When can poor co-parenting result in the loss of custody?

Co-parenting is known to be a complicated journey. There are some parents who truly cannot co-exist as parents and other measures must be taken. Poor co-parenting can look different for every family depending on the circumstances and personalities involved. Here are some reasons that may, or may not, lead to loss of custody due to poor co-parenting.

1. Education falters.

Depending on the age of your children involved, it is common to see some issues in their academic life. If your child is continually getting very poor grades and is acting out at school, that is a reason to be very concerned. If you find that your child is not getting their homework done when they are with their other parent, intervention should take place. If the other co-parent is unwilling to communicate and reason with you, this could be grounds for them to lose custody. While this may be grounds for a change in custody, there are likely other solutions possible as well. It does not have to be an all or nothing, extreme situation, but if it is, the loss of custody may be appropriate.

2. Difference of opinions.

While you may feel that your opinions are correct and those of your co-parent are not, just the basic difference of opinions is not typically grounds for loss of custody. Perhaps you disagree on clothing, makeup, or hairstyles. These are all things that require patience, understanding, and communication. But, without an extreme circumstance, these are not liking to lead to loss of custody.

3. Willful violation of rights.

A parent who willfully violates the other parent’s legal custody rights should lose legal custody of their child, in most circumstances. It will be necessary to provide evidence of a repeated path of violation and not just a one-time situation. There is the chance that something was not willful and/or was an isolated event. The court will decide if the violation was significant enough to result in loss of custody.

In the end, co-parenting may not be the easiest path, but focusing on what is best for your child is always the best policy.