When you split up with the other parent of your children, New York law typically requires that you share custody or parenting time. Maybe the two of you created your own arrangements, or perhaps you have a custody order after bitter divorce litigation.
In either case, you should be able to depend on your ex to show up as scheduled in the custody order to spend time with the children. When they don’t show up, that causes sadness for the children and practical frustrations for you.
What can you do if your ex repeatedly cancels their parenting time?
Reach out to offer them make-up time
One of the kindest things you can do for your children is to encourage their relationship with their other parent. Reaching out to your ex to let them know that they can schedule make-up parenting time might prompt them to do so. However, if they refuse that offer or if they continue to cancel, you may need to go back to court and ask for a custody modification.
If the schedule doesn’t work, it may need to change
When there has been a significant change to family circumstances, the New York family courts will consider custody modification requests.
As long as you can convince a judge that the change is in the best interest of the children, they may adjust the schedule or even the division of parenting time. Having one parent repeatedly cancel can cause self-esteem or mental health issues for your children who feel rejected or abandoned.
Knowing when to take action to change a shared custody scenario can help you protect your children’s well-being.