On behalf of Cooper & Tanis, P.C. posted in child custody on Friday, September 11, 2015.

Separated or divorced parents living in Colorado often work hard to develop parenting time arrangements that are best for their children and that are fair to both parents. Sometimes, however difficulties can develop as the lifestyles of both the parents and the children change over the years. This can become particularly evident when children return to school.

A wise thing for parents to do is to pay close attention to their children and to their own stress levels during the fall. This is when children adjust to their new school schedules and responsibilities. If it becomes obvious that the current child custody arrangement isn’t working as well as it should, parents may want to consider making some modifications.

Ideally, of course, both parents will be amenable to making changes. These changes may include changing visitation schedules, increasing or decreasing the number of days or hours children spend with each parent or even rethinking where a child lives during the school week. All changes in schedule should be made official by sending them to the court, because any informal changes in schedule could be sent to the court with or without one parent’s consent.

Some parents may benefit from speaking to an experienced family law attorney regarding their current child custody arrangements. The lawyer may be able to review the current child custody agreement as well as issues that are cropping up because the child has started school. Attorneys may be able to mediate an agreement between parents regarding their child’s schedule and school arrangements so that the needs of all parties are being met.