You want to see your kids, but the custody schedule you have today isn’t right for you. You’ve had to miss two or three of your visitation days because of work, and there was nothing you could do about it. This has massively disrupted your usual routine and parenting time. You just want more time to see your kids again.
What should you do?
In a situation like this, it may be helpful to talk to the other parent about the issues you’re having at work. Some people may be comfortable adjusting their children’s visitation times or days. If so, you may get your lost parenting time back. For example, if you now have all day Saturday free but can’t do evenings on Thursday or Friday, you may be able to negotiate to have your children all day Saturday, instead.
You don’t necessarily have to do a modification request with the court to change your custody schedule so long as the other parent agrees. If they do, then your attorney can help draw up a new custody arrangement and submit it to the court to make it binding. If your adjustment is only temporary, you may be able to work out an agreement that doesn’t involve the court.
What can you do if the other parent doesn’t want to adjust the custody schedule?
If they don’t want to change the custody schedule, you can take the case to court. Make sure you have enough evidence of your change in circumstances to support your request so that you can prove to the judge that it’s essential if you are to be with your children a fair amount of time. If this is in your children’s best interests, then a judge may be able and willing to grant you a new order.