When you and your ex-spouse divorced, you set up a custody plan that was great at the time. Your child was young, so you split your time relatively evenly and made sure they always had someone with them.
Now, your child is getting older and more independent. As a result, they’ve come to you and said they’re tired of going back and forth so often. They want to stay home to play with friends on some days and on others, they want to go to school events or to other activities.
You and your ex-spouse have a lot to talk about in this situation. While your current custody plan may be working for you, it’s clear that your child wants some changes. As they get older, this is to be expected. You should consider adjusting your custody agreement to make it suit their school schedule or to help them remain closer to friends and activities.
For example, if their father’s home is closer to the school and their afterschool-practice field, it might be a good idea to have them live at their father’s home through the week and to have them stay with you on the weekends. This keeps them closer to friends and activities the majority of the time, while freeing up weekends to spend together.
You can talk about new schedules and how you could arrange time for your child to explore more of their independence together. Once you have a schedule you like and agree on, you can seek a modification in court to make it official as you move forward.
