In Illinois, parents who separate will typically share custody. If they don’t settle on arrangements that they both agree with independently, the Illinois family courts can issue a custody order that allocates parenting time and other parental responsibilities to each of the parents.
Most couples will be able to share parenting time using their court order as a guide, but some families will struggle with those shared obligations. If your ex won’t give you your time with the children, what options do you have?
Keep records to prove the validity of your concerns
If you start an argument with your ex by claiming that they haven’t let you spend time with the children in weeks, they could easily dismiss you and cite a single parenting session as evidence that you have exaggerated the circumstances.
If you have a list of every time they have canceled your time with the children or denied you access, it will be much harder for them to argue with you. Those records will also help if your ex doesn’t agree to give you make-up time or change their habits when you confront them about the issue.
Go to court if you must
The Illinois family courts will support you in child custody enforcement efforts. Provided that you can show that your ex has unfairly interfered in your relationship with the children and violated the custody order, you can likely convince the courts to intervene by granting you make-up time or imposing a penalty on your ex.
Understanding your rights when you share parenting responsibility will help you fight back when your ex misbehaves through custody enforcement efforts.
