If you share custody of your kids with your ex-spouse, you probably have to see your former husband or wife occasionally. That is, you may need to meet with your childrens’ co-parent to transfer physical custody of the kids when your parenting time begins and ends.
Even if your marriage and divorce were comparatively amicable, your custody transfer may quickly turn into a nightmare. Here are some ways custody transfers go terribly wrong.
The kids arrive unprepared
At the end of your parenting time, you should prepare the children for the custody transfer. This may include packing homework, medicine, clothing and other essential items. You may also need to feed the young ones in your family and dress them appropriately. If your kids arrive unprepared, you may give your ex-spouse a reason to become angry.
You show up late
From time to time, everyone arrives late to an important function. While you cannot control traffic, you should plan to leave your home early enough to reach the transfer location on time. If you are going to be late, you probably want to notify your children’s co-parent. Still, frequent tardiness is likely to cause friction during your custody transfers.
Your former spouse picks fights
Fighting in front of your kids may cause them to develop deep psychological and emotional issues. Consequently, you likely want to be as diplomatic as possible during your custody transfers. Nevertheless, if your former spouse picks fights with you, your custody transfers may become unbearably stressful.
For the good of your children, you and your ex-spouse should commit to having healthy custody transfers. Ultimately, though, if your transfers frequently go off the rails, you may need to take legal steps to protect both yourself and your children.