Ex won't stick to custody schedule, claiming emergencies every other weekend | DadHQ

Ex won't stick to custody schedule, claiming emergencies every other weekend

Aug 61 min read

This has been going on for 3 months now. Every time it's my weekend, she texts Friday saying something came up and asks to swap. Last weekend my daughter had a soccer game she was supposed to miss because of the schedule we agreed on in court. When I reminded her mom of the custody agreement, she said I was being inflexible. I don't want to be the bad guy here but I need consistent time with my kids. Do I need to contact my lawyer over this or am I overreacting?

6 comments214 views

Comments(6)

CChris M.RegularAug 8

Ugh yeah we went through this for a while. The best thing that helped was setting firm boundaries in writing. I sent her a message saying my weekends are non-negotiable unless there's a real emergency with one of the kids, and anything else needs 2 weeks notice. It didn't fix everything but it cut down the last-minute cancellations.

MMasonNew DadAug 7

I feel for you man. This was killing me mentally before I realized half the battle is not letting it get to you emotionally. Easier said than done obviously but the kids pick up on your frustration. You handling this okay otherwise?

MMasonNew DadAug 7

This is exactly where I'm at right now and it's infuriating. Three months sounds about right for how long it takes before you realize this is the pattern. Have you documented all of them? I started keeping texts and emails just in case we need to revisit custody arrangements.

GGarrett M.New DadAug 8

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Co-parenting is hard enough without someone constantly moving the goalposts. Make sure you're taking care of yourself too.

EEvan M.RegularAug 6

That's brutal, man. Three months of that would have me pulling my hair out. Have you documented all of these cancellations? You might need to loop your lawyer in because patterns like this sometimes matter legally.

JJoeRegularAug 7

How old are your kids? That matters for how much this affects them. Either way though, consistency is what they need from you, and it sounds like you're trying to give them that.