Are you considering requesting the court to modify your parenting time?
Has the other parent filed a motion to change parenting time?
If you have answered yes to either of the above questions, you need to know what the judge considers when granting or denying a motion to change parenting time?
MCL 722.27a (6) provides guidance on what the court may consider when determining the frequency, duration and type of parenting time, These factors are as follows:
(a) The existence of any special circumstances or needs of the child.
(b) Whether the child is a nursing child less than 6 months of age, or less than 12 year of age if the child receives substantial nutrition through nursing.
(c) The reasonable likelihood of abuse or neglect of the child during parenting time.
(d) The reasonable likelihood of abuse of a parent resulting from the exercise of parenting time.
(e) The inconvenience to, and burdensome impact or effect on, the child traveling for purposes of parenting time.
(f) Whether a parent can reasonably be expected to exercise parenting time in accordance with the court order.
(g) Whether a parent has frequently failed to exercise reasonable parenting time.
(h) The threatened or actual detention of the child with the intent to retain or conceal the child from the other parent or from a third person who has legal custody.
A custodial parent’s temporary residence with the child in a domestic violence shelter shall not be construed as evidence a custodial parent’s intent to retain or conceal the child from the other parent.
In addition, there are some other considerations that can be looked at, such as:
- The flexibility of the parents’ schedules
- The developmental stage of the children
- Special needs or restrictions of a parent
- Ability of the parents to communicate and cooperate
- Conflict level between the parents
- Distance between the homes of the parents
- The maturity level of the children
- Children’s commitment to community such as work, school events, or participation on other activities
- The children’s cultural and religious practices
- The nature of the parent/child relationship at the present time
- Parental fitness concerns, such as domestic violence, substance abuse or mental health issues
- The parent’s ability to care for the children and meet the needs of the children
- The parent’s availability to meet the need of the children
- When determining he breaks from school, consider the number of exchanges
