Michigan parents who have a disagreement over parenting time can see the case explode into a contentious and ongoing battle. The custodial parent might limit how frequently the other parent sees the child without sufficient cause to do so or there could be background concerns the custodial parent wants addressed. For both parents, it is important to remember that taking the matter into his or her own hands only serves to make the situation worse. There are legal remedies to address this and one is receiving makeup parenting time. Understanding the law is imperative.
Makeup parenting time can be helpful to noncustodial parents
Parents who were wrongfully denied their legal parenting time with a child can receive sufficient time to make up for what was lost. To receive this time with the child, a chief circuit judge must approve it. The time the parent gets with the child will not go beyond what he or she would have had if the custodial parent had adhered to the order. It can include weekends, weekdays, holidays and vacations. It will be given within one year of when the parent was denied parenting time.
The parent who was denied parenting time also has the right to choose when the makeup parenting time will be given. There must be a one week advanced notice prior to using the makeup time for a weekend or weekday. For holidays and summer, there must be at least 28 days’ notice. When there is an allegation of denied parenting time, the parties will be sent a notice that must be responded to within 21 days. The custodial parent can contest the awarding of makeup parenting time.
Having legal advice can be crucial with missed parenting time
In some cases, the missed parenting time might be circumstantial and it simply needs to be made up without rancor and acrimony. In others, there could be an ongoing dispute between the parents that has seeped into and is negatively impacting the parental-child relationship. If there is a safety issue, this should be mentioned by the custodial parent. Makeup parenting time is an option that can be useful to avoid a more intensive court battle. Knowing the law for these cases is key and it is a wise decision to have legal advice for parenting time and ensuring that the child’s best interests are served.
