A springing child custody arrangement would call for a change in custody as both the children and parents age. Essentially, parents would either return to court for a custody modification or the original custody agreement would roll into a new custody arrangement, as of a certain date. Here are some details surrounding the concept of springing child custody agreements.
Child Custody and a Single Parent's Age
Often, as single parents age, their relationship with their children may change. Child custody may need to be altered as a result of a parent's aging. Some factors that should be considered when altering child custody due to a single parent's increasing age are:
- Parental priorities and responsibilities may change with age, particularly where a young parent matures
- A parent may remarry as time goes on and have additional children, which may affect where the child would want to live
- A single parent's income may increase over time which will allow a parent to offer a greater lifestyle for their children
- A single parent may relocate over time and a child may wish to visit his/her parent more or less
Child Custody and a Child's Age
A child's needs and wants will certainly change as they age. As such, a custody agreement which factors in certain assumptions about a child, i.e. extra-curricular activities, may not be appropriate as children age. Factors that should be considered when altering child custody due to the child's age are:
- The best interests of the child
- The child's adjustment - The child may need to remain closer to the home where they lived with both parents until they're accustomed to their parents living separately; A joint custody relationship will work great in situations like this so the child can spend meaningful time with both parents
- The child's activities - A child might have interests and friends that require him/her to remain in one parent's home more than the other
The concept of changing the custody arrangement as parents and children age may be a wise choice. After all, what may seem appropriate for children at age five will certainly change when children become teenagers. It will be interesting to see if courts begin to place time limits on custody arrangements in the near future.
