“Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Lisa Wu Hartwell filed for custody of her sons with ex-husband and R&B singer Keith Sweat last week.

Sweat received primary custody of sons Jordan and Justin (now 14 and 11) back in 2003. The divorce judge indicated in the original decree that the children “lacked structure in their lives, due in substantial part to Mother’s numerous business ventures and frequent trips out of town … Mother has a history of spending money on herself excessively rather than providing for the children … There was some evidence at trial that Mother implicitly participated in robbing Father in the presence of the children. She also took money from Father prior to the initiation of this matter. This behavior causes the Court to question Mother’s maturity and judgment.”

The judge also noted that “there is evidence that Father has been violent towards Mother, but no evidence he has ever been violent with any of his children.”

In her motion to modify custody, Hartwell says her life is more stable now. She has money now, from the Real Housewives show and because she married former NFL player Ed Hartwell.

Hartwell currently has visitation rights and reportedly sees her sons frequently. Neither Jordan nor Justin has appeared on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” because Sweat would not give permission for them to be filmed.Custody modifications generally require a party to allege and prove that there has been a substantial change in circumstances since the previous custody order which make a modification appropriate and in the best interests of the children.

In this case, Hartwell claims that “[t]he best interest of the minor children will be served by modifying the current custody and visitation provisions to make Mother the primary physical custodian of the minor children. Since the time of the Divorce Decree, Mother has remarried, owns a successful business and will provide a stable, loving, and nurturing environment in which she can raise the minor children.”

Hartwell is seeking “primary physical custody and joint legal custody with final decision-making on all issues regarding the minor children.” She claims she will “reasonably engage Father in good faith discussions before any final decisions are made concerning the children’s welfare.”

Based solely on the allegations set forth in the motion to modify custody, I would be very surprised if a judge changed primary physical custody unless it was to institute a shared custody arrangement. And if the relationship between Hartwell and Sweat is so strained that Hartwell doesn’t believe they can agree on major decisions for their children (thus, the request for sole decision-making authority), I would be surprised to see a judge order shared custody. Equal parenting time, in my experience at least, is successful only when parents can put aside differences in order to make reasonable decisions for their kids. That doesn’t seem to be the case here.