Coopersburg, PA asked in Child Custody and Family Law for Pennsylvania

Q: As a single mom of 2 who has the kids 98% of the time, do I have any legal right to tell their father he cant go too far

Traveling, local states only, etc. I receive child support.

No custody order is in place. We try to verbally agree but he lies and often wont tell me where he is taking them. Is it worth it to get custody? I dont want to make things worse for myself by losing time with the kids. Would I be able to limit him to stay in a local state?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Cary B. Hall
Cary B. Hall
Answered
  • Divorce Lawyer
  • Norristown, PA
  • Licensed in Pennsylvania

A: It depends on the content of your custody order which determines the custody boundaries for both of you. If the custody order limits his travel with the children, then you can direct him to that language and request that he abide by the court order -- and if he doesn't, you can file a petition for contempt against him to enforce the custody order.

If the court order is silent on the issue, however, he can basically do what he wants on his time with the kids so long as it's not contrary to their best interests. If you think such traveling is somehow detrimental to them (and, hey, travel is usually a GOOD thing for children), then you can file a petition to modify your custody order to add travel limitations.

Best of luck to you.

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