The child custody order that governs your parenting relationship is set to work for the children at the time it is made. As the children grow and mature, their needs might change. This may necessitate a change in the parenting plan. These can’t be made arbitrarily. Instead, there has to be a valid need before the court will consider a modification.
One of the most important things to remember is that the modifications you propose must be in the child’s best interests. The court is going to carefully consider the rationale behind the changes that you’re suggesting.
It is often easier to obtain a child custody modification if you and the child’s other parent work together to come up with the terms. There are a few things that might occur that wouldn’t make that possible. One of these is if the changes you feel are necessary are due to your child being in danger when they’re with your ex.
Another situation when there might be a modification needed is if one parent moves out of the area. This might make the current parenting time schedule impossible to follow, so a new one would have to be created.
Modifications might also be required when a parent isn’t following the current parenting plan. In some cases, the change may be that the communication method needs to be changed or that minor changes to the parenting time schedule could help the situation.
When you’re trying to work out the terms of a modification, remember that you need to think about what the child needs now. More modifications are possible down the road if necessary.