your rights, and you need to take action before it’s too late. It may seem like the most obvious thing to do, but some people shrug it off and hope their co-parents will change only to be proven wrong in the end.