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As a parent, you know that kids change fast. As soon as you get used to one stage, they’re on to the next. As they grow and change, their needs change too. A teenager has completely different needs than a six-year-old. As their parent, your life also changes – new jobs, new relationships, new financial situations. All of this change can mean that you need to get your child custody order modified. The state of Texas understands this and makes that possible.
Why Modify a Custody Agreement?
There are two primary reasons to change a custody agreement. The first is if circumstances have changed. The second is if one of the parents has violated a court order.
If you and your former spouse are on good terms and can agree that modifications would be a good idea, the process can be simple. This could happen if the custodial parent starts traveling away from San Antonio a lot for work, or if they move in with a partner with a criminal past. If a parent overcomes an addiction, they could earn more custody or increased visitation. If an older child wants to spend more time with a noncustodial parent, that can also result in a custody modification.
If one of the parents has violated a court order, that can also result in a change to custody. That does not mean that missing child support payments give the custodial parent the right to withhold visitation. Instead, you should let your San Antonio custody agreement lawyer know about the violation of the court order.
Custody will also need to be modified if one of the parents dies. If a custodial parent dies, the non-custodial parent will be first on the list of potential custodians, but custody still needs to be determined by the courts.
In many cases, custody modifications can be negotiated with the other parent. If you are successfully co-parenting, you might be able to come to an agreement quickly and without the work of hiring lawyers. You’ll still need to file the relevant paperwork.
If an agreement isn’t possible, you will need to work with your lawyer. You might want to work with the same lawyer that you hired for your divorce, or you might need a new San Antonio lawyer. At Zarka Law Firm, we can help you negotiate and file any paperwork. We can also present your case to a judge that will make the final decree.
If you get divorced when your children are small, you and your former spouse will need to negotiate countless different stages of their childhood while separated. You’ll need to help them learn to read, negotiate middle-school cliques, first relationships, and apply for college. In that time, one or both of you might need to move away from San Antonio, might get remarried, or your child might decide that they want to get to know their noncustodial parent better as they move into their teenage years. Life can change dramatically throughout a person’s childhood, and that means that many custody orders need modification at least once.
At Zarka Law Firm, we understand that your goal is to give your children the best childhood possible. That often involves shifting the rules of the custody order over time. We can help you negotiate a new custody agreement and navigate the legal system to make it official. Give us a call today, so that we can make sure your custody agreement fits the needs your family has today, not the needs you had when you got divorced.
