Military orders can quickly disrupt how divorced or separated parents share time with their children. Regular parenting time can become difficult after a transfer to a distant duty station.
If you are a military parent facing relocation, you may worry that your current visitation schedule may no longer work. Understanding your options can help you prepare for custody changes.
Courts can use temporary solutions when distance limits visits
When military duties make frequent visits impossible, courts generally look for a workable plan. Courts may adjust parenting schedules to accommodate military service when appropriate. If your visitation schedule no longer fits the transfer, consider these steps:
- Request a temporary visitation adjustment: If service duties prevent in-person visits, you can ask the court to let a trusted relative spend time with the child during your scheduled periods.
- Ask to revise the schedule: If you plan to move with the child, you generally need to give the other parent advance notice. If the other parent objects, the court will review the child’s best interests.
- Set regular long-distance contact: Parenting arrangements often include scheduled video or phone calls. A steady routine gives your child a reliable way to hear from you. That contact can matter when in-person visits happen less often.
These adjustments can help preserve the parent-child relationship during periods after a divorce. In Tennessee, when courts review these situations, deployment alone does not determine a child’s best interests. It also does not justify a permanent change to parental rights.
Protecting family ties during major transitions
A military relocation can change how you spend time with your child. However, courts often look for ways to preserve the parent-child relationship.
To accomplish that, they may need to adjust existing parenting plans and visitation schedules. This process can become complex. An attorney may help draft a parenting agreement that addresses military-specific concerns and establishes clear expectations during a major transition.
