Most people think of divorce as a contentious process between two people who really don’t like each other anymore. In this stereotypical situation, each spouse wants everything: all the money (and none of the debt), the family home, and, of course, the kids. And in the midst of all the arguing, what is really in the best interest of the child is buried among arguments about assets and hurt feelings. While the courts are responsible for digging the child’s interests out of the heap, even the law that the courts apply don’t always support the best interest of the child. Traditionally, the mother has been awarded primary custody barring some limiting factor such as physical or emotional abuse, substance abuse, or other behaviors that could be detrimental to the child. The Massachusetts legislature is trying to change the traditions and stereotypes that have been at the heart of the family law system for decades. The proposed changes, if adopted, will create a new approach called “Child-Centered Family Law.” The policy of the law is to achieve the goal of meeting the best interest of children though “safe, healthy, and meaningful relationships between children and their parents.” In terms of fathers’ rights, this system may promote a decision-making process that puts the father on a more even plain with the mother when determining visitation rights and even custody. If the bill becomes law, the state of Massachusetts may see an evolution of more equitable rights between parents. But even without the

One of the matters that is often resolved in a Massachusetts divorce case that involves children is the amount of parenting time each party will be entitled to. Even after an order has been entered, disagreements could arise between the parents, resulting in parenting time interference. This involves one parent interrupting the other’s time with the children, and the disruption may in some cases be considered a criminal offense. Parenting arrangements are not always formal, but having the court approve them helps the parents enforce their rights if a dispute arises. Interference with parenting time could occur indirectly or directly. Indirect parenting time interference may involve one parent disrupting the other parent’s communication with the children by refusing to let the children accept phone calls from the parent or preventing the other parent from becoming involved in school events or extracurricular activities. Other forms of indirect interference include one parent asking the kids to report on the other parent’s personal life, trying to persuade or force the children to refuse to visit with the other parent or belittling the other parent. Direct parenting time interference may also take several forms. One parent, for example, could take the children without permission to keep them from seeing the other parent. The parent may breach the court order and move to another state with the kids, refuse to return the children, or fail to drop them off at a scheduled visitation time. In some situations, one parent might try to prevent the other