How to Manage Conflict-Free Parenting Schedule Change Request

Young girl runs up to parent's car with a smile on her face outside of her school.

Consistent parenting schedules are an important part of co-parenting after a divorce or separation. A regular routine helps children adjust to their new living arrangements in two houses. With a clear picture of when they will see both of their parents, children can relax into their new routine and feel confident about their new family structure.

But life will always throw a curveball sooner or later, and co-parents may find themselves facing conversations about parenting time changes when they need to accommodate unforeseen scheduling conflicts.

If a co-parenting relationship is healthy and respectful, these conversations may be simple and straightforward. But if co-parents have historically struggled with seeing eye-to-eye, approaching conversations about one-time parenting time modifications can feel like navigating a minefield.

To keep parenting time changes clear-cut and uncomplicated, even in co-parenting situations with high conflict, start by following these 3 rules.

Keep changes to an absolute minimum

Occasional changes to regularly repeating parenting schedules are to be expected. Sudden business trips, family emergencies that take a parent out-of-state, and other unpredictable events may require co-parents to temporarily modify who has the children and when.

But when one co-parent requests frequent changes to the schedule, a family's regular routine and expectations can be seriously upset. These frequent changes can be stressful for children and co-parents alike. It's an unfair situation for everyone involved and should be avoided.

Frequent change requests may indicate that the parenting schedule originally agreed upon may no longer be the right fit for your family. If either you or your co-parent is in frequent need of changing the schedule, it may be time to consider updating your parenting plan with new parenting time guidelines.

Have a clear system for handling schedule change requests

A parenting plan with clearly defined rules for schedule change requests makes those conversations that much easier. Consider incorporating the following facets into your parenting plan to have a clear-cut system for approaching parenting time modifications.

How often are changes permitted?

To keep changes to a healthy minimum, some parents choose to include a schedule change request limit in their parenting plan agreement.

Whether you choose to calculate those minimums by quarter, month, or year is entirely up to you and your co-parent. Just make sure to be realistic about the limits placed on schedule change request, and think critically about whether adhering to the limits you choose will help create a healthy co-parenting relationship.

Too strict of limits and co-parents may find themselves butting heads when otherwise reasonable requests are rejected due to the limit having been reached. Too liberal of limits, on the other hand, may create an atmosphere where too frequent of parenting time changes are possible, leading to confusion and conflict between co-parents.

Time-frame for requests

To create clarity in your co-parenting, your parenting plan should answer the question of how far in advance parenting time modification requests must be submitted.

Barring true emergency situations that require a change with less than 48 hours notice, all requests should be made well in advance. A reasonable timeframe will give co-parents ample time to consider the request and plan for any changes that may be necessary to accommodate the change in parenting time.

Swaps or one-way changes

Some parenting plans require that parenting time changes be true swaps, meaning that any additional time asked for by one parent is balanced by additional parenting time granted to the other parent at a later date.

If co-parents want more flexibility in their parenting time modification requests, they may wish to allow the option of one-way changes that do not require an equal swap of parenting time.

Documentation

One-time deviations to a regularly repeating parenting schedule have the potential to create confusion. Whether the requests are presented alongside other conversations and are lost in the shuffle or your shared parenting calendar isn't updated with the new arrangements, improper documentation of parenting time changes can lead to unnecessary conflict.

Miscommunication about parenting time changes is easily avoidable, however, if you have a clear system in place for documentation.

On OurFamilyWizard, parents can use the unique Schedule Change Request tool to manage their parenting time schedule change requests with ease. With this tool, parents requesting a one-time change outline the proposed changes to parenting time, a brief reason, and the required timeframe for a response. The other parent can then respond to the request by approving it, refusing it, or by providing an alternative solution.

No matter the response, the details of the request are permanently chronicled on the family's calendar. If accepted, the family's parenting schedule is automatically updated to show the alteration in parenting time.

Parents can also quickly create a report of parenting time changes, making it simple to track the number of requests made during any given period of time.

No matter the system you and your co-parent choose for handling parenting time change requests, consistency and documentation are both essential for keeping things running smoothly. A regularly repeating parenting schedule is a vital piece of the co-parenting puzzle after a divorce, so be sure to keep requests to an absolute minimum. When one-time changes to the schedule are unavoidable, however, be sure to communicate your request to your co-parent well in advance. And to avoid confusion, keep conversations about these changes well-documented and separate from other co-parenting conversations.