If you have an order in place that defines the division of custody through the summer months, you might find that the schedule you established does not work with the plans that you, your ex or your children have made for the summer. You are not necessarily locked into those visitation days.
You can work out a change in the summer custody schedule between you and your former spouse or you can petition the court for modification. There are a few times when these modifications are beneficial.
Are you planning a vacation?
If you are planning to take time off and travel with your children, you need to be sure that your time off coincides with your custodial time with the kids. If you can only take certain weeks off from work and they are not the weeks when you have custody for the summer, you may need to negotiate or petition to modify the schedule accordingly.
Does your child need summer school?
If your child has struggled in school this year and the school requires summer school attendance, that often affects custody and visitation schedules. A parent who would otherwise have several weeks of visitation may need to wait until the end of summer school classes if they live out of the district.
Custody and visitation schedules are not concrete documents. When things change with your family dynamic, lifestyle or employment schedule, you can make changes accordingly. Either discuss it between you and your ex or petition the court for a ruling if you cannot agree.
