Divorce can be very hard both financially and emotionally. It is common for people to struggle with the end of their marriage. Especially if you didn’t expect your spouse to file for divorce, you may not have been in a good place during the divorce.
Maybe you felt so badly about the situation that you just signed every paper your spouse gave you and didn’t fight for anything. They took full custody of the kids, leaving you with very little access. It’s also possible that you did ask for custody but a judge looked at your situation and decided that they wanted to limit your parenting time.
In either situation, you have an opportunity to spend more time with your children once you address those personal issues.
Getting to a stable place means you can ask for a modification
Maybe you needed to undergo therapy for depression or treatment for substance abuse. Perhaps you just needed time to find a job and get a place to live. When your circumstances are more stable after your divorce, you will be in a better position to provide for what your children need.
Even if a judge initially thought it would not be in the children’s best interests to give you substantial parenting time, that assessment can change. Once you have a safe place to live or have proof that you have worked on the issues that could affect your parenting, you may have grounds to ask for a custody modification.
More parenting time is good for you and the kids
Provided that there has been a significant change in your circumstances, you can ask the court to re-evaluate the custody arrangement. It’s possible that your spouse might agree to more fully share custody with you. You could file an uncontested modification request in that case.
Otherwise, you can present evidence to the courts and ask a judge to increase how much time you get to spend with your children. If they can see that you have displayed dedication to self-improvement and to creating a stable home environment, they could likely agree with your request. Your children will likely be happy to spend more time with you.
Just like with the initial custody proceedings, modification hearings should prioritize what is best for the children. A good relationship with both parents is important for a child’s social and emotional development. Showing how much you value your relationship with the children might convince the courts to give you more parenting time.
