The dissolution of a marriage and related matters are entirely statutory in origin. 156 Ill. 2d at 544. Therefore, we are reluctant to read into the statute a remedy that the legislature did not specifically authorize. Our research has not revealed any case addressing this precise issue. In general, the Act requires the trial court to determine custody with regard to the best interests of the child.
Visitation is a form of custody.
At least one court has observed that visitation is primarily the right of the child and only incidentally that of the visiting parent. Visitation should not be used to penalize or reward parents for their conduct. Petitioner suggests that because the overarching goal of the Act's custody provisions is the best interests of the children and, as a general rule, children have an interest in maintaining a close relationship with both parents after a dissolution of marriage, we should interpret the Act as permitting a court to compel the noncustodial parent to attend visitations even if he or she is unwilling to do so. We acknowledge that this argument has strong appeal but we cannot accept it absent statutory authority. First of all, a court simply cannot order a parent to love his or her children or to maintain a meaningful relationship with them.