When the courts finalize your divorce, many people refer to the resulting court orders as the final orders in the divorce. However, just because specific terms were ideal for your family at one point during your divorce doesn’t mean that those same terms will continue to work for your family indefinitely.
As your children age and your lives change, your needs will change as well. When the terms of your custody arrangements no longer adequately address your family’s needs, it may be time to consider going back to court to ask for a modification of the custody order.
Custody modification can be uncontested
After going through a divorce, especially if you and your ex have finally reached some kind of equilibrium as co-parents, the thought of going back to court to change your custody order could seem not only intimidating but also potentially damaging.
However, requesting a modification of custody arrangements doesn’t have to be a contentious process. If you and your ex agree that one of you needs more parenting time or that other terms set out in the initial custody arrangement now require adjustment, the two of you could in theory file for an uncontested modification.
As with an uncontested divorce, the courts only serve to oversee and formalize the terms that you sent. Provided that your agreements comply with state law, an uncontested modification can be quick and effective. In the case where you and your ex don’t agree, you can still seek a contested modification, provided that you have good reasons for doing so, such as the belief that spending more time with you would benefit the children.
