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Protect your parental rights after divorce

Divorce may be a turning point for any family, but ideally, it should not affect your parent-child relationship. You still have legally enforceable rights as the parent to the child, even if you do not bear physical custody.

It means that your co-parent cannot cut you off from the child’s life. If they do, you need to take the necessary action and protect your parental rights and the child’s interests.

You have a right to access the children

As long as a court has not granted the other parent sole custody of the children, they should not prevent you from accessing the children. The involvement of both parents in parenting the children is what is best, which is why custody is usually shared in most circumstances.

You need to be involved in significant decisions surrounding the child

Some decisions require your consent as a parent. If they are bound to affect your children in one way or the other, you need to be aware beforehand. For example, a non-emergency medical procedure carried out on the child without your knowledge could amount to a violation of your parental rights.

Likewise, issues revolving around the child’s education or spiritual beliefs need to be a consensus between the parents.

What you need to do

Get to the bottom of the matter. Why is your co-parent acting in a particular way? If you can solve underlying issues without involving a third party, the better. But when everything else fails, you could always turn to the courts for direction or relief, depending on your situation.

A judge will decide on the best way forward after considering the facts of your case. For instance, the existing custody orders could be enforced or even changed to suit the children’s best interests.