Often times client's complain to me that despite the written agreement, their former spouse does not follow the parenting schedule in place. Whether the Agreement contradicts itself or not, many of my client's on Long Island come to me for help because the other parent does not follow the agreement. This leads to an area of the law known as contempt and enforcement. These are remedies under the law that one party can use to make another party follow a a court order or an agreement. This can be an effective tool for you if your former spouse refuses to cooperate and follow the agreement.
It is impossible to predict the future, however, as an attorney when working with my clients, I try to assess each person's individual needs, lifestyle, and routines, in order to create a parenting schedule that will work best for this or her everyday life.
For some parties it means living near their former spouse so both parents can be equally involved in their child's lives. For other parents, making specific times and drop off/pick up locations is necessary. Often it is important to create a default schedule should the parties not be able to agree. Other times, people's lives change as their children get older and a schedule that worked when the children were younger, no longer is appropriate and needs to be revised.
A lawyer can be helpful in working with parties to revise these schedules. Moreover, should your former spouse not be amenable to creating a new schedule, a lawyer can help you make an application to the Court whereby you can accomplish your parenting goals for your child. It is important to speak with a lawyer if you are struggling to maintain your parenting schedule to learn your options.