Texas custody cases involving multiple children can be complex, because the children may not have the same needs. In a recent case, a father challenged a modification that gave the mother rights with regard to the youngest child that he was awarded for the older two children.
The parents got married in 2006 and divorced in 2017. They had three children. In the agreed divorce decree, both parents were named joint managing conservators with shared possession of the children. In November 2020, the father petitioned for modification, alleging a material and substantial change in circumstances related to one child’s emotional health and welfare. He subsequently amended the petition to alleged the same regarding another of the children, and ultimately filed an amended petition seeking relief for all three of the children.
The court held a bench trial and signed a partially handwritten memorandum, with a note that the mother’s attorney would draft the final order. Although the memorandum was entered in early November 2022, the parties did not receive it until April 2023.