Many Dallas parents will carefully weigh the potential impact of a divorce on their children as they try to decide whether to try to stay together with their spouses or go their separate ways. It’s appropriate to give this due consideration, and so we’d like to spend another entry here on our Dallas family law blog helping parents understand how child custody and visitation arrangements typically play out after the end of the marriage.

Texas generally favors what is called joint managing conservators. The term managing conservator refers to a parent with primary custody; joint managing conservators means that the child or children live with one parent with primary custody, and the other sees the children according to a visitation schedule. Texas courts recognize the importance of both parents being able to continue a relationship with children after a divorce.

That said, one must be realistic and expect that there may be times when disputes emerge over the visitation schedule. Perhaps the parent with whom the children live is interfering with visitation; perhaps the noncustodial parent is not adhering to the agreed-upon pickup and drop-off times. These are common issues and a legal professional can help parents on either side ensure that their rights are upheld.

On the other hand, sometimes changes over time necessitate revisiting the provisions of a parenting plan. A growing youth may have different scheduling needs, for example. It’s also possible that one parent has displayed some warning signs that may make the other parent feel that it’s no longer safe for the children to be with that parent.

In these cases, it’s possible to seek an agreement modification to the arrangements made at the time of the divorce. Our Dallas Visitation Rights Attorney page has more information about this. Whether Dallas parents are contemplating divorce or are years into a child custody situation, a family law professional can help answer questions and take action when necessary.