You are definitely not alone. In fact, so many fathers spoil their children during their custodial time or parenting time, that there is a name for the phenomenon – Disneyland Dads. The term “Disneyland dads” refers to dads who give into every desire of their children during their custodial time – including giving them expensive gifts, taking them anywhere they desire to go, not enforcing rules or routines, and basically constantly spoiling them.
The excuse of many fathers who do this is that they rarely get to see their children since the divorce, and they don’t want to spend their time with the kids disciplining them, which is understandable. Other fathers may still be bitter about the divorce and may use the extra gifts as a way to buy the children’s affection, as well as to anger the mother. Mothers may then be put in a difficult situation and may feel like the bad guy in front of the kids.
Unfortunately, no, that is not a situation a Florida divorce court would normally consider. Although many issues that will affect a child’s well-being can be decided in court if the parents cannot agree, it’s highly likely that if a parent came to court to complain about the other parent spoiling the children, the court would toss the case out.
The court may also order the parent filing the case to pay the attorney’s fees of the other party. Court actions are not something to be taken lightly, and a parent cannot dictate what the other parent does with his children during his custodial time, as long as it’s not physically or emotionally damaging.
If you are concerned about your children being spoiled by the other parent, the better approach to take would be to try to voice your concerns in a reasonable manner to your children’s father about being a Disneyworld Dad. Also know that you do not have to justify your parenting decisions or how you spend your money to your children – in the long run, they will be better off by your decision to enforce rules and boundaries. It’s also a good idea to let go of your anger at the other parent, which will not help the situation.