Arizona parents who are ending their marriages typically agree to some form of joint custody of their children or a visitation schedule that allows the noncustodial parent regular access to children. Like any agreement, a certain amount of cooperation is necessary among the parties involved. When legal disputes about parental visitation occur, they usually arise from hostile feelings between the parents, failure to follow the schedule or alienation of the child.
Bad feelings between divorced parents can spill over into the lives of their children. A hostile custodial parent might violate the terms of the visitation agreement. This creates confusion in a child.
Ignoring a visitation schedule represents a common way that a parent can disrupt the relationship of the children and the other parent. Missed drop offs deprive the children of consistent interaction with a mother or father. Outright alienation from a parent might occur if the custodial parent refuses to observe the visitation plan at all. Children deprived of contact with the other parent could become uninterested in the relationship.
Any of these violations could be grounds for a parent to take legal action. A parent who is experiencing these uncooperative tactics could discuss the situation with a family law attorney. An attorney might advise the person to take notes about the dates and times of each violation. This information could then be presented in court. To remedy the problem, a court might order make-up time for visitation or impose other sanctions. If those solutions fail, then an attorney could urge the court to promote the needs of the parent experiencing the interference. To accomplish this, an attorney might seek to negotiate a new visitation schedule or joint physical custody. In extreme cases, a parent might enlist an attorney to ask a court to award sole legal custody.