It’s that time of year again. The 2025-2026 school term in Northern California is underway. It’s a time of transition for all kids, but for children of divorce, it can be an especially challenging time.
If you are a recently separated or divorced co-parent, the start of the school year can reveal problems in the custody agreement. Let’s delve a little deeper below.
Why the school term creates changes
Depending upon the age of your children, they typically will get involved with sports and other extracurricular activities. These involve practices and meetings that can conflict with parenting time during the school year.
What’s a parent to do? They want to encourage their kids to spread their wings and develop new skills and interests. But they still want to preserve as much time with their children as possible.
Could it be time to modify the custody agreement?
The problem with custody agreements is that they are designed to be outgrown. Particularly in cases where the co-parents split or divorce when the children are young, it only takes a few years for the custody agreement in place to be hopelessly outdated.
How can you tell that your agreement is outdated?
Any custody order that no longer reflects the best interests of the children needs to be modified. For instance, if your present custody order deals with the nap schedules of pre-schoolers and your kids can now watch PG-13 movies with friends, it’s time for a modification.
Modified orders protect parents’ time
Some parents are able to work out an informal custody agreement between themselves. But if the relationship sours at any point, one parent could potentially file contempt of court charges against their co-parent for any deviations from the custody order in place.
It’s always better to have your legal ducks in line when dealing with divorce and custody matters.
