What is the “right of first refusal” for caring for children?
When referring to child care, the “right of first refusal” means that before either parent may engage third parties to care for the children, the other parent must be given the opportunity, or first refusal, to care for the children themselves. In other words, there are no third party sitters UNLESS both parents have had the opportunity to refuse the parenting time (visitation). Obviously, this concept only makes sense in a shared physical custody situation, when both parents live geographically near each other, and are able to move the children between households without much trouble. Nonetheless, for those parents in that situation, it prevents one parent from restricting access to the other parent by hiring sitters to care for the children, instead of allowing the other parent the opportunity. This concept is good for the children because it promotes cooperation between the parents, and allows the children maximum exposure to both parents.
