ATTORNEYS AT LAW



1009 W 7TH AVENUE



ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 99501



TELEPHONE: (907) 279-4529



FAX: (907) 279-9223

Divorced or separated parents often find themselves unable to peacefully and easily work with the other parent to effectively communicate and co-parent their children. Instead, anger and resentment may fuel a parent's actions and cause tension and friction in the fractured family setting. This article addresses ways to deal with these problems, which may not be easily resolvable even with court intervention.

One of the key areas where problems arise is visitation. Chaos often is created in the absence of a specific written agreement or court order telling parents exactly where, when and how visitation should occur. It is important to come up with a written agreement or order which is as specific as possible regarding the date, time, place, and manner of exchanging the children. Who is going to do the driving? Where will the children be picked up and dropped off? Exactly when will this occur? Is Memorial day a holiday? Does Thanksgiving vacation include just Thanksgiving day or the entire holiday weekend? The more specific a written agreement is, the less likely it will be that gray areas will be found which will lead to conflict. Oral agreements are great if parties have a history of being able to communicate. However, absent the ability to easily agree, parents should do all that they can to put agreements and even temporary changes to agreements in writing to insure that there are no misunderstandings.

Another area of potential conflict is the telephone. An angry parent can call at all hours repeatedly and harass the other parent, or leave messages which should not be heard by the children. One solution is to have a separate line just for the children with a separate answering machine, so that a parent who wishes to call the children can dial a separate number. This way the other parent is out of the loop, and hopefully less subject to abuse of the phone lines. This may be too expensive for a family. Other ideas include caller ID so that a child can pick up a call from the other parent directly. Communicating only by fax, letter, or through attorneys are extreme measures which can reduce the chance for angry exchanges to occur.

Some parents refuse to allow the other parent to visit the children. The willful failure of a parent to allow the other parent visitation when a visitation order is clear in Alaska can subject a parent to penalties of up to $200.00 per missed visit, plus attorney's fees.

It may be wise to consult with an attorney about issues concerning the custody and visitation of your children. The law office of Pradell and Associates provides low cost legal consultations. A helpful staff provides prompt, courteous services to meet your legal needs. Give Pradell and Associates a call today, at (907) 279-4529-- (279-4LAW). This article is not intended to provide legal advice and should not be relied on for that purpose.