When you get divorced, the court will help to divide custody of your children between you and your ex. This custody decision is based on a lot of different factors, such as your living situation, your relationship with your children, the children’s needs, your own age and health, and much more.
But one thing that you should remember is that all of these decisions are made at the time of the divorce, based on the details of your life at that moment. As things change, you may need to modify the custody arrangement. This can often happen as children grow older.
Getting more involved
For instance, children who are in elementary school may simply spend the day at school and come home, making it easy to schedule around them. But older children may get more involved with extracurricular activities, sports and friend groups. This may mean that you need a new custody schedule or you have to address things – like sporting events and class trips – on the weekends.
Developing different relationships
Additionally, your relationship with your child simply may change over time. A very young child may prefer to spend more time with one parent, but the child may be more open to spending time with both parents as they grow up. It’s important to talk to your children to find out what you can do to make this process go as smoothly as possible for them.
Exploring your options
When it comes to child custody, it’s very important that you know about all of the legal options you have and the steps you’ll need to take – especially if you need to modify an existing arrangement.