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Navigating back-to-school season can be difficult for recently divorced couples with children. As summer vacation ends and school goes back into session, children will start to spend the majority of their time in school. During this time, divorced parents may notice that their original responsibilities and schedules may not be as ideal as they had imagined.
When going back to school, parents should consider their situation very carefully to avoid custody issues from occurring. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Where Does Your Child Go To School
The geographical location of your child’s school and what age they are can play a major role in how you and your ex-spouse determine custody plans. For example, it would make more sense for the parent that lives closest to the school to have physical custody of the child during the week. Then on the weekends, the other parent would have their custody and/or visitation time. If the child is older and can drive, this might not be as important when determining physical custody. Regardless of the situation, it’s best to think about what will make your child the most comfortable as they adjust to this new routine.
How Does Your Job Impact Your Parenting Duties?
For working parents, they will have to consider how their job schedule lines up with their child’s school schedule. If one parent doesn’t get off until after the child is released from school, but the other parent is already off work at that time, then it might be best to let that parent pick the child up after school. This could mean the child would have visitation time with their other parents in the afternoons. Another thing to consider is if one parent cannot pick up or drop off due to work responsibilities, then primary physical custody might not be in the best interest of the child at this time.
Keep Communication Open
School schedules can become pretty complicated. With sports, clubs, and teacher meetings there may be many events going on for the kids during the school year. Parents with primary physical custody should always keep the other parent up-to-date on anything going on in their child’s lives. Each parent has a right to know what is going on in their child’s lives, as well as any important events. If you and your ex have trouble communicating with each other, consider looking into some joint-custody tips or taking a parenting course to help facilitate the progress of your parental relationship.
Do You Need to Modify Your Parenting Plan?
If you find that your current custody and visitation plan is not conducive to supporting your child’s needs, consider looking into modifying custody. Because there are specific guidelines for obtaining a modification, it is best to contact an experienced San Antonio child custody lawyer to assist you through the process.
Call the team at The Law Office of Rebecca J. Carrillo today at (210) 405-6623 if you have questions about modifying child custody in Texas.