You and the other parent of your children have equal input in child care decisions and daily life when the whole family lives together. When you separate or divorce, there will be a significant portion of your children’s daily lives that you have little control over while they are with your ex.
Typically, parents can do whatever they want during their own time with the children, provided that they follow the law and meet the needs of the children. Sometimes, one parent makes decisions of the other finds worrisome.
For example, one parent might have their new romantic partner start babysitting the children while they are at work. They may also leave their child with their sibling or parent who has a history of substance abuse. Can you intervene to limit who your ex has care for the children?
You can ask for the right of first refusal
The simplest way to ensure that your ex never leaves the children with a questionable caregiver is to include a rule about the right of first refusal in your parenting plan.
If at any point your ex will leave the children with someone else during their parenting time, they should notify you first before making arrangements. You should always have the right to take that time with the kids before your ex decides to leave them in the care of someone else.
You can exclude dangerous individuals
While the Texas courts likely won’t involve themselves in disputes between parents trying to micromanage every choice the other makes, they will intervene to help protect the children. If there are specific people, like a romantic partner or a family member, who you believe pose a threat to the children’s safety, you can gather evidence about your concern and present that to the courts to restrict that individual’s access to or time with your children.
Provided that there is some kind of documentation supporting your concerns, like evidence that they have lost custody of their children previously, you could prevent your ex from using certain, particularly dangerous, acquaintances or family members as their child care provider. Learning more about solutions for difficult shared custody matters will help you do what is best for your children.
