No, your ex cannot change your children’s visitation schedule when he feels like it.
If the court order specifies specific times he is to have the kids and you are to have the kids, the schedule must be followed.
However, if you two can both agree on a schedule change, the visitation schedule can be revised.
The key is that you two both must agree. One of you cannot decide to change the schedule without an agreement from the other spouse.
If you two have an amicable relationship and have had no major problems with visitation, you can probably verbally agree to make schedule changes.
If there have been issues in the past with changes in visitation, if you two can agree to a change, it should be in writing.
Some parents will refuse to revise the visitation schedule at all, not for any good reason, but simply to be mean.
For example, one parent may have an important event coming up, and the other parent will refuse to switch weekends to allow the children to attend the event.
An emergency may arise, and one parent may refuse to help out with the kids so that the family emergency can be attended to by the other parent.
In a situation where you really want your kids to attend an important event, such as your remarriage, you may consider asking the court for a temporary order allowing the kids to attend.
If you need emergency help with the kids and your spouse will not cooperate, consider asking friends or family members to help out in the immediate future, and consider asking the court for a revised custody schedule if it appears that the situation will be ongoing.
It’s always great when parents can work together on the custody schedule for the benefit of the children.
Unfortunately, in some cases one parent may make custody issues a constant battle.