Complex Factors That Can Affect Parenting Time Agreements

 Posted on September 30, 2022 in Child Custody

In Illinois, the term “child custody” was replaced with “allocation of parental responsibilities” and “parenting time” several years ago when lawmakers did a complete overhaul of the state’s family law statutes. Regardless of what it is called, the reality is that determining how divorced parents will share in the raising of their child is often one of the most acrimonious parts of a divorce.

It can be difficult enough to come up with a fair parenting time schedule that addresses holidays, birthdays, school breaks, summer vacations, and more. But when there are other issues that impact parenting time, having a skilled family lawyer representing you can make all the difference in the outcome. The following are some of the issues that can make a parenting time schedule even more complex.

When One Parent Has Moved Away

It is not uncommon for a spouse to move a long distance away, even to another state, after a divorce in order to get a fresh start or start a new job. Regardless of why the parent has moved, when there are children involved, a long-distance parenting time schedule is needed. Some of the factors that the court may consider include:

• How far away the parent now lives and how easy or difficult the proposed parenting time schedule will be to keep

• How much the cost of this travel will be and how or if these expenses will be shared

• How will major holidays be addressed

When One or Both Parents Are in the Military

Those who serve in the armed forces typically have no control over where they are deployed or transferred. There are times when a servicemember may be deployed out of state or even out of the country, which can make it impossible to comply with the parenting time schedule that was approved by the court and is currently in place. One of the options in these cases is that the parties go back to court to have the current order modified – typically as a temporary custody order that will be examined by the court again upon the servicemember parent’s return.

Contact a Wheaton, IL Parenting Time Lawyer for Legal Help

If you and your spouse have children and have decided to divorce, make sure you have a dedicated DuPage County family lawyer advocating for you and protecting your parental rights. Call Andrew Cores Family Law Group at 630-871-1002 to schedule a free and confidential consultation to find out what your legal options may be.

Source:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?ActID=2086&ChapterID=59&SeqStart=8300000&SeqEnd=10000000