Staying home and binge watching your way through all the best Netflix and Prime shows probably sounds like the easiest thing in the world to do. However, for parents in quarantine who are trying to juggle work-from-home commitments with their domestic needs, and their kids’ homeschooling requirements and activities, it’s a distant dream. And when those parents are also working around the many challenges of a co-parenting schedule, it can seem almost impossible. But don’t give up! There are ways to make this work, even if it requires some careful rearranging.
Quarantine co-parenting when you’re exposed to vulnerable people
This is a challenge that many people are facing right now – either living with or caring for a loved one who is immuno-compromised. That means they have to be extra careful about who they expose themselves to, in order to keep the people they love safe. And when you have a child moving back and forth between two households during the quarantine, where vulnerable people live in one and people who are refusing to observe social distancing live in the other, this can get downright dangerous! Our family law attorneys are dealing with many of these situations right now.
Are you trying to co-parent while protecting at risk people?
If this sounds like your situation, you need to discuss your situation with your family law attorney immediately. Obviously, putting your loved ones at risk by exposing them to possible pathogens from another, unsafe home isn’t an option. Nor is denying your ex their parenting time. One situation endangers a life, while the other will get you into a lot of trouble with the court and possibly mess up your custody agreement. So you’re essentially between a rock and a hard place. Maybe there is an answer to the dilemma.
What does the Michigan Court have to say about it?
To be clear, early in this quarantine time, our Michigan Supreme Court jumped right in with their own directive. They ordered that all existing parenting time orders must be obeyed without regard to the safety concerns of the other parent. The court also urged parents to use their best judgement and to work together to keep children safe. Translated, this means that unless both parents agree, you have to follow court ordered parenting time. If you can’t agree, you can ask the court to change the order either temporarily during the stay at home order, or permanently. As family law attorneys, we always advise parents to follow the court order. As parents, we always advise parents to keep their kids out of harm’s way. If your children are put at risk by a parenting time order, and if there is a genuine emergency, most judges care enough to deal with real issues promptly.
The right attorney can make all the difference to your situation
Here at The Kronzek Firm we can help you address your quarantine-related custody concerns. Whether it’s a parenting time issue, addressing a health risk in the family, or needing to modify a parenting time agreement, we can help you. We’ve spent decades helping parents from all over lower Michigan, including Lansing, Jackson, Eaton County, Clinton County and Shiawassee County. We can help you too. Our family law attorneys can be reached through our main office in Lansing. Call (517) 886-1000. We’re open and operating virtually during the pandemic. We file new cases and we are accepting new clients. We’ll help you protect your kids.