The child custody schedule forms a large part of the child custody agreement. Many divorced parents say that they spent the most time coming up with the child custody schedule then anything else in their agreement. The consensus is that parents want a good visitation calendar because that is the actual time they will spend with the children–it is the part of the agreement that affects you on a daily basis. There are many different kinds of schedules that parents can create. Here is some information to help you create the best custody schedule.
More and more parents are trying a shared or split parenting arrangement. These are the custody schedules that give both parents equal time with the children. This can be accomplished in multiple ways. Parents can alternate weeks, split the weeks in half, alternate every two weeks, or come up with different schedules for the school year and the summer. For this last scenario, many parents feel like their child should have more stability during the school year. So, they will stay with one parent during the week, and the other parent will have an afternoon during the week and the weekends. But, during summer break and other holidays, the other parent gets more time with the child (maybe the parents will reverse it so the other parent gets the children during the week) to make up for it.
The type of schedule that you choose will depend on your children and on the situation with you and the children’s other parent. If both parents live close by and can maintain a household for the children then it is easier to split the time between them. Some children handle change better than others, and some children won’t do well with a lot of switching and adjusting. For those kids, it’s better to have longer stays at each household.
You will also want to factor in the working time of both the parents. Sometimes parents set up an arrangement where the children basically live with one parent, but the other parent is the after school care while the parent works. So, the children spend every afternoon with one parent but go home to the other parent at night. You can be creative and flexible with your agreement.
Along with the basic rotating schedule, you need to think about the holiday schedule. Generally this doesn’t have to be too difficult–you just divide the holidays between the parents. You have some flexibility about the length of holidays. You can have the holidays last for several days or a week, or you can divide the day of the holiday between both parents. Think about what will be best for the kids.
If you can create a good custody schedule then the odds are pretty good that you’ll be happy with your custody agreement. Think about the days and the times that the children should be with each parent. Make the calendar fit your needs–don’t feel like you should fit your life to the calendar. Then choose the holiday and vacation times. Once you have this all figured out, you can relax and enjoy your time as a parent.
Learn more about creating your perfect child custody schedule and get more information about making child custody agreements.
Article Source: Your Child Custody Schedule: An Important Part of the Custody Agreement
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Original: Divorce Advice For Men
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