Some parents find they have a serious problem after they divorce their spouse, and that is that their child doesn’t seem to want to visit them. Depending on the age of the child, this could be a result of many different factors ranging from parental alienation to obstinance and not wanting to adhere to the parents’ custody schedule.
As a parent who is having trouble getting your child to visit, you may be concerned that their reluctance will lead to losing your custody rights. That’s unlikely, though. Unless there are signs of abuse or mistreatment of your child, then there is a more significant chance that you will need to modify your custody order or adapt to better serve the needs of your child.
What can you do if your child doesn’t want to visit you?
If your child doesn’t want to visit, the first thing you need to do is to find out why. If the other parent is making you sound like you’re a bad person or being negative about you, then your child may become fearful. This is a kind of alienation tactic that your attorney can help you defend against and seek support for in court.
If your child is not visiting because they don’t like going back and forth between homes so often or because of having to rush home from school or friends’ houses to make your custody scheduling work, then that’s something to look into. Would a different custody schedule be better for them or help them have a more relaxed experience?
If your child doesn’t want to visit, it may be time to contact a psychologist
If your child is actively fighting against visiting and you know it’s not due to outside influences, then it may be time to get a psychologist or psychiatrist involved. Divorces are hard on everyone involved, and your child may be having a difficult time adjusting. With more support, they may have the opportunity to work through their emotions and adapt to their new reality.
Although this can be frustrating, if your child doesn’t want to visit, it’s time to look into your options. Whether you need to get the court involved or not may depend on the other parent’s ability to work with you on this issue.