Recognizing the Need For A Divorce

How The Other Parent Can Indirectly Interfere With Your Parenting Time

19 May 2016

Jackson Robinson

A parent doesn't have to say it to your face or prohibit your child from seeing you for them to interfere with your parenting time. There are indirect parental interference tricks that can yield the same results. Here are some of the tricks a parent may use:

Disrupting Communication with your child

A parent doesn't have to tell the kid not to make or receive calls to disrupt communication between child and parent. There are other ways of disrupting communication. For example, when you call close to the child's bedtime, the other parent may lie to you that the child is already asleep even though they may be up waiting for your call. If the child is too young to have a cellphone, the other parent may even cook up an excuse and lie that the kid isn't around when you call. 

Excluding You from the Child's Activities

The other parent may also try to exclude you from your child's school or extracurricular activities. For example, they may not inform you when the child is to try out for a local sport's team; your non-appearance may make the child think you don't care for the appearance. Another example is when the parent doesn't inform you when parents are required or permitted to attend school activities, and they are the ones who always make it. 

Making Disparaging Comments About You

The child may not want to associate with you if they develop negative opinions of you. The other parent may encourage such thoughts by making disparaging comments about you. They don't have to speak directly to the child to achieve this goal. Even saying awful things about you (to other people) in the child's presence might be enough to dissuade the child from seeking or enjoying your company. For example, the other parent may claim how you would rather spend time with your new lover than attend the child's school play. 

Telling the Child to Spy on You

It should be up to you and the child to decide how to spend your time together.  The other parent is interfering if they give the child an agenda to follow when with you. For example, if the other parent is looking for ammunition to use against you in custody or support hearing, they may order the other child to spy on you during your time together. This denies the child the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from your company.

If you suspect such interference from the other parent, try talking to them first to see if you can come up with a solution. If that doesn't help, talk to a lawyer (such as one from http://www.halifaxcountyncattorney.com) to help you come up with a solution. For example, you can go back to court for a modification of the custody plan to include the specific details that will allow you spend time with your child. 

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