Is It The Custodial Parent’s Right To Know Who Is Around The Child? Non Custodial Parent Does Not Exercise His Visitation Days?

Q: My ex and i share a 5 year old daughter. we have a court order and it states that he gets her on Wednesday evenings for dinner and every other weekend. the last time he has picked her up on a Wednesday was 3/11/2020. he has not inquired about resuming his Wednesday pick up. he also refuses to introduce his girlfriend to me but has her involved in our child’s life. it’s a concern for me because i do not know this woman. what happens in the case if my daughter needs to use the restroom, does she take her? it’s alarming to me to be denied the right to know who is around her. i’m not sure what the deal is. my daughter also stated that the girlfriend lives with her dad in his 1 bedroom apartment. my daughter describes her bed as one that pulls out from under her father’s bed. does that count as a separate bed for our child? it sounds like a shared bed between my daughter, her father and his girlfriend. what do i do?

A: As a practical matter, I’d recommend that you attempt to discuss these issues with the Father. If he rejects answering your questions, then especially since he’s reduced his access time anyway, you may wish to file a modification petition. You can then request that the modified order require both parties to introduce significant others to the other parent prior to introducing them to the child (not saying you’ll get that, but you can request it). Schedule a consult with a Westchester Child Custody attorney for a full assessment.