No. Court orders must be followed until they can be modified by returning to court and placing the issue before the judge. A custodial parent who doesn't honor the standing visitation order is in contempt of a court order and the court can order a modification of the custody order if the contempt continues. A child cannot refuse to visit the other parent until they reach eighteen years of age in virtually every state in the United States.
When a child refuses to visit the other parent the primary custodial parent must first take steps to determine the cause of the refusal. A professional may be of help at this time. The child may have legitimate reasons and once identified both parents must work together to address the problem. The non-custodial parent may need some advice on how to spend quality time with the child so the child feels both welcome and comfortable in the non-custodial parent's new environment.
This is a common mistake made by non-custodial parents. The child misses them and looks forward to spending time with them but that time comes and there is a stranger present. The child's comfort level plunges. Being forced to spend visitations with people other than the parent is not a good idea until the child has had a chance to adjust to the new family dynamics between the child and the parents. The dynamics of coping with the father's new partner should come much later.
Uncomfortable sleeping arrangements can make a child reluctant to go for visits. If there are other children in the picture (belonging to the non-custodial parent's new partner) they should be allowed to develop a relationshipgradually. A common problem arises for the child whose non-custodial parent makes no special notice of the child during visits and expects the child to spend their time with those other children as part of a new "family unit". In those situations the child has lost a special parent-child connection with the non-custodial parent. The option of spending some private quality time with their parent should always be an option.
If the child's concerns are serious and the non-custodial parent will not cooperate, the custodial parent may need to return to court for a modification of the visitation order. On the other hand, when the situation is evaluated by the court it may find that parent alienation is at the root of the difficulties and if serious, the custodial parent may well lose physical custody to the other parent. Alienating a child against the other parent causes irreparable and long lasting harm.
No. And it's the parents job to make sure the court order is followed.
nosee links
Eighteen.
The courts cannot force an absent parent to visit the child[ren].
18 i think
See Link Below'Child Refusing To Visit Other Parent?'
18. Until that age, the court order must be followed (and I'm assuming there is a court order for visitation). The child does not have the option of refusing. If there is a *legitimate* reason that the child does not want to have contact with the parent, then the custodial parents needs to go back to court and request that the court order be modified.
No you are not. It is the noncustodial parent's responsibility to make arrangements to visit the child. All this should be included in your custody papers.
Generally, not until the child is 18.
see link
13
As long as the NCP - and CP for that matter - abides by the court order, and provides phone access, then the other parent doesn't need the address of every place the child will be visiting. The permanent residence, however, needs to be known.