State Florida Child Visitation Laws
Working out Visitation Rights
As a reminder, you should always allow the courts to finalize the visitation arrangements between you and your ex-spouse. As life changes, we find ourselves with another spouse, you or your ex decided to move out of state, or any number of other circumstances that arise. You need to have your visitation rights protected through the courts before the need becomes and emergency.
When you and your spouse are deciding to separate or divorce you need to include your children in the conversation, if they are old enough to understand what is happening to them. Don’t wait to spring the bad news. Children often feel they are the cause of the breakup. So the sooner you talk to them the better. Tell them how they will see both parents and how often. Recently I have been hearing a lot of men petitioning the court for increased visitation rights. They want to spend more time with their children.
A good visitation rights schedule should help with addressing some of your child’s fears. It is very important how they are told their parents are separating. You should explain it to them in a manner that they can understand and not be afraid of what will happen next. Both parents must cooperate with each other for the benefit of the child.
Visitation rights isn’t just a schedule where you dictate a time and place to pick up your child, but should be well thought out for the maximum benefit – Quality Time with the Child. You must take into consideration the age and gender of the child when planning activities. If the child is an infant, you may consider short, but frequent visits with the non-custodial parent, because they require more care.
Make Visitation Rights easy on the Children
Children want to send time with their non-custodial parent. Make that time Quality time for them. Be involved in their activities, even if it’s not your weekend. As children get older they want to send less time with their parents. Don’t get offended when your teenager want to hang out with their friends on your scheduled time. Whatever visitation rights arrangement is agreed upon, you must concentrate on the wants and needs of the child and not on the rights or perceived rights of parents. I know I have focused on the children more than the parents regarding visitation rights, but as a product of divorced parents those are the things that stuck out for me.
If you’re going through a separation or divorce you need to protect your rights and you children as early as possible!
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Comments on State Florida Child Visitation Laws
I had visitation with my son and in 2009 had to move out of state for work. I kept in contact and tried to have visitation while out of state, but my ex denied my calls and pleas for contact with him. I have been back in florida since march 2012 and have been trying to reinstate our original visitation but she is saying I abandoned him. is this possible, if I kept in contact and tried to be a part of his life?
Hi Joe. This issue with your ex partner may well need to be resolved through the courts, but a legal process is best to be avoided if at all possible, and should be considered as a last resort, due to the potential for the legal process to be costly and stressful. Seek mediation with your ex partner with sincerity, and try to put your side across without delving into which party is at fault – as hard as this often is, your best results here will be achieved if you can keep the communication lines open and amicable.
If worst comes to worst and you do need to go through the courts in order to gain access to your son, my personal advice would be to have as much information at hand as possible. This would include all records of your attempts to contact your son (date and time, etc), and as much detail as possible around the necessity of your work situation. You will find the legal process to be very meticulous where details are concerned, and you need as much information on your side as possible. Do talk to a lawyer if necessary, and/or seek a quick and cost effective answer from a legal professional via the Just Answer banners to be found on this site, but above all else I would recommend mediation in good faith between yourself and your ex partner, with a view to achieving an outcome in the best interests of your son.