You planned a weekend with your child. Then your co-parent sends another message canceling the visit. This has happened before, and you worry about when you will see your child again. If a Kentucky court approved your visitation schedule, you may ask a judge to enforce it when the other parent repeatedly refuses to follow it.
What your visitation order requires
Your court order explains when you should see your child and how exchanges should happen. Both parents must follow its terms. The schedule helps you identify which visits your co-parent denied.
An argument between you and your co-parent or a missed child support payment does not excuse canceling court-ordered visits. Kentucky law does recognize valid reasons for missing one.
If you both agree to reschedule, the law treats your mutual consent as good cause for that missed visit. Messages confirming the change help show what you agreed to. Your agreement does not formally change the court order.
Kentucky also recognizes a parent’s reasonable belief that a visit threatens the child’s health or either parent’s physical safety as possible good cause. A judge reviews that explanation if someone challenges the missed visit. For ongoing safety concerns, either parent may seek a court order changing the schedule.
How a judge handles repeated denials
When your co-parent refuses visits without good cause, you may ask the court to enforce the schedule. Kentucky law treats that violation as contempt of court, meaning someone disobeyed the judge’s directions.
The judge considers the terms of your order and why the visits did not happen. The court might direct your co-parent to follow the schedule or order another remedy for the missed visits. If the court finds no reasonable cause for the denials, it also has the option to award attorney fees to the parent who prevails.
Keeping track of missed time
After several cancellations, details become hard to remember. You may want to save texts and note each missed exchange, including any explanation your co-parent gave. Those records and a copy of your current order help you prepare for a review of your parenting time dispute.