The terms of a child custody agreement typically specify when and where children are to be exchanged from one parent to the other. However, parents may become emotional when it comes time to leave a child behind for several hours, days or weeks. Therefore, it is possible that a child swap won’t necessarily go smoothly. While most exchanges occur relatively peacefully, others force children to witness verbal or physical altercations.
Ideally, parents will choose a public location to conduct a child swap. This makes it harder for either adult to become verbally or physically abusive without someone else witnessing the event or intervening to stop it. Those who can’t emotionally handle seeing a former spouse or partner should consider sending someone else to conduct the exchange on their behalf. Alternatively, another person could go with a parent to help ensure that a child swap is uneventful.
Individuals are encouraged to be on time when picking up or dropping off their children. Being even a few minutes late could trigger an emotional response from the other parent who may use any perceived slight as an excuse to start a fight. If a parent is the subject of verbal abuse, it can be best to simply ignore it. Otherwise, there is a chance that the matter could escalate further.
It isn’t uncommon for parents to have disagreements when it comes to raising children. In some cases, child custody disputes may need to be resolved with the help of a judge or mediator. A family law attorney may be able to help a parent who is seeking greater parental rights or believes that the child’s other parent is putting the minor in danger. Working with an attorney may make it easier to resolve a matter in a timely and favorable manner.