The schedule is eroding
A few missed exchanges become a pattern, or an informal accommodation is later treated as the permanent arrangement.
Indiana parenting time and relocation
A drifting schedule can become a lasting problem if the record stays unclear.
Denied time, changing routines, distance, and relocation require a calm timeline, a workable proposal, and the correct court procedure.
The evaluation form is not monitored continuously and does not stop a deadline. For immediate danger or a medical emergency, call 911.
What to do now
Protect the next move.
Read the signed order. Continue complying with your own obligations. Record each exchange or cancellation accurately, preserve messages, and do not retaliate by withholding support, property, or future time.
- 01Build a calendar of ordered time, actual time, cancellations, reasons given, notice, and make-up time offered or refused.
- 02Preserve the relocation notice, proposed address or school information, transportation facts, and existing court order.
- 03Prepare a child-centered proposal that addresses distance, school, holidays, transportation, communication, and cost.
Does this sound familiar?
Start with the situation, not the label.
A move changes the logistics
A proposed residence, school change, or work schedule will affect transportation, weekday time, activities, or the child’s community.
Support and time are being traded
One parent links access to money or threatens to stop support because parenting time has been denied.
Indiana family law, evidence, procedure
What may matter.
These are general concepts, not a prediction about a case. Current statutes, court rules, local rules, the signed orders, and the complete record control.
The signed order controls until the court changes it.
Parents should follow the existing custody and parenting-time order unless a court modifies it. Informal agreements can be practical, but a disputed oral arrangement may be difficult to enforce.
The legal response to noncompliance is to seek appropriate court relief, not to create a second violation through self-help.
The Parenting Time Guidelines are a framework, not a universal ceiling.
The Guidelines describe minimum recommended time in their specific provisions when parents cannot agree. They are not a guarantee and may not fit cases involving safety risks, unusual distance, work demands, or a child’s particular needs.
A custom schedule should be written clearly and submitted for court approval when an enforceable change is needed.
Relocation and modification have their own procedures and standards.
Indiana relocation law can require formal notice and permits objections and requests involving custody, parenting time, transportation, and other relief. Do not rely on a website to calculate a deadline.
A custody modification generally requires best interests plus a substantial change in a statutory factor. Parenting-time modification follows its own governing standards and the evidence must fit the relief requested.
Evidence map
What Sly Law may examine.
Preserve what already exists. Do not edit, delete, stage, or obtain records unlawfully. Do not send documents through the public evaluation form.
- Current order and all later agreed or proposed schedules
- Calendar of ordered time, actual time, cancellations, and make-up offers
- Original messages and notices about exchanges or relocation
- Addresses, school information, distance, transportation, and work schedules
- The child’s activities, health needs, community ties, and actual routine
- A realistic proposed plan, including transportation and communication
Attorney Sly’s perspective
Do not let repeated improvisation write the next order by accident.
Attorney Sly’s view is that a parent should be flexible for the child without surrendering clarity. When the routine changes, write down what was agreed, what actually happened, and what plan can work going forward.
A child needs predictability. The persuasive response to interference is not rage or revenge. It is compliance, specific documentation, and relief matched to the problem.
A focused first contact
Choose the next move before conflict chooses it for you.
Keep the first request to basic screening information. Do not send detailed allegations, documents, account information, medical records, passwords, or a child’s private information before conflict review.
Questions people ask
Clear answers without false promises.
Can I stop paying support if parenting time is denied?
No. Indiana treats the child’s right to support and parenting time as independent. Follow the support order and use lawful enforcement procedures for denied time.
Are the Parenting Time Guidelines the most time I can receive?
No. They are not a universal ceiling. A different schedule may be agreed or ordered based on the child’s needs, safety, distance, schedules, history, and other evidence.
What should I do if the other parent plans to move?
Preserve the notice and current order, identify the timing and practical effect, and obtain prompt advice. Relocation procedure and deadlines are fact specific, so do not calculate them from this page.
Primary sources
Current law should be checked at the source.
Indiana sources checked: August 19, 2026. Local rules and signed orders may add requirements.
Do not rely on this page to calculate a deadline, disobey an order, make a custody decision, transfer property, or determine a support obligation. Viewing or contacting Sly Law does not by itself establish an attorney-client relationship. Sly Law will notify you in writing if it accepts an engagement; nothing here changes any relationship applicable law may recognize from the parties' conduct. No result is guaranteed.