Parents across Illinois may feel that while the days seem long, the years may blitz by at an incredible rate. A reader may feel as though they had just enrolled their child in kindergarten, only to blink and see them crossing the stage at their high school graduation. Time does not stop even when parents want it to so that they can enjoy the many diverse developmental stages their children go through, and as their children develop and grow they may have very different needs.

For example, a young child may be significantly more dependent on their parents than an older child. A child who can drive may require less after school supervision that a child in elementary school, and a child in their teens may connect more closely with one of their parents than a younger child who desires a relationship with both of their parents. When parents must share parenting time with their children in child custody plans, they should be aware that children’s needs and interests may change over time and that those issues may be dealt with through child custody modifications.

A child custody modification alters the terms of a child custody agreement or order. It offers new terms by which parents must abide in order to meet their legal obligations to their kids. When a modification is granted, a parent’s day-to-day responsibilities to their child may change, and modifications can be sought in anticipation of those needs so that the best interests of the child are consistently protected.

As a child prepares to return to school, their parents may want to assess if they will need to modify their custody, visitation or support orders. Their supportive family law professionals can offer them relevant information if they have questions about making these and other changes.