It can be hard for parents to navigate life after divorce in Oklahoma and elsewhere. The court often determines custody based on multiple factors regarding both of the parents’ lives, in an attempt to find the solution that works best for everyone.
However, the custody schedule might not take certain things into consideration – such as family obligations and important events. The court oftentimes trusts the parents to figure out these things on their own, but sometimes family members will go out of their way to make things difficult.
What is custody interference?
Custody interference is anything that disrupts the legally agreed upon custody plans – also known as a parenting plan. Custody interference is oftentimes either indirect or direct.
• Indirect interference: when someone disrupts the communication between parent and child, or attempts to manipulate the child or otherwise turn them against a parent
• Direct interference: when the parent physically keeps their child from spending time with the other parent.
Indirect is the most common type of custody interference, and it takes many forms. For example, if your ex constantly needs to make changes to the custody plan or there are always family obligations, that’s considered indirect custody interference.
How to handle custody interference
Custody interference can often come from extended family members. Your ex’s parents constantly want to see their grandchildren, there are always family events to go to, etc.
Most parents will want to be accommodating, which might make it hard to say no when they notice a repeating pattern. If the ex’s family members are mostly to blame, the parent can try to have an honest conversation with their ex and try to settle it peacefully.
If that doesn’t work though, you might need to turn to a lawyer. Custody interference is a punishable offense. While going to court would be a last resort, it might be a good option if you can’t talk with your ex.
