The “Dinner for Chumps” Parenting Plan
The home stretch of co-parenting is supposed to be the easiest part. No one ever said that it is easy to be a parent to teenagers, but as your children get close to adulthood, you can see a light at the end of the tunnel, where your ex-spouse no longer has a say in your financial decisions or in your relationship with your children. No matter how much your ex may huff and puff, the court will not order you to contribute to your child’s tuition at an overpriced private university in another state. If your ex-spouse doesn’t want your 18-year-old daughter to go on dates with guys she meets in college, on dating websites, or anywhere else, tough luck. Every time your ex throws a temper tantrum about yet another tempest in a teacup, you and your 17-year-old can just open up the calendar app on your phone and count the days until your 17-year-old becomes an 18-year-old. Your ex might cry parental alienation, but again, tough luck. Of course, your ex can go back to court and ask to modify the parenting plan, and the judge might modify it. A Boca Raton child custody lawyer can help you if your ex wants to reduce your parenting time at such a late stage in the game that your days as legal guardians of your children are numbered, anyway.
Co-Parenting Relationship Falls Apart at the Eleventh Hour
The parents of twin daughters got divorced when the girls were in elementary school, and as far as the court could tell, their co-parenting relationship was reasonably peaceful. At the very least, both parents followed the court-ordered parenting plan for years well enough that neither parent had to go to court to enforce or modify it. Well-written parenting plans are effective at managing conflict in this regard, but ex-spouses are ex-spouses, and resentments can still build even if both parents are complying with the parenting plan as it is written.
Things fell apart when the girls were 16. One of them was supposed to have dental surgery. The mother, who was a physician, canceled the surgery the day before its scheduled date, because she believed that the oral surgeon was not conducting the preoperative procedures correctly. For the father, this was the last straw after years of what he describes as impulsive and controlling behavior by the mother. He petitioned the court to modify the parenting plan.
The court’s decision only increased the family drama. It awarded the father 365 overnights per year with the children, which put him in a position where he no longer had to pay child support. The mother’s only parenting time was to be two restaurant meals per week. Several months later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and all restaurants closed for in-person dining, leaving the mother with no parenting time at all.
Contact Schwartz | White About Eleventh Hour Co-Parenting Drama
A South Florida family law attorney can help you if your ex-spouse’s histrionics are more than you can take, even though only a few months are left on your court-ordered parenting plan. Contact Schwartz | White in Boca Raton, Florida about your case.
Source:
scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6866381241958824055&q=divorce+dentist&hl=en&as_sdt=4,10&as_ylo=2014&as_yhi=2024
