Many families across the United States will celebrate Father’s Day this year on June 19. If you are a divorced father, a child custody agreement will likely enable you to celebrate with your children on the holiday.
Many child custody agreements allow children to be with their mother on Mother’s Day and their father on Father’s Day. Unless a court determines that you are an unfit parent, you should be able to see your children on Father’s Day.
Courts generally recognize the importance of keeping both parents involved in their children’s lives. One of the best ways to stay involved is celebrating special days together, such as holidays and birthdays.
There are several different types of child custody agreements in Maryland:
- Emergency custody.
- Shared or joint custody.
- Legal custody.
- Pendente lite custody.
- Physical custody.
- Sole custody.
- Split custody.
- Temporary custody.
Depending on your custody agreement, you might be confused about holiday arrangements. The first step is to review your agreement to see if it mentions holidays.
Joint custody means both parents have visitation and custody rights to be with their children on a regular basis. Joint custody often includes a parenting schedule that determines when each parent has the right to be with the children. With joint custody, you should have the right to be with your children on Father’s Day. If your spouse has sole custody, that might complicate the matter.
When your ex-spouse has sole custody, they have the children nearly the entire time following the divorce, but that does not mean that you cannot be with your children. A sole custody agreement will include specific days during which you have the right to see your children.
Another arrangement might complicate your holiday plans: supervised visitation. Supervised visitation means a third party must be present at each visitation session, which will be held at a neutral location. The supervision helps deter fights between former spouses and protects the children as well. It also helps prevent a parent from taking the children and not returning them. Supervised visitation likely means there is a strict limit on how long one parent can see the children, which may impact holiday plans.
Maintaining open and amicable communications with your former spouse regarding child custody is essential. It is important to be flexible and fair, especially on holidays.
Importance of Communicating With Your Ex-Spouse
The best way to ensure you have visitation with your children on Father’s Day and other holidays is to cooperate with your ex-spouse. That includes abiding by any court-issued custody orders. When you can maintain a peaceful relationship with your ex-spouse and make an effort to make the custody agreement work, you stand a better chance of ensuring that you can visit with your children on Father’s Day. You should do your best to provide transportation and ensure that the mother has the same opportunity to enjoy time with her children on days that are important to her.
Whenever you make an effort and maintain a good relationship with the other parent, the court is more likely to allow you opportunities to be with your children. If the initial custody agreement is unreasonable, your actions make it easier to obtain a court order to make modifications to the existing custody agreement.
Modifying a Custody Agreement
A custody agreement is not always permanent. Both former spouses could petition to make changes to an existing custody agreement. You need to show good reason to do so and provide supporting evidence for your argument. The evidence might include a change in your employment status or other life changes that make it easier to share custody of your children.
When your evidence includes detailed information on your efforts to abide by the current custody agreement, that can help strengthen your petition. Evidence showing how the current custody agreement presents an unreasonable burden on your ability to enjoy time with your children can also be helpful.
Having an experienced lawyer is vital in these situations. A lawyer can help you file a petition to make child custody modifications and protect your rights along the way.
Towson Child Custody Lawyers at Huesman, Jones & Miles, LLC Will Help You Spend Time With Your Children on Holidays
We understand how important it is to spend time with your children on Father’s Day and other holidays. If you have a problem with your child custody agreement, speak with one of our Towson child custody lawyers at Huesman, Jones & Miles, LLC. Call us at 443-589-0150 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation and to learn more today. Located in Hunt Valley and Towson, Maryland, we serve clients across Baltimore, Baltimore County, Bel Air, Bentley Springs, Columbia, Freeland, Hereford, Hampton, Westminster, Essex, Monkton, Sparks Glencoe, Parkton, Phoenix, Pikesville, White Hall, Carroll County, Harford County, and Howard County.
