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What happens if your kids don’t want to see their other parent?

On Behalf of | Sep 9, 2021 | Child Custody

Divorce can damage family relationships. Not only could you and your ex have trouble even being in the same room with one another, but your kids could become angry with or resentful toward one or both of their parents. 

In most Texas divorces, parents will end up sharing custody. Although a judge may consider an older child’s preferences, they likely won’t defer to a child’s wishes if they say they don’t want to see one of their parents at all. 

What happens if your kids don’t want to leave your home to spend time with the other parent?

You must convince the children to spend time with your co-parent

It can be hard to tell your children they have to do something they don’t want to do, especially if you see them coming back disappointed or hurt after spending time with your ex. However, if you don’t encourage your children to maintain their relationship with your ex, that could reflect poorly on you. 

Your ex could go to the courts to ask for custody enforcement if you don’t compel the children to go with them. Your ex might claim that you have interfered with their custody or even engaged in parental alienation to turn the children against them. 

The longer your children go without seeing your ex, the easier it will be for your ex to try to hold you responsible for their refusal to interact. Talking with your children about why they dislike shared custody could help you determine if you need to modify your custody order. You may find that you need to do it for their well-being or put more of an effort into convincing them to visit your co-parent as outlined in your custody order.