Does your parenting plan still work for your teenager?

When you first create a custody arrangement, your child may be in elementary school. The schedule may revolve around school hours, after-school care and regular exchanges between households.

As your child becomes a teenager, their schedule can become much busier. Sports, after-school activities, part-time jobs and social events can create conflicts that did not exist when you first created your parenting plan.

In California, custody orders are meant to support a child’s best interests as children grow. A parenting plan that worked well for your younger child may become more difficult to follow during the teenage years.

How teenage years can change custody schedules

As your teenager spends more time outside the home, several activities can affect parenting time:

• Playing on school or travel sports teams
• Working a part-time job
• Taking part in clubs or other school activities
• Completing driver’s education courses
• Visiting colleges and universities
• Attending school dances and social events

These activities can create conflicts between your teenager’s schedule and parenting time. Your child may have weekend tournaments, evening work shifts or school trips that overlap with scheduled parenting time. As those conflicts become more frequent, disagreements can become more common as well.

What happens when parents disagree?

Disagreements can arise when you and your co-parent have different views about your teenager’s activities. One parent may support a demanding sports schedule while the other believes it interferes with parenting time. Conflicts can also develop when transportation becomes more complicated or when a teenager expresses a preference about where they want to spend their time.

California courts decide custody matters based on the child’s best interests. A court may consider the preferences of an older child in some situations, but a teenager cannot decide custody arrangements on their own.

When disagreements continue, parents sometimes ask the court to change an existing custody order. Those requests typically focus on whether the current schedule still meets the child’s needs.

When it may be time to modify a parenting plan

Some situations are more likely to lead to requests for parenting plan modifications:

• Experiencing frequent scheduling conflicts
• Managing new school or activity commitments
• Addressing transportation challenges between households
• Following a schedule that no longer matches your child’s routine

In these situations, a court may consider whether a different schedule better fits the child’s current needs and each parent’s responsibilities.

Parenting plans should reflect your child’s changing needs

Teenagers usually have more responsibilities and activities than younger children. As those commitments increase, a parenting schedule that once worked smoothly can become harder to follow.

Questions about parenting time and custody changes sometimes arise when a teenager’s schedule changes. California courts address those issues based on the specific circumstances of the child and the family.